Intent

At Hatfeild Primary School, we ensure that every child is ready, respectful and safe. Music plays a vital role in providing children with the skills and knowledge to be confident and passionate performers, composers and listeners. 

We recognise that music is a powerful form of communication. It provides children with the opportunity to express their individuality and plays an important role in their personal development. As stated within the National Curriculum “music is a universal language”, it allows for self-expression and teaches a different form of communicating with one another which is an important lesson for all. This also promotes diversity, for those children with SEN or additional needs, whose form of communication can present differently from the neurotypical form. 

Our music curriculum fosters the desire for self expression and the opportunity to explore uniqueness. The scheme of work we follow provides a wide variety of music from different genres as well as cultures to ensure all children feel represented and a part of a community. 

Implementation

At Hatfeild we use the Charanga scheme of work to ensure comprehensive coverage and consistently high standards in the music curriculum. The National Curriculum purpose of study states:

“Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon”. 

The Charanga scheme of work offers an effective and supportive guide to support teachers to deliver high quality, engaging and diverse music lessons. The scheme consists of manageable steps which correspond with the National Curriculum. The scheme follows a consistent structure throughout KS1 and KS2 units of work, this supports our SEN pupils who often require routine and familiarity within their learning. As stated by Charanga, “Charanga Musical School Units of Work enable children to understand musical concepts through a repetition-based approach to learning”. 

The Charanga scheme is structured within a way that ensures consistency across the whole school.

“Each Unit of Work comprises the of strands of musical learning which correspond with the national curriculum for music:

1. Listening and Appraising

2. Musical Activities

   1. Warm-up Games

   2. Optional Flexible Games

   3. Singing

   4. Playing instruments

   5. Improvisation

   6. Composition

3. Performing”

Impact

Having the opportunity to discuss music with a wide variety of children at Hatfeild,  the general consensus was that music is a fun, enjoyable subject that children look forward to. 

• Children have an awareness of different terminology used within music such as pulse, beat, lyrics and genre. 

• The children enjoy the wide variety of genres Charanga has to offer. They like listening to different kinds of music. 

• The children have opportunities to perform to their class either with a group or individually.

• All children I have spoken to are incredibly enthusiastic about music and love to sing and play instruments. 

• They are able to recall songs they have previously focused on as well as what they are currently learning. 

Pupil voice:

“We are learning a Bob Marley song at the moment, it is very calming music” - Year 3 student

“Music is fun and I love singing” - Year 5 student

“We are learning ‘Hey You’ song and it is really fun” - Year 1 student

“I love playing the glockenspiels” - Year 1 student 

“I like performing solo” - Year 5 student