Planning

Planning for music is often challenging, it can be difficult to know where within general planning music can be placed.

Frequently Asked Questions include:
• Do I include music within my planning for Expressive Arts and Design?
• Do I include planning for music independently as its own separate area?
• Do I include music in all areas of planning as it threads through all areas of Learning & Development?

The answers to such questions will depend on how you plan generally; how you monitor and plan for areas of learning and development; how you plan activity and how you plan your provision.

Music threads through all areas of learning and development. Music can be a way of exploring, communicating and responding to experience. Making music with others can be a social experience whether this be parent-baby/carer-baby exchanging coos, or two or more children making music with pots, pans or traditional instruments. This interaction with others, whether this be with one other person or a group, is personal to each individual and is often an expression of feelings. All vocal communication is comprised of musical elements such as pitch, rhythm and timbre, demonstrating that musicality is an intrinsic part of being human. Music should be seen as a core component of children’s learning.

It is therefore possible to place music in many aspects of your planning. For example, actively listening to music is a music specific activity but is also a crucial aspect of communication and language development and would therefore be perfectly placed as a communication and language activity. Playing instruments is also a music specific activity but is also a physical activity, this therefore could be placed with physical development. There is no set perfect way to plan as the planning needs to align with the planning in each individual setting and importantly needs to reflect the needs of the individual, unique children.

It is important that music activity and provision is considered and planned for – whether this is within Expressive Arts and Design; within the Prime areas of learning and development; within other Specific areas of learning and development or within its very own category of learning and development. When considering planning for music it is important to plan for a range of experiences. 

It may be helpful to look through the 4 aspects of Musical Development Matters to support planning for a range of experiences:

Hearing and listening  

Vocalising and singing

Moving and dancing

Exploring and playing