In this band students are introduced to the ways that ideas and intentions are communicated in and through Music. They develop knowledge, understanding and skills through music practices focusing on:
Elements of music
Rhythm
- sound/silence, long/short, fast/slow, beat and rhythm, rest, ostinato, tempo, crotchet
, crotchet rest 
, quavers in pairs 
, experience of duple and triple metres, for example 
, 
Pitch
- high/low, pitch direction (going up or down), pitch matching, unison
Dynamics and expression
- loud (forte) f and soft (piano) p
Form
- same/different, patterns, repetition, echo, introduction, verse, chorus, round
Timbre
- every voice and instrument has its own distinct sound
- how sound is produced including hit, blown, plucked and shaken
Texture
- unison, melody and accompaniment, round, drone
Skills (including aural skills)
- discriminating between sounds and silence
- moving and performing with an understanding of beat and tempo
- demonstrating the difference between singing and speaking voice
- discriminating between loud and soft, long and short, high and low
- recognising familiar instrument timbres
- using technology as a tool for music learning
- holding and playing classroom instruments safely and correctly
- understanding turn-taking in group music making
- playing in time.
In this band students develop their knowledge of how ideas and intentions are communicated in and through Music. They build on and refine their knowledge, understanding and skills through music practices focusing on:
Elements of music
Rhythm
- simple metres, for example
, , crotchet , crotchet rest 
, quaver 
, semiquaver 
- dotted crotchet
, quavers in groups of 3 
and identical rests in repertoire studied, - ostinato, tempo changes (faster and slower)
Pitch
- pentatonic patterns, melodic shape, recognising steps and leaps, treble clef, staff
Dynamics and expression
- very soft (pianissimo) ppand very loud (fortissimo) ff, gradually getting louder (crescendo), gradually getting softer (decrescendo), smoothly, short and detached
Form
- question and answer (call and response), repeat signs, binary (AB) and ternary (ABA) forms
Timbre
- recognising familiar instrumental timbres in isolation and combination
Texture
- combining two or more rhythmic or melodic patterns which occur simultaneously in different voices
Skills (including aural skills)
- matching pitch and showing the direction of a tune with gesture or drawings
- recognising the differences between notes moving by steps and leaps
- discriminating between rhythm and beat
- demonstrating beat and tempo changes
- matching and varying dynamics
- varying instrumental timbres to create expressive effects using instruments and voices safely and correctly in the classroom
- taking on different roles in group music making, for example, accompaniment, lead
- using technology as a tool for music making and performance.
In this band students develop their knowledge of how ideas and intentions are communicated in and through Music. They build on and refine their knowledge, understanding and skills through music practices focusing on:
Elements of music
Rhythm
- simple metres and time signatures, for example , ,
, bars and barlines - semibreve
, minim 
, crotchet 
, crotchet rest 
, quaver 
, and associated rests, semiquaver 
- compound metre, for example
, dotted crotchet 
, crotchet , quaver , quavers in groups of 3 
, - semiquaver
, dotted crotchet rest 
Pitch
- pentatonic and major scales
- recognising pitch sequences such as an arpeggio or riff; treble and bass clef
Dynamics and expression
- smoothly (legato), detached (staccato), accent
Form
- theme/motif, phrase, rondo (ABACA), riff, ostinato
Timbre
- acoustic, electronic sounds; voice and instrument types
Texture
- contrast within layers of sound
Skills (including aural skills)
- identifying and notating metre and rhythmic groupings
- singing and playing independent parts against contrasting parts
- recognising instrumental and vocal timbres and digitally generated sounds
- using available technology and digital media as a tool for music learning
- holding and playing instruments and using their voices safely and correctly
- listening to others controlling volume and tone in ensemble activities.
In this band students develop their knowledge of how ideas and intentions are communicated in and through Music. They build on and refine their knowledge, understanding and skills through music practices focusing on:
Elements of music
Rhythm
- time signature, semiquaver subdivisions, dotted notes, minim and semibreve rests
, quaver rest 
, dotted crotchet rest - rhythmic devices such as anacrusis, syncopation, ties and pause
Pitch
- melodic sequences based upon pentatonic, major and minor scales; key and key signatures; major and minor chords and primary triads (I, IV, V) in simple chord progressions; reading treble and bass clefs and ledger lines
Dynamics and expression
- dynamic gradations including mpand mf; articulations relevant to style, for example, glissando, slide, slap, melismatic phrasing
Form and structure
- repetition and contrast; call and response; digital sequences; theme and variation; 12 bar blues; popular song structures including verse, chorus, bridge, middle 8, intro and outro
Timbre
- recognising instrumental types and groups; voice types; acoustic and electronic sound
Texture
- identifying layers of sound and their role (accompaniment and melody); unison, homophonic (melody with chords), polyphonic (two or more independent layers played simultaneously)
Skills (including aural skills)
- recognising rhythmic patterns and beat groupings
- discriminating between pitches, recognising intervals and familiar chord progressions
- identifying and notating metre and rhythmic groupings
- aurally identifying layers within a texture
- imitating simple melodies and rhythms using voice and instruments
- performing with expression and technical control, correct posture and safety
- understanding their role within an ensemble, balancing and controlling tone and volume
- using technology as a tool for music learning and to record their music
- holding and playing instruments and using their voices safely and correctly
In this band students develop their knowledge of how ideas and intentions are communicated in and through Music. They build on and refine their knowledge, understanding and skills through music practices focusing on:
Elements of music
Rhythm
- regular and irregular time signature and beat subdivisions; triplets
and duplets 
; further time signature - complex metres, required note groupings:
- rhythmic devices including syncopation, rhythmic motif, rhythmic augmentation and diminution
Pitch
- melodies and chords based on major, minor and modal scales; tonal centres; modulation; consonance and dissonance; chromaticism; pitch devices including riff, ostinato and pedal note
Dynamics and expression
- dynamic gradations; expressive devices and articulations relevant to style such as rubato, ornamentation, terraced dynamics, pitch bending, vibrato, oscillation, filters and pedals
Form and structure
- structures appropriate to styles and repertoire studied including theme, hook, motivic development, head, sonata form, interlude and improvisation
Timbre
- identifying instruments and voice types by name and method of sound production; use of mutes, pedals, harmonics, digitally manipulated sound, distortion, and techniques appropriate to style
Texture
- horizontal and vertical layers appropriate to styles and repertoire studied; homophonic and polyphonic writing, countermelody and white noise
Skills (including aural skills)
- singing and playing music in two or more parts in a range of styles
- performing with expression and technical control and an awareness of ensemble.