Curriculum Vision:

At Carlton Primary School, our vision is for Music to empower and inspire every pupil to recognise that they are musical. We want to develop a love of music, nurture talent as musicians, which in turn will foster self-confidence, release creativity and create a sense of achievement for all. We want all children to have access to a rich and inclusive curriculum that has been designed around the schools' Christian Values and the Model Music Curriculum.

Curriculum Intent:

 It is our intent that we make music an enjoyable learning experience. We encourage children to participate in musical experiences to build up the confidence of all children. Our teaching focusses upon listening, discussion, singing, improvising, composing and performing in  a variety of contexts. We encourage the children to listen to a variety of musical genres from different historical periods, different styles, different cultures and faiths so that they receive a broad and balanced exposure to music and can form their own opinions and interpretations of music.  We believe that every child should have the opportunity to develop their musical potential, and we aim to nurture and encourage musical development across the school.

Implementation

The music curriculum ensures children listen, sing, compose and perform as stated in the MMC. Music is embedded in the classroom as well as the weekly singing assemblies, choir, various concerts and performances and the learning of instruments. Through the musical program Charanga, teachers and the music lead are able to produce inclusive lessons for all children to access the musical curriculum in a fun and engaging way, further promoting a love of learning, through their love of music. The whole school Scheme of work uses the Charanga MMC but has been adapted to include whole-class instrumental lessons where the children are taught the recorder and boomwhackers in KS1 and the p-trumpet in Key stage 2 using a spiralled teaching approach.

Teachers and the music lead deliver music following the Charanga programme, designed specifically for the teaching of music in primary schools. Lessons are planned in sequences to create opportunities to review, remember, deepen and apply their understanding. The elements of music are taught in the lessons so that children are able to use some of the language of music to dissect it, and understand how it is made, played, appreciated and analysed.  The children have access to a variety of tuned and untuned instruments enabling them to use a range of methods to create notes, as well as how to read music notation and scores. They also learn how to compose and improvise, focusing on different dimensions of music, which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music.

In EYFS, alongside the Charanga lessons, music is interwoven into daily routines and children have the opportunity to explore music in provision areas and develop ideas modelled by adults such as creating their own songs to well-known tunes. Children are encouraged to explore different everyday objects and the sounds that they can make as well as using these to make up rhythms and patterns. We also offer a choir which is open to all children, so they can build on the skills they are developing and share a love and enjoyment of listening, performing and responding to music.

We welcome parents to our productions throughout the year to share the musical ability we have at Carlton school showcasing the children’s musical skills through assemblies, performances at local events and productions.

Impact

Music enables children to develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to children individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. Children at Carlton Primary School are able to enjoy music in as many ways as they choose – either as listener, creator or performer. They have the opportunity to discuss and share their own thoughts, opinions and ideas, acknowledging and respecting that these may vary and that this is positive. Through the child’s journey at Carlton, their musical skills and understanding are built upon each year, from singing simple songs from memory and performing simple rhythmic patterns in EYFS and KS1, to further developing in KS2 where the children have the ability to read and follow a musical score. Throughout all of this, the child’s enjoyment of music is a key element, running alongside the taught musical skills and objectives. We want all children to develop a love for music and use it as a way to enrich their overall learning experience within education.

“Music education can help spark a child's imagination or ignite a lifetime of passion. When you provide a child with new worlds to explore and challenges to tackle, the possibilities are endless. Music education should not be a privilege for a lucky few, it should be a part of every child's world of possibility.” Hillary Clinton