Music

“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.”

In our school, in years one and two, we teach Music as a separate lesson. During the autumn term 2016 we began and explored activities within Luton Borough’s recommended scheme of work, known as Charanga Music, to enhance some music lessons particularly in year one, and since January 2017 we have implemented the scheme fully across the school. We also have a weekly singing assembly, during which the children are taught the songs that will be sang as part of the celebration and parent assemblies for that term. We also use a range of instruments played by some of the children to accompany and enhance these songs. During the summer term in year two children have the opportunity to learn to play the recorder, which is taught in small groups during one weekly afternoon session.

The Learning Objectives for Music are to:

• use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
• play tuned and untuned instruments musically
• listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music
• experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the interrelated dimensions of music

The learning through the Charanga music scheme of work is based on

1. Listening and Appraising,
2. Musical Activities - creating and exploring,
3. Performing

The units of work are based on 6 lessons of approximately 45 minutes long.