KS2 Music Curriculum and Lesson Plans

The KS2 music curriculum (Years 3–6) asks pupils to sing and play with increasing accuracy, improvise and compose, listen with attention to detail, use staff notation and learn about music’s history. This page gives a year-by-year map based on the national curriculum and the Model Music Curriculum, five ready-to-teach lesson plans, a KS2 music vocabulary list and a quiz.

Updated 28 October 2026 · By the Classfern Music Department

UKUSWorks in the UK and the US. This version uses UK music words (bar, crotchet, stave) and UK year groups; the US version uses measure, quarter note, staff and US grades. · US version of this page

Kids’ mode: bigger buttons and text (shared with the other music pages)

Key facts

• The KS2 programme of study has six statements: perform, improvise and compose, listen, use staff notation, appreciate a wide range of music, and understand its history.
• The national curriculum names seven interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and structure (plus musical notations).
• The Model Music Curriculum (DfE, March 2021, non-statutory) recommends at least one hour of music a week and whole-class instrumental lessons in Year 3 or 4 for at least a term.
• Staff notation starts in Year 3; 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures are in Year 5.
• 5 lesson plans of 45 minutes each, with timings, differentiation, assessment and curriculum links.

• Year-by-year map
• Lesson plans
• KS2 music vocabulary
• Quiz

What is in the KS2 national curriculum for music?

The national curriculum says KS2 pupils should be taught to sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control. They should perform alone and in groups, improvise and compose, listen with attention to detail, use and understand staff notation, appreciate a wide range of music, and develop an understanding of the history of music.

The six statements, word for word, are: “play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression”; “improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the interrelated dimensions of music”; “listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory”; “use and understand staff and other musical notations”; “appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians”; and “develop an understanding of the history of music”.

Year-by-year KS2 music curriculum map

KS2 music lesson plans (Years 3–6)

Each plan follows the same template: objectives, resources, a timed outline, differentiation, assessment and curriculum links. Use Print this plan and choose “Save as PDF” to keep a PDF copy. For a blank version of the same layout, use the UK lesson plan template.

Lesson 1: First notes on the stave – C, D and E

Year group

Year 3 (ages 7–8)

Time

45 minutes

Focus

Reading staff notation: three notes, crotchets and paired quavers

Learning objectives

• Name the notes C, D and E on the treble stave.
• Clap and say crotchets (ta) and pairs of quavers (ti-ti).
• Play “Hot Cross Buns” (E D C) from notation on a glockenspiel or recorder.

Resources

• Glockenspiels or chime bars (or Classfern’s online glockenspiel).
• A stave on the board, or the unit Notes in the treble clef.
• Class play-along with the tune “Hot Cross Buns”.

Lesson outline

45-minute lesson. Each row is one part; the lesson timer below follows these times.

Time	Part	What happens
0–5 min	Warm-up	Echo-clap four-beat rhythms using ta and ti-ti. Sing up and down C D E: “do re mi, mi re do”.
5–15 min	Meet the stave	Five lines, four spaces. Middle C sits on a short extra line (a ledger line) below the stave; D hangs just under the bottom line; E sits on the bottom line. Children show C, D and E with their hands on an imaginary stave.
15–25 min	Read the rhythm	Write “Hot Cross Buns” on the board. Clap it first: ta ta ta (rest), ta ta ta (rest), ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti, ta ta ta (rest).
25–40 min	Play it	In pairs, one partner points to the notes while the other plays E D C. Swap. Then play together with the class play-along at a slow speed.
40–45 min	Check and reflect	Quick quiz: teacher points at C, D or E; pupils show 1, 2 or 3 fingers. Self-assess with the I can list.

Differentiation

• Support: Put letter stickers on the C, D and E bars; play with the letters showing, then cover them.
• Stretch: Add F and G and play “Lightly Row” or “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” (C to A).
• Access (SEND): Give a large-print copy of the music; let children point to notes with a ruler or play one note each in a group.

Assessment

• Self-assessed “I can name C, D and E. I can clap ta and ti-ti. I can play Hot Cross Buns.”
• Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) Performance in pairs: 1 = with help, 2 = right notes with some stops, 3 = right notes in time.

