Performing and Singing
KS1MU-KS1-D001
Using voices expressively and creatively through singing and speaking, and playing tuned and untuned instruments musically.
National Curriculum context
This domain establishes performing as the core practical skill of music education at KS1. Pupils use their voices as their primary instrument, developing expressive and creative vocal production through singing songs, speaking chants and rhymes. They also learn to play both tuned instruments (such as glockenspiels and recorders) and untuned percussion instruments musically rather than merely making noise. The word 'musically' is significant: it implies that pupils are attending to musical qualities such as rhythm, pulse, pitch and dynamics in their playing. Performing builds physical skill, musical understanding and the social experience of making music together, establishing the habits and enjoyment that support lifelong musical engagement.
3
Concepts
1
Clusters
2
Prerequisites
3
With difficulty levels
Lesson Clusters
Understand and use pulse, pitch, dynamics and tempo in vocal and instrumental performance
practice CuratedPulse and Rhythm, Pitch, and Dynamics and Tempo are the three foundational musical parameters used in KS1 performing and singing. They are taught together through practical performance activities — singing songs, playing instruments — where all three dimensions are in play simultaneously. Separating them into distinct clusters would fragment naturally integrated performance learning.
Teaching Suggestions (6)
Study units and activities that deliver concepts in this domain.
Friendship Song
Music PerformancePedagogical rationale
An end-of-year performance piece that consolidates all the musical learning from Year 1. Singing about friendship is age-appropriate and connects to PSHE. The performance element (singing to parents/carers) motivates careful rehearsal and teaches the difference between rehearsal and performance. Confidence in singing is the single most important musical outcome of KS1.
Hands, Feet, Heart
Music PerformancePedagogical rationale
This South African-inspired unit introduces pupils to music from a non-Western tradition, fulfilling the NC requirement for a range of high-quality live and recorded music. The physical, rhythmic nature of South African music connects naturally to KS1 pupils' love of movement. Body percussion activities build on the rhythm and pulse work from Year 1.
Hey You!
Music PerformancePedagogical rationale
Hey You! is a simple hip-hop/rap song that introduces pulse and rhythm through body percussion and chanting. The rap structure (rhythm-driven, repetitive) makes it accessible for non-singers and builds confidence in musical performance from the very first unit. The call-and-response structure is a natural entry point for young children.
In the Groove
Music PerformancePedagogical rationale
In the Groove introduces six musical styles (Blues, Baroque, Latin, Bhangra, Folk, Funk) through a single song performed in different ways. This is the most efficient way to teach genre recognition at KS1 -- same melody, different style. Pupils experience how changing the instrumentation, tempo and rhythm of a song changes its character completely.
Round and Round
Music PerformancePedagogical rationale
This Latin-inspired unit introduces simple pitched instrument playing (glockenspiel) alongside singing. The Latin pulse is infectious and motivates repetitive practice. Playing a simple ostinato on glockenspiel while others sing teaches the foundational ensemble skill of maintaining your own part while others play something different.
Your Imagination
Music PerformancePedagogical rationale
Your Imagination is a pop-style song that introduces basic song structure (verse, chorus) while encouraging creative musical responses. Pupils learn to identify and perform the verse and chorus, developing awareness of musical structure. Simple improvisation within a pentatonic scale (removing notes that sound 'wrong') builds confidence in musical creativity.
Prerequisites
Concepts from other domains that pupils should know before this domain.
Concepts (3)
Pulse and Rhythm
Keystone knowledge Specialist TeacherMU-KS1-C001
Pulse is the steady beat underlying music, like a heartbeat. Rhythm is the pattern of long and short sounds that occurs over the pulse. Understanding the relationship between pulse and rhythm is foundational to all music making, as it enables performers to play in time with others and to understand how music is organised in time. At KS1, pupils develop awareness of pulse through physical movement and clapping, and begin to distinguish between pulse and rhythm.
Teaching guidance
Use physical movement - clapping, marching, stepping - to establish a strong sense of pulse. Clap back rhythmic patterns and develop call-and-response activities. Use percussion instruments to distinguish between keeping the beat and clapping the rhythm of words. Use body percussion activities to build rhythm vocabulary. Connect rhythm to words and syllables by clapping the rhythm of names and familiar phrases.
Common misconceptions
Many pupils confuse pulse (the steady beat) with rhythm (the pattern of notes). Consistent use of these distinct terms alongside practical activities that separate them helps clarify the difference. Some pupils may clap the pulse when asked to clap the rhythm of a song, or vice versa; physical practice and verbal reinforcement of the distinction is needed.
Difficulty levels
Feeling and moving to a steady pulse in music, clapping or tapping along with the beat.
Example task
Listen to this music. Clap along with the steady beat.
Model response: I clapped in time with the music, keeping a steady, even beat throughout the song.
Distinguishing between pulse (steady beat) and rhythm (pattern of long and short sounds), and performing simple rhythmic patterns over a pulse.
Example task
One person clap the steady beat. Another person clap the rhythm of the words 'Hot Cross Buns'. Can you hear the difference?
Model response: The pulse is steady: clap, clap, clap, clap. The rhythm follows the words: HOT CROSS BUNS — three sounds with a gap. The rhythm has longer and shorter sounds but the pulse stays the same underneath.
