Music Age Related Expectations

Year 1 and 2

Year 3 and 4

Year 5 and 6

To perform 

Development Matters - Reception

• Sing in a group or on their own, increasingly matching the pitch and following the melody.  
• Explore and engage in music making and dance, performing solo or in groups.

ELG

• Sing a range of wellknown nursery rhymes and songs. 
• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and (when appropriate) try to move in time with music

• Take part in singing, accurately following the melody. 

• Follow instructions on how and when to sing or play an instrument. 

• Make and control long and short sounds, using voice and instruments. 

• Imitate changes in pitch. 

• Sing from memory with accurate pitch. 

• Sing in tune. 

• Maintain a simple part within a group. 

• Pronounce words within a song clearly. 

• Show control of voice. 

• Play notes on an instrument with care so that they are clear. 

• Perform with control and awareness of others. 

• Sing or play from memory with confidence. 

• Perform solos or as part of an ensemble. 

• Sing or play expressively and in tune. 

• Hold a part within a round. 

• Sing a harmony part confidently and accurately. 

• Sustain a drone or a melodic ostinato to accompany singing. 

• Perform with controlled breathing (voice) and skillful playing (instrument). 

To compose 

Development Matters - Reception

• Explore and engage in music making and dance, performing solo or in groups.
• Return to and build on their previous learning, refining ideas and developing their ability to represent them. 
• Create collaboratively sharing ideas, resources and skills.

ELG

• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and (when appropriate) try to move in time with music.

• Create a sequence of long and short sounds. 

• Clap rhythms. 

• Create a mixture of different sounds (long and short, loud and quiet, high and low). 

• Choose sounds to create an effect. 

• Sequence sounds to create an overall effect. 

• Create short, musical patterns. 

• Create short, rhythmic phrases. 

• Compose and perform melodic songs. 

• Use sound to create abstract effects. 

• Create repeated patterns with a range of instruments. 

• Create accompaniments for tunes. 

• Use drones as accompaniments. 

• Choose, order, combine and control sounds to create an effect. 

• Use digital technologies to compose pieces of music. 

• Create songs with verses and a chorus. 

• Create rhythmic patterns with an awareness of timbre and duration. 

• Combine a variety of musical devices, including melody, rhythm and chords. 

• Thoughtfully select elements for a piece in order to gain a defined effect. 

• Use drones and melodic ostinati (based on the pentatonic scale). 

• Convey the relationship between the lyrics and the melody. 

• Use digital technologies to compose, edit and refine pieces of music. 

To transcribe 

• Use symbols to represent a composition and use them to help with a performance. 

• Devise non-standard symbols to indicate when to play and rest. 

• Recognise the notes EGBDF and FACE on the musical stave. 

• Recognise the symbols for a minim, crotchet and semibreve and say how many beats they represent. 

• Use the standard musical notation of crotchet, minim and semibreve to indicate how many beats to play. 

• Read and create notes on the musical stave. 

• Understand the purpose of the treble and bass clefs and use them in transcribing compositions. 

• Understand and use the # (sharp) and ♭ (flat) symbols. 

• Use and understand simple time signatures. 

To describe music 

Development Matters - Reception

• Listen attentively, move to and talk about music, expressing their feelings and responses.

• Identify the beat of a tune. 

• Recognise changes in timbre, dynamics and pitch. 

• Use the terms: duration, timbre, pitch, beat, tempo, texture and use of silence to describe music. 

• Evaluate music using musical vocabulary to identify areas of likes and dislikes. 

• Understand layers of sounds and discuss their effect on mood and feelings. 

• Choose from a wide range of musical vocabulary to accurately describe and appraise music including:  

    • pitch  

    • dynamics  

    • tempo  

    • timbre  

    • texture  

    • lyrics and melody  

    • sense of occasion  

    • expressive  

    • solo 

    • rounds 

    • harmonies 

    • accompaniments 

    • drones 

    • cyclic patterns 

    • combination of musical elements 

    • cultural context. 

• Describe how lyrics often reflect the cultural context of music and have social meaning.