Curriculum links

• National curriculum KS2 – “use and understand staff and other musical notations”
• Model Music Curriculum, Year 3 – “Introduce the stave, lines and spaces, and clef”; crotchets and paired quavers; melodies in the range C–E

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Lesson 2: Compose with the pentatonic scale

Year group

Year 4 (ages 8–9)

Time

45 minutes

Focus

Improvising and composing question-and-answer phrases with five notes

Learning objectives

• Play the C pentatonic scale: C D E G A (no F or B).
• Improvise a 4-beat answer to a 4-beat question.
• Compose and write down an 8-bar melody that ends on C.

Resources

• Glockenspiels with F and B removed (or covered), or keyboards with stickers on C D E G A.
• Metronome and backing tracks playing a drone or a C–G pattern.
• Blank manuscript paper or letter grids.

Lesson outline

45-minute lesson. Each row is one part; the lesson timer below follows these times.

Time	Part	What happens
0–5 min	Warm-up	Sing and play C D E G A up and down. Why does nothing sound “wrong”? (No semitones between neighbouring notes.)
5–15 min	Question and answer	Teacher plays a 4-beat question ending on G; pupils answer with 4 beats ending on C. Go round the class over a steady backing.
15–30 min	Compose in pairs	Pairs compose two questions and two answers (8 bars). Write the letters under the beats, or use notation for confident pupils.
30–40 min	Perform	Pairs perform over the backing track; the class listens for whether the last note feels finished.
40–45 min	Reflect	What made an answer sound finished? (Ending on C, the home note.)

Differentiation

• Support: Use only C D E for the answer; give a rhythm card to follow.
• Stretch: Add dynamics (f and p) and a repeat; try the same tune starting on A for a minor feel.
• Access (SEND): Use colour-coded bars; let a pupil record ideas by voice on a school device instead of writing.

Assessment

• Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) Composition rubric: shape (question and answer), ending on C, steady beat – each 1–3.
• Evidence kept at home Keep the written melody in the pupil’s music book or folder.
• Self-assessed “My answer ended on C and sounded finished.”

Curriculum links

• National curriculum KS2 – “improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the interrelated dimensions of music”
• Model Music Curriculum, Year 4 – compose pentatonic phrases using five pitches

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Lesson 3: Rounds and texture

Year group

Years 4–5 (ages 8–10)

Time

45 minutes

Focus

Singing in parts; hearing how texture changes

Learning objectives

• Sing “Frère Jacques” in unison, then as a round in two and four parts.
• Explain what a round is and how it makes a thicker texture.
• Hold their own part while others sing something different.

Resources

• The singing play-along (“Frère Jacques” is a starter tune), or a piano.
• Four groups with a leader each; a hand signal for each entry.

Lesson outline

45-minute lesson. Each row is one part; the lesson timer below follows these times.

Time	Part	What happens
0–5 min	Vocal warm-up	Breathe in for 4, hiss out for 8. Sirens high and low. Sing “do re mi fa so” up and down.
5–15 min	Learn the song	Sing “Frère Jacques” in unison until everyone is secure. Show its four short phrases with hand signs.
15–25 min	Two-part round	Group 2 starts when group 1 reaches phrase 2. Then swap who leads. Ask: is the texture thicker or thinner now?
25–40 min	Four-part round	Four groups, each entering one phrase later. End in turn, or on a signal. Record it on a school device if you like.
40–45 min	Reflect	Unison = everyone on the same notes (thin texture); round = the same tune starting at different times (thicker texture).

Differentiation

• Support: Put a confident singer in each group; let groups sing one phrase on repeat as an ostinato.
• Stretch: Try “London’s Burning” as a four-part round; add a percussion ostinato underneath.
• Access (SEND): Use hand signs or coloured cards to show when each group starts.

Assessment

• Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) Group singing: 1 = loses the part, 2 = holds it with help, 3 = holds it independently.
• Self-assessed “I kept my part going when others sang something different.”

Curriculum links

• National curriculum KS2 – “play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression”
• Model Music Curriculum, Year 4–5 – sing rounds and partner songs; three-part rounds in Year 5

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Lesson 4: Three chords: I, IV and V

Year group

Years 5–6 (ages 9–11)

Time

45 minutes

Focus

Primary chords in C major and accompanying a song

Learning objectives

• Build the chords C (C E G), F (F A C) and G (G B D).
• Change chords in time to accompany a familiar song.
• Explain why I, IV and V are called primary chords.

Resources

• Ukuleles, keyboards or tuned percussion; the ukulele chord chart.
• Jam tracks set to C major with the progression I IV V I.
• Chord Player to show chords on the board.

