Across the Black Country Federation, we believe that music is a vital and enriching part of a child's education. It nurtures creativity, builds confidence and gives pupils a meaningful way to express themselves. Music is an important part of school life, with regular opportunities to perform, listen and create.

Our CUSP (Curriculum with Unity Schools Partnership) Music curriculum is designed so that pupils:

• Develop secure skills in singing and playing both tuned and untuned instruments.
• Strengthen their listening skills and learn how to talk about music using appropriate vocabulary.
• Compose and improvise, creating their own musical ideas with increasing confidence.
• Explore and appreciate music from a range of cultures, traditions and historical periods.
• Revisit and build on key knowledge and skills over time to ensure clear progression.

Our aim is that every child leaves our school as a confident and knowledgeable young musician, ready to continue their musical journey in secondary school and beyond. We celebrate music through performances, whole-school events and opportunities to work with visiting musicians.

A Structured Approach to Music Education

The CUSP Music curriculum is organised into six blocks per year group, each lasting five weeks. This structure ensures:

• Clear progression in musical skills such as pitch, rhythm, tempo, dynamics and structure.
• A balance between practical activities and understanding musical concepts.
• Consistent use of high-quality resources to support teaching and learning.
• An inclusive approach so that all pupils, regardless of experience, can participate and succeed.

Each year builds on prior learning, helping pupils to develop confidence, creativity and musicianship over time.

Music in the Early Years

In EYFS, music forms part of "Expressive Arts and Design". Children begin by:

• Singing nursery rhymes, action songs and simple chants.
• Exploring pulse and rhythm through clapping, movement and play.
• Using simple instruments and body percussion to create patterns.
• Listening to a variety of music from different cultures and styles.

These experiences help children develop confidence in singing, an awareness of rhythm and the ability to listen carefully.

The Structure of a Music Lesson

Music lessons follow a clear sequence to support learning:

• Connect - revisiting prior knowledge and key vocabulary.
• Explain - introducing new musical concepts or notation.
• Example - modelling techniques or focused listening.
• Attempt - practising through singing, playing or composing.
• Apply - using new skills more independently.
• Challenge - refining and extending understanding.

This approach ensures steady development of practical skills and musical understanding.

Core Areas of Learning

The curriculum is built around four main strands.

Performing
Pupils develop control of their voices through regular singing. They play a range of tuned and untuned instruments, including percussion and glockenspiels, and in Upper Key Stage 2 are introduced to keyboards to deepen their understanding of melody and harmony.

Composing and Improvising
Children experiment with rhythm, melody and dynamics. They create short compositions and practise improvising patterns and phrases using both voice and instruments.

Listening and Appraising
Pupils listen to music from different periods and cultures. They learn to describe what they hear using musical vocabulary and consider how music reflects its context.

Notation and Theory
Children are introduced to basic notation and rhythm patterns. Over time, they learn to read and play from simple musical scores, revisiting key knowledge to strengthen understanding.

The Impact of Our Music Curriculum

By the time pupils leave our school, they are:

• Confident in singing and performing with others.
• Secure in their understanding of key musical concepts and basic notation.
• Able to express themselves creatively through composition and performance.
• Aware of a range of musical styles and traditions.
• Well prepared to continue their musical education at Key Stage 3.

Further Information

For more information about our CUSP Music curriculum, including knowledge documents, curriculum overviews and performance opportunities, please contact our Curriculum Lead, Tom Amphlett, at info@brierley.dudley.sch.uk.