Music

At St Joseph’s we follow the National Curriculum for Music (2014).

The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:

• perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
• learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence
• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notation

To meet these objectives, we use a music programme called Charanga, supported by Cumbria Music Hub, which provides a variety of lessons that are easy for the children to follow, that compare a variety of music genres and that allow the children to learn different instruments. The long-term plan has been designed for us to use in our school, over a 3 year programme, reflecting our class structure.

As well as this, we aim to offer other musical opportunities for our children. These include

• Kodaly based singing experience in EYFS based on fun, frequent, active sessions.
• singing in assemblies
• concerts and plays for parents
• the Christmas Nativity play
• trips to local care home Kirklands to perform songs
• annual participation in the massed choir’s performance ‘Sing Up’ concert lead by Cockermouth School
• carol singing at the local Sainsbury’s
• live performances in school by visiting musicians
• whole class instrumental lessons in brass/strings.
• composition workshops
• music Technology workshops
• New for 2021 Whole class KS2 tuition in ukuleles.

This document outlines the Charanga Music Scheme for each class.

For full details of our music curriculum, please read the Charanga year group documents.