Welcome to Music at St John’s.
Music Curriculum Intent
At St John’s, our music curriculum is designed to inspire a love of music and develop pupils’ confidence as musicians through a progressive and inclusive approach. Using the Charanga Musical School scheme, we ensure all children access high-quality, engaging and practical music lessons.
We aim to enable all pupils to:
- Develop a secure understanding of musical concepts through listening, appraising, performing, composing and improvising
- Build musical skills progressively across each year group through a spiral curriculum model
- Gain confidence in singing and playing instruments, both individually and as part of a group
- Experience a broad range of musical genres and styles, including classical, pop, jazz, hip-hop and world music
- Use music as a means of self-expression, creativity and communication
- Develop resilience, collaboration and critical listening skills
The Charanga scheme underpins our curriculum through its structured, spiral approach, where pupils revisit key skills and knowledge each year with increasing depth.Each unit combines the following elements:
Listening and appraising
Singing
Playing instruments
Improvisation
Composition
Performance
This ensures children learn music through active participation and practical experience, rather than purely theoretical study.
Our use of Charanga supports full coverage of the National Curriculum for music, enabling pupils to:
- Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music
- Learn to sing and use their voices effectively
- Create and compose music
- Understand musical notation and structure
The Charanga approach ensures:
- Accessibility for all learners, regardless of ability or background
- Clear progression of skills and knowledge across Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2
- Opportunities for challenge and extension
- A focus on developing every child as a musician