At Istead Rise, we use the music teaching platform Charanga to ensure that our children gain a thorough understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing.  Children discover the value and importance of music in the wider community, and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts. The music curriculum intends to inspire creativity and self-expression in our children, as well as giving them opportunities to connect and work alongside other children cooperatively. Our aim is for every child to develop descriptive language skills from their music lessons and to be able to explain how music can embody different feelings, emotions and narratives. In addition to this, students will be taught technical vocabulary such as: volume, pitch, beat and rhythm, and we actively encourage children to discuss music using these terms. Overall, we wish for all children to deepen their understanding of music in the world and to gain an overview of the significant role of music throughout history. 

The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:

• perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians

• learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence

• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Curriculum Implementation

The Charanga scheme provides teachers with engaging and exciting activities which build upon the children’s musical knowledge and skills each year. The scheme supports all of the requirements set out in the National Curriculum and each termly unit of work comprises the following strands of musical learning: listening and appraising, musical activities such as warm- up games, optional games, singing, playing instruments, improvisation, composition and performing. 

Each music lesson utilises a Knowledge Organiser which  gives key information about the instruments which might be used, musical structure and notation, all of which is relevant to the listening & appraisal, performing and composing elements to the units the children are learening. Children refer to this during the lesson and use it to help them revisit previous learning. 

To ensure every child feels challenged and has opportunities to progress further with their learning, Charanga provides varying types of activities and encourages them to engage musically with each other during their weekly lessons. This enables all of our children to access the music curriculum equally. During music lessons, children will be exposed to a variety of instruments, genres, rhythms and structures and have opportunities to play some instruments themselves. The interrelated dimensions of music weave through the units to encourage the development of musical skills as the learning progresses. This is achieved through listening and appraising, differing musical activities (including creating and exploring) and performing. 

Teachers assess children’s attainment in music based on observation of practical lessons involving playing instruments and singing. During the lesson, children are given ‘in the moment’ feedback to help them improve and achieve their learning potential. 

In addition to weekly music lessons, the use of music is encouraged within other lessons to broaden children’s concept of music and its role in the wider world. We also ensure that children and parents have the option to access music tutors who visit the school weekly.