Music

As a school we use the Charanga Music Scheme to support our music curriculum. Charanga supports a broad, balanced, and exciting approach to music education, focusing on listening, performing, creating, and exploring. It builds musical understanding and encourages creativity in young learners, helping them develop both technical skills and emotional expression through music.

The Key Stage 1 music curriculum, as structured by the Charanga Music Scheme, is designed to help young children develop basic musical skills and foster a love of music through engaging, hands-on activities. Charanga provides a progressive framework that aligns with the National Curriculum for music while offering flexibility for teachers to adapt lessons to their students' needs.

Key Components of the Charanga KS1 Music Curriculum:

1. Listening and Appraising:
   • Children listen to a wide range of music from different genres and cultures, exploring the elements of music such as rhythm, melody, and dynamics.
   • They are encouraged to express opinions about the music they hear, discussing what they like, what they don’t like, and why.
2. Singing and Voice Work:
   • Singing is a central part of the curriculum. Songs range from traditional to modern, and include call-and-response songs, action songs, and songs that incorporate simple movements.
   • Children explore using their voices expressively and start to understand pitch and rhythm through singing.
3. Playing Instruments:
   • Charanga introduces a variety of classroom instruments, both tuned and untuned. Children experiment with playing instruments, developing their hand-eye coordination and understanding of different sounds.
   • Basic skills like playing simple rhythms or following simple melodies are taught.
4. Creating and Composing:
   • Pupils have the opportunity to create their own music, using both their voices and instruments. They might improvise simple rhythms or create short compositions with teacher guidance.
   • Composing at this stage often involves simple patterns and structures, helping students understand how music can be arranged and organized.
5. Exploring and Understanding Musical Elements:
   • The curriculum covers the fundamental musical elements, such as rhythm, pitch, tempo, dynamics, and texture.
   • Through structured activities, students begin to understand how different elements of music combine to create an overall effect.
6. Moving and Responding:
   • Movement is integrated into the music lessons, where children may be asked to respond to music with body movements or dance.
   • This helps develop their sense of rhythm and their understanding of how music can evoke emotion and energy.
7. Music from Different Cultures and Genres:
   • Children are introduced to a wide variety of musical styles, from classical to pop, folk, jazz, and world music, promoting cultural awareness and musical diversity.

Key Stage 1 Units in Charanga:

Charanga offers several units for KS1, each focusing on different skills and genres. For example:

• "Hey You!" (Old-School Hip Hop): A unit that introduces children to basic elements of hip hop and rhythm.
• "In the Groove" (Music from different styles): This unit covers music from different genres (blues, classical, baroque, etc.) and encourages children to engage with each style.
• "Round and Round" (Bossa Nova): Focuses on rhythm and exploring simple patterns in music.

 Assessment and Progression:

Charanga provides resources to track and assess children's progress, with a focus on practical application of skills rather than written tests. Teachers assess pupils through their participation, creativity, and ability to demonstrate understanding of musical concepts.

Yearly curriculum overview

Foundation Stage 2 music coverage

Key Stage 1 music coverage

Music Development Plan 

Music

As a school we use the Charanga Music Scheme to support our music curriculum. Charanga supports a broad, balanced, and exciting approach to music education, focusing on listening, performing, creating, and exploring. It builds musical understanding and encourages creativity in young learners, helping them develop both technical skills and emotional expression through music.

The Key Stage 1 music curriculum, as structured by the Charanga Music Scheme, is designed to help young children develop basic musical skills and foster a love of music through engaging, hands-on activities. Charanga provides a progressive framework that aligns with the National Curriculum for music while offering flexibility for teachers to adapt lessons to their students' needs.

Key Components of the Charanga KS1 Music Curriculum:

1. Listening and Appraising:
   • Children listen to a wide range of music from different genres and cultures, exploring the elements of music such as rhythm, melody, and dynamics.
   • They are encouraged to express opinions about the music they hear, discussing what they like, what they don’t like, and why.
2. Singing and Voice Work:
   • Singing is a central part of the curriculum. Songs range from traditional to modern, and include call-and-response songs, action songs, and songs that incorporate simple movements.
   • Children explore using their voices expressively and start to understand pitch and rhythm through singing.
3. Playing Instruments:
   • Charanga introduces a variety of classroom instruments, both tuned and untuned. Children experiment with playing instruments, developing their hand-eye coordination and understanding of different sounds.
   • Basic skills like playing simple rhythms or following simple melodies are taught.
4. Creating and Composing:
   • Pupils have the opportunity to create their own music, using both their voices and instruments. They might improvise simple rhythms or create short compositions with teacher guidance.
   • Composing at this stage often involves simple patterns and structures, helping students understand how music can be arranged and organized.
5. Exploring and Understanding Musical Elements:
   • The curriculum covers the fundamental musical elements, such as rhythm, pitch, tempo, dynamics, and texture.
   • Through structured activities, students begin to understand how different elements of music combine to create an overall effect.
6. Moving and Responding:
   • Movement is integrated into the music lessons, where children may be asked to respond to music with body movements or dance.
   • This helps develop their sense of rhythm and their understanding of how music can evoke emotion and energy.
7. Music from Different Cultures and Genres:
   • Children are introduced to a wide variety of musical styles, from classical to pop, folk, jazz, and world music, promoting cultural awareness and musical diversity.

Key Stage 1 Units in Charanga:

Charanga offers several units for KS1, each focusing on different skills and genres. For example:

• "Hey You!" (Old-School Hip Hop): A unit that introduces children to basic elements of hip hop and rhythm.
• "In the Groove" (Music from different styles): This unit covers music from different genres (blues, classical, baroque, etc.) and encourages children to engage with each style.
• "Round and Round" (Bossa Nova): Focuses on rhythm and exploring simple patterns in music.

 Assessment and Progression:

Charanga provides resources to track and assess children's progress, with a focus on practical application of skills rather than written tests. Teachers assess pupils through their participation, creativity, and ability to demonstrate understanding of musical concepts.

Yearly curriculum overview

Foundation Stage 2 music coverage

Key Stage 1 music coverage

Music Development Plan