Orchard Park Community Primary School

Music at Orchard Park – Parent Information

Intent – What We Want for Your Child

At Orchard Park, we want every child to enjoy and be inspired by music. Through listening, singing, playing instruments, composing, and performing, children explore a wide range of music styles, genres, and cultures.

Music is taught by specialist teachers who help children grow in confidence, creativity, and musical skill. From singing in assemblies to performing in concerts and learning instruments in class, we aim to make music an exciting and important part of school life.

We want our pupils to:

• Understand and appreciate a wide variety of music

• Learn to sing confidently, on their own and with others

• Explore music through hands-on experiences, like composing and performing

• Gain the musical knowledge and skills they need to enjoy music now and in the future

• Learn to play a range of instruments during Key Stage 2, helping them see themselves as musicians

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Implementation – How We Teach Music

Music is a regular and valued part of the curriculum at Orchard Park. Children learn through a mix of:

• Weekly singing assemblies

• Class music lessons taught by a specialist

• Concerts and performances throughout the year

• Instrumental teaching from the main instrument families: strings, wind, percussion, and keyboard

• Ensembles and choirs for children who want to take music further

In the classroom, children are taught to:

• Use musical words and concepts to describe what they hear

• Learn the basics of reading music notation

• Compose their own music using instruments, voices, or body percussion

• Perform together, building teamwork and confidence

These lessons help children understand how music works, while also having fun and expressing themselves.

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Impact – The Difference It Makes

Music at Orchard Park gives children the chance to explore their talents, build self-confidence, and develop a lifelong love of music.

By the time they leave us, children will:

• Feel confident singing and performing

• Be able to listen carefully and talk about different kinds of music

• Understand how music is made and written

• Know how to play at least one instrument

• Feel proud of what they’ve achieved in music, and excited to continue learning

Music also supports wider skills like concentration, creativity, teamwork, and emotional expression. It helps children connect with other cultures and understand the role music plays in history and society.

At Orchard Park, we believe every child is musical, and we’re proud to give them the opportunity to discover and enjoy music in a way that’s meaningful to them — whether as a performer, composer, or simply someone who loves to listen.