Music at Carleton Endowed CE (VA) Primary School
Intent:
At Carleton Endowed Primary School we provide opportunities for each child to develop skills in singing, performing and playing musical instruments, and to appraise music from a wide range of genres.
We aim to:
- Give children opportunities to listen to and appraise music from many genres
- Give children a firm foundation in understanding pitch, rhythm, pulse, dynamics, tempo, timbre, structure, texture and notation, through their engagement in musical activities
- Give children opportunities to sing songs from a range of genres, with increasing complexity as they progress through the school
- Give children opportunities to develop skills in playing the glockenspiel and recorder, including by reading sheet music
- Give children opportunities to perform in and out of school, to peers, parents and the community
Implementation:
At Carleton Endowed Primary School we follow the Charanga Original Scheme of work. This scheme provides plentiful opportunities for the repetition of key skills and concepts, aiming towards mastery of these skills by the end of Key Stage 2.
Children engage in singing activities in all year groups. Children in EYFS to Year 3 focus on learning the glockenspiel and untuned percussion instruments, while children in Year 4 to Year 6 focus on learning the recorder. As our children are just beginning to play the Glockenspiel and Recorder, we have selected Charanga’s Original Scheme in preference to its Model Curriculum Scheme, because this provides additional opportunities for repetition of each song that is learned.
Children at Carleton have a 45 minute Music lesson every week throughout the year. Lessons in EYFS may be shorter, and focus on learning to sing songs and playing musical games and instruments. Each lesson in Year 1 to Year 6 is structured broadly as follows:
- Listening & Appraising music from a range of genres, including taking part in games to build basic music skills (10 minutes)
- Musical Activities including singing & playing instruments, composing & improvising (25 minutes)
- Performing & Sharing using the skills practised in the previous section (10 minutes)
The use of whole-class Knowledge Organisers, supported by targeted questioning and choral response, helps children to remember an increasing range of musical notation and terminology. Children at Carleton do not have an exercise book for Music.
Occasionally, we deviate from the Charanga scheme. During some periods of the year, children in Year 5 take part in Young Voices in lieu of their weekly Music lesson; this supports singing and performing objectives. During the final half term of the year, some year groups may take part in an end-of-year performance in lieu of their weekly lesson; the Charanga scheme allows for this. In Spring 1 2022, children in Year 1 to Year 6 undertook a bespoke unit of work to learn the Recorder or Glockenspiel, in order to prepare them to re-join the Charanga scheme in Spring 2, and to participate fully in all the activities.
Impact:
At Carleton Endowed Primary School we aim that children continuously build their understanding of basic musical skills (including notation), their skills in performing, singing and playing instruments, and their appreciation of different musical styles and genres. In order to ensure that children’s understanding of the curriculum is progressing, the Music subject leader and the Senior Leadership Team will undertake monitoring and evaluation to ascertain the following:
- That the Charanga scheme of work is being followed and that all parts of the lesson are being delivered at the appropriate level for the age of the children, including the playing of musical instruments.
- That children are developing an age-appropriate and accurate understanding of key basic musical terminology and notation.
- That the training needs of teachers are being met, through occasional CPD or more targeted support when required.
This monitoring and evaluation may take the form of informal drop-ins to music lessons, or conversations with pupils and teachers.