Lesson outline

45-minute lesson. Each row is one part; the lesson timer below follows these times.

Time	Part	What happens
0–5 min	Warm-up	Sing a C major scale; then sing only notes 1, 3 and 5 (do, mi, so): that is chord I.
5–15 min	Build the chords	On the board: I = C E G, IV = F A C, V = G B D. Groups play each chord as a block, then as a broken chord.
15–30 min	Play along	Play I IV V I with the jam track, four beats per chord, then two beats per chord. Watch the chord display.
30–40 min	Accompany a song	Half the class sings “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” while half plays C, F and G where marked (C C F C | F C G C).
40–45 min	Reflect	Which chord sounds like home? Which wants to move back home?

Differentiation

• Support: Play only the root note of each chord (C, F, G) on one bar.
• Stretch: Add A minor (vi) and try I V vi IV; write a chord pattern for a verse and a chorus.
• Access (SEND): Ukulele chord C needs one finger; let pupils who find fingering hard play roots on a xylophone.

Assessment

• Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) Chord changes in time: 1 = late changes, 2 = mostly in time, 3 = in time.
• Marked by Classfern Theory terms quiz below (chords and cadences).

Curriculum links

• Model Music Curriculum, Year 5–6 – simple chordal accompaniments; accompany melodies with block chords or a bass line
• National curriculum KS2 – “play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts”

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Lesson 5: Listening detectives

Year group

Years 5–6 (ages 9–11)

Time

45 minutes

Focus

Describing music with the interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and structure

Learning objectives

• Use the interrelated dimensions to describe a piece accurately.
• Hear and describe how tempo and dynamics change through “In the Hall of the Mountain King” by Edvard Grieg (1843–1907).
• Give a reasoned opinion about a piece of music.

Resources

• A recording of “In the Hall of the Mountain King” (from Grieg’s music for the play Peer Gynt).
• The vocabulary list and music words quiz on this page.
• A listening grid: one row for each element.

Lesson outline

45-minute lesson. Each row is one part; the lesson timer below follows these times.

Time	Part	What happens
0–5 min	Warm-up	Play loud, quiet, fast and slow body-percussion patterns; class names the change.
5–15 min	Learn the words	Go through the vocabulary list; pupils make an action for each word (e.g. hands wide for texture).
15–30 min	Listen twice	First listen: just enjoy and move a finger to the beat. Second listen: fill in the grid. The piece starts quietly and slowly with a low tune, then gets gradually faster and louder to a crash at the end.
30–40 min	Quiz	Play the music words quiz on the board in teams.
40–45 min	Opinion	“I liked / didn’t like it because…” – pupils must use two music words.

Differentiation

• Support: Give a word bank with pictures; listen for one element only.
• Stretch: Compare with a second piece of their choice; write a short review using five music words.
• Access (SEND): Offer the grid as tick boxes; allow drawing instead of writing.

Assessment

• Marked by Classfern Music words quiz.
• Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) Listening grid: uses the right word for each change.
• Self-assessed Two music words used in the opinion sentence.

Curriculum links

• National curriculum KS2 – “listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory”
• National curriculum KS2 – “appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians”

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How do you plan a KS2 music lesson?

Start with one clear objective, then plan a short warm-up, a teaching part, a longer practical part where pupils sing, play or compose, a chance to perform, and a quick check of learning. For a 45-minute lesson, about 5 + 10 + 15 + 10 + 5 minutes works well.

Keep the practical part the longest: children learn music by making it. Re-use the same warm-ups for several weeks and change only one thing at a time.

KS2 music vocabulary

The first seven words are the interrelated dimensions of music named in the national curriculum.

KS2 music quiz

Ten questions, different every time, on the words above and on instrument families. Put it on the board for teams, or let pupils try it on their own. Marked by Classfern

Start the quiz

How much music should KS2 pupils have each week?

The Model Music Curriculum recommends a minimum of one hour of music teaching a week at Key Stages 1 and 2, which can be split into shorter sessions. It also recommends whole-class instrumental teaching in Year 3 or 4, lasting at least a term.

Short, frequent sessions help: ten minutes of singing on other days keeps skills fresh between lessons. Classfern’s tools on lessonplanner.info – the class play-along, metronome and backing tracks and theory and aural tests – are free and need no sign-in.

More music tools