Milestones
| Milestone 1 | Milestone 2 | Milestone 3 | |
| Perform This concept involves understanding that music is created to be performed. |
• 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). |
| Compose This concept involves appreciating that music is created through a process which has a number of techniques. |
• 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. |
| Transcribe This concept involves understanding that compositions need to be understood by others and that there are techniques and a language for communicating them. |
• 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. |
| Describe music This concept involves appreciating the features and effectiveness of musical elements. |
• 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. |