Performing rhythmic patterns accurately, including patterns with rests, and explaining the relationship between pulse and rhythm.
Example task
Clap this rhythm pattern from the notation: ta ta ti-ti ta (rest). Repeat it four times, staying in time with the pulse.
Model response: I clapped two crotchets, two quavers, one crotchet, then a rest where I showed my hands apart. I repeated it four times without speeding up. The pulse stayed steady underneath and the rhythm pattern fitted over it like words over a heartbeat.
Delivery rationale
Music performance concept — instrumental technique, vocal coaching, and ensemble coordination require specialist teacher.
Pitch
knowledge Specialist TeacherMU-KS1-C002
Pitch is the quality of sound determined by the frequency of vibration - whether a sound is high or low. In music, pitch determines melody and harmony. At KS1, pupils develop their ability to hear, match and produce different pitches through singing, playing tuned instruments and using their voices expressively. Understanding pitch is fundamental to singing in tune and to understanding how melody works.
Teaching guidance
Use hand signs (such as Kodaly hand signs) to show pitch direction. Sing songs with wide pitch ranges and step-wise melodic motion. Use tuned percussion (glockenspiels, xylophones) to play and explore pitch. Play pitch-matching games where pupils echo a sung note or phrase. Explore pitch through body movement - crouch low for low notes, reach high for high notes. Develop vocabulary for describing pitch: high, low, getting higher, getting lower.
Common misconceptions
Pupils often confuse pitch (high/low) with volume (loud/quiet). Consistent and deliberate use of the correct terms, with accompanying physical gestures, helps establish the distinction. Some pupils may struggle to match pitch when singing; a non-judgmental approach and regular practice are important. Not all pupils sing in tune initially, and this should be treated as a skill to develop rather than a fixed ability.
Difficulty levels
Recognising that sounds can be high or low and using the voice to produce high and low sounds.
Example task
Sing a high sound like a bird. Now sing a low sound like a bear. Can you hear the difference?
Model response: My bird sound is high up — eeee! My bear sound is low down — grrrr. The bird sound is squeaky and the bear sound is rumbly.
Singing in tune with a group, matching pitch to a given note, and showing the direction of pitch (going up, going down, staying the same).
Example task
Listen to these three notes. Are they going up, going down or staying the same? Show with your hand.
Model response: The notes are going up — each one is higher than the last. I moved my hand upward to show the melody going up.
Singing with accurate pitch in a group performance and playing simple pitched patterns on tuned instruments, controlling pitch deliberately.
Example task
Play the notes C, D, E on a glockenspiel. Now play them going back down: E, D, C. Can you play a simple tune using just these three notes?
Model response: I played C, D, E going up and E, D, C going back down. For my tune I played: C, C, D, E, D, C. It sounds like a little question and answer — up then down.
Delivery rationale
Music performance concept — instrumental technique, vocal coaching, and ensemble coordination require specialist teacher.
Dynamics and Tempo
knowledge AI DirectMU-KS1-C003
Dynamics refer to the loudness or softness of music, and tempo refers to the speed at which music is performed. Both are expressive tools used by composers and performers to shape musical meaning and emotional effect. At KS1, pupils learn to recognise and use changes in dynamics and tempo as a means of making music more expressive and interesting.
Teaching guidance
Use Italian terms (piano, forte, crescendo, diminuendo) alongside English equivalents from the beginning. Play games that use dynamics - very loud, very quiet, gradually getting louder. Use conducting gestures to direct changes in dynamics and tempo. Connect tempo and dynamics to the character or story of a piece - fast and loud suggests excitement, slow and quiet suggests calm or sadness. Explore how changing the dynamics or tempo of a familiar song changes its character.
Common misconceptions
Pupils often think louder is always better in performance. Teaching that contrast, including quiet playing, is as musically important as loud playing addresses this. The relationship between tempo and mood is not always straightforward; a slow piece can be joyful and a fast piece can be tense, so exploring how context shapes interpretation is important.
Difficulty levels
Recognising the difference between loud and quiet sounds and between fast and slow music.
Example task
Listen to these two pieces of music. Which one is loud and fast? Which one is quiet and slow?
Model response: The first one is loud and fast — it makes me want to run around. The second one is quiet and slow — it feels calm and sleepy.
Using changes in dynamics (getting louder/quieter) and tempo (getting faster/slower) expressively when performing.
Example task
Sing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. Start quietly and gradually get louder, then get quiet again at the end.
Model response: I started singing very softly for 'Twinkle twinkle', got a bit louder for 'little star', then the loudest for 'how I wonder what you are'. For the last line I got quiet again. It sounded like the star appearing and then fading.
Using dynamics and tempo deliberately in performance and composition to create mood, atmosphere or storytelling effects.
Example task
Create a short piece of music that tells the story of a thunderstorm arriving, passing overhead and moving away. Use changes in dynamics and tempo.
Model response: I started with quiet, slow tapping for distant rain. The tapping got faster and louder as the storm came closer. I added a loud crash on the drum for thunder. Then I gradually made everything quieter and slower again as the storm moved away, ending with one last quiet tap. The dynamics and tempo told the story without any words.
Delivery rationale
Music theory/knowledge concept — notation, theory, and music history deliverable with audio tools and visual representations.