Music

At Carlton, we use the music educational scheme ‘Sing up’ 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. Singing and playing, listening and appraising and improvising and composing.

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 ‘Sing up’ 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 ocarina lessons in Year 2, recorder lesson in year 3 and ukulele lessons in year 4. 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.

Intent

At Carlton Primary School, our music curriculum is designed to engage students in a rich exploration of music across various historical periods, styles, and genres. We believe in the power of music to foster creativity, self-expression, and a deeper understanding of cultural traditions.

Our Goals:

• Foster Curiosity: We encourage children to explore and appreciate the diversity of music.
• Encourage Creativity: Children are given opportunities to express themselves through singing, composition, and instrumental performance.
• Teach Key Concepts: We focus on essential musical ideas such as tradition and culture helping children to connect with music on a deeper level.
• Develop Musical Techniques: Children will learn to play scales and chords, read musical notation, and practice various instrumental techniques, enhancing their overall musicianship.

Our Vision:

We aim to provide a high-quality music education that inspires a lifelong love of music. Through our curriculum and extra-curricular activities, children will build their confidence, improve their mental well-being and experience a profound sense of achievement as they progress in their musical journey.

Our children will:

• Listen to a variety of music with attention and understanding.
• Recognise the inter-related dimensions of music such as pitch, dynamics and duration of sound.
• Imitate and recall simple rhythmic and melodic patterns through percussion instruments, body percussion and vocals.
• Join in as a member of a music-making group and play instruments.
• Create short compositions in response to given stimuli.
• Improvise using instruments, body percussion or vocals. Demonstrate highly positive attitudes towards the subject and be aspirational in their goals.
• Learn songs from memory and join in with a wide range of singing styles.

 Our teachers will:

• Teach a music curriculum providing quality, range, depth, progression, challenge and personalisation.
• Use the Sing up Music Scheme to deliver exciting, contemporary and relevant music lessons.
• Identify gaps in understanding and swiftly overcome these with precise teaching.
• Provide the children with a rich curriculum of carefully crafted lessons that ensures time for practise and consolidation.
• Provide opportunities for our children to: listen to, make and analyse music working both individually and collaboratively therefore fostering an enthusiasm for music beyond the classroom.

 Implementation

The music curriculum at Carlton Primary School is designed to provide a comprehensive and progressive education in music through the use of Sing up, starting from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and integrating across all areas of learning and development. Key elements include:

1. Musical Language and notation:

Children will learn to use the ‘language of music’ to analyse and understand pieces, including the reading of musical notation .

2. Active Participation:

The curriculum emphasises singing, playing instruments, listening, appraising, performing, improvising, and composing, ensuring a well-rounded musical experience.

3. Instrument Learning:

Each class has access to glockenspiels, allowing students to explore note playing and music notation, enhancing their instrumental skills.

4. Creativity and Confidence:

Students are encouraged to compose music, using body percussion and vocal sounds, which nurtures creativity and builds confidence.

5. Performance Opportunities:

Carlton Primary School prioritises live performances, providing children with valuable chances to showcase their talents in front of an audience, which motivates and inspires them.

Overall, our curriculum is embedded in classroom practice and complemented by weekly singing assemblies, concerts and instrument learning, creating a vibrant musical environment for all students.

Assessment

Short-term assessments play a crucial role in our curriculum by allowing us to informally evaluate children’s learning on a lesson-by-lesson basis. These assessments may include:

1. Group Observations:

Monitoring children’s interactions and participation within groups to gauge understanding.

2. Whole Class Feedback:

Analysing feedback collected from the entire class to identify common themes and areas for improvement.

3. Snapshot Videos:

Recording brief moments of learning to review children’s progress and skills development.

These methods help us to tailor future lessons to meet the individual needs and ensure that each child is making progress in their musical education.

Medium-term assessments are conducted at the end of each term, allowing teachers to evaluate student progress using the Sing Up assessment grids. These assessments help determine whether a child is:

• Working Towards: Identifying areas that need further development.
• Working at: Recognising that a child has met the expected learning outcomes.
• Working Above: Highlighting children who demonstrate advanced skills and understanding.

This structured evaluation provides valuable insights into each child's musical growth and informs the teaching of future units.

To enhance upon the above, at the start of each half term or Sing up unit our staff film the children singing the song on their first attempt. At the end of the above half term/Sing up unit of work, staff film the children singing the song and performing with instruments. This provides us with clear evidence of pupil progress.

Impact

At Carlton Primary School, we are dedicated to ensuring that:

• Every child ‘lets their light shine’ through music.
• All children make progress and meet national expectations.
• Everyone has the opportunity to learn to play a variety of instruments.
• Confidence is nurtured through a variety of performances.
• Children are excited to share their music with others.
• Every child has the chance to reach their full potential in music, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or special educational needs.

Our music curriculum is designed to help children explore their interests and inspire a lifelong passion for music. We aim for all children to believe in their musical abilities and develop the resilience needed to engage fully in every aspect of music at Carlton.

 

Rolling programme

 

Carlton choir

 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.