Music
Our expert, who ensures Music strategies are linked across the school-age groups is Mrs Maskey.
Overview
At Carlton, we use the music educational scheme ‘Charanga’ as a basis. This provides inspiring materials and music pieces for the teachers to use with the pupils in each year group as well as specific programmes of work. The music curriculum can be split into 3 areas. Performing, composing, listening and context.
Performing: We believe that opportunities for children to perform as a solo, in small groups or in ensemble helps to nurture essential life skills such as co-operation, mutual support and commitment. Carlton gives the pupils this chance in music lessons and well as through opportunities such as choir, class assemblies and celebratory performances.
Composing: At Carlton, we use the music educational scheme ‘Charanga’ as a basis. This provides inspiring materials and music pieces for the teachers to use with the pupils in each year group as well as specific programmes of work.
Listening and Context: At Carlton, children are exposed to a wide variety of music, giving them the opportunity to compare genres, composers and pieces from different time periods. From this they are able to evaluate music by others as well as their own, meaning they build on their reflection skills as well as their appreciation.
Other Opportunities: We aim to make music an enjoyable learning experience and Carlton offers experiences outside of the timetabled lessons to further this. Pupils participate in recorder lessons in Key Stage 1 and ukulele lessons in Key Stage 2. They also have the chance to further their instrumental skills in Key Stage 2 through 1:1 tuition in guitar. Each of these challenges their skills, giving them the opportunity to improve further.
Alongside instruments, singing also lies at the heart of good music teaching and joining together to sing during key stage assemblies, whole school assemblies, harvest festivals, Young Voices and Christmas carols around the tree is an important and traditional part of school life at Carlton.
Course Outline
At Carlton, children are given the chance to compose and perform their own music to gain a fuller knowledge and understanding of how music is made. This ranges from using their own body to create music to understanding musical notation.
In January 2024 our choir attended Young Voices where they joined other schools to make the largest choir in the world. The children learnt many songs which enabled them to join together to sing in unison.
