Music heard in early childhood develops mental structures that affect how music is heard in later life. For example, if children hear mainly Western classical music when they are young, they become accustomed to the way that sounds are organised in this music and will be able to assimilate and use these structures easily in their own work. However, children whose experiences are from a different musical tradition will have a different set of codes and meanings, and will not be able to assimilate music from the Western tradition so easily.

Teachers need to be aware that the demonstration of giftedness or talent may be linked, in some part at least, to the type of music a pupil has experienced in early childhood. Young children need to be given opportunities to respond to a wide range of music before and during key stage 1. Those who are gifted and talented in music will then be able to discover a style, tradition or genre within which they can excel.

The issue of culture is particularly significant at key stage 3 where, because of adolescence, pupils are often less prepared to accept and appreciate music that is different. Teachers need to involve pupils through the careful use of music that will engage them and extend their understanding. This will demand a range of teaching strategies, as it is inevitable that a teacher's level of knowledge will vary considerably across a broad stylistic range.

Managing provision in the general guidance

Matching teaching to pupils' needs in the general guidance

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