The Programmes of Study
The five Programmes of Study provide an aid to long-term planning. They identify the range of skills, knowledge and understanding that should be developed through an integrated approach that includes opportunities to use creativity, imagination and intuition; to express ideas and feelings; and to reflect on and evaluate progress.
For guidance on the expected standard for each Programme of Study, please see Equivalence of Programmes of Study.
A Common Approach identifies six interrelated areas of musical experience:
- listening and internalising
- making and controlling musical sounds: developing technique
- creating and developing musical ideas
- singing/playing music
- singing/playing music with others
- performing and communicating
The structure of the curriculum can be represented by a spiral, with these six areas being embedded within each Programme of Study. Learners broaden their experience by engaging with each area repeatedly throughout the course of every programme, and deepen their skills, knowledge and understanding in each area as they progress through the Programmes of Study.
In the short video below, editor and coordinator Catherine Brentnall shows how to use the information found in the Programmes of Study.
For an introduction to the resource and how to use it, take a look at Catherine’s other videos What is A Common Approach? and Exploring the A Common Approach resource.
