Music

Music is an integral part of school life at Earlham and is key to offering our children a broad and varied curriculum of study from our pupils in our Early Years provision to Year 6; it develops a range of important skills within our children such as listening and evaluation skills as well as developing fine and gross motor control.

Music is taught using the Charanga scheme of learning. Charanga is a progressive program that enables pupils to reflect and build on their musical knowledge and skills. This scheme is taught from Reception to Year 6.

Musical opportunities are given to all pupils through a range of music activities and provision such as:

• Weekly violins lessons for all children in Year 4 •

Opportunities to perform in external concerts such as the mini massive festival at Alexandra Palace, singing at Wigmore Hall and participation in the Haringey Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall.

• Performing with pupils in our local secondary school

• Learning songs to sing to perform in special assemblies and performances to mark a range of festivals and celebrations

• Participation in partnership projects such as ‘Sing Our Story’, with Groundswell Arts What do you hope your school community will gain by taking part in this programme?

We are passionate about music and committed to ensuring that our children have the best opportunities possible to develop their musical knowledge and skills alongside self-confidence, attentive curiosity and creativity.

This year we are proud to be working in partnership with the prestigious Wigmore Hall. The fantastic programme on offer both enriches and inspires our curriculum offer by exposing our pupils to musical excellence and encouraging them to further develop a love and appreciation of music and musical performance.

We believe that music is a universal language that can be spoken by all members of our diverse and inclusive school community. We are passionate about exploring ways to enrich our music provision and providing our pupils with meaningful opportunities to explore, create and enjoy music.

We strongly believe that a high-quality music education is vital for all pupils and working collaboratively with Haringey’s excellent Music Education Hub and Wigmore Hall both strengthens the ties between the school and the wider school community and contributes to the happiness and wellbeing of our children and staff.

Intent

At Earlham, we believe that a high quality music education is vital for all pupils. Children are encouraged to develop their talents by listening, exploring sound, composing, practising and performing music to a wide range of audiences. Our music curriculum is designed so that pupils develop their musical knowledge and skills alongside self-confidence, attentive curiosity and creativity. As pupils progress through the school, they encounter a wider range of music genres that include key pieces in the musical canon.

At Earlham, musical learning is built around six interconnected strands: singing, composing, improvising, playing, critically engaging with key pieces, and developing an understanding of music’s social and cultural significance.? Learning across the school, incorporates these skills, building on key pieces that make connections with children's learning across the curriculum.

This intent is underpinned by:

The teaching of musical knowledge

We intend for all pupils to understand what key musical terms mean and how composers and players use them to create musical performances.

The teaching of musical appreciation

We intend for all pupils to encounter key pieces in the musical canon from around the world, past and present. We intend for all pupils to be able to talk about a piece using age-appropriate vocabulary. We intend for all pupils to find enjoyment in a wide range of musical genres and styles.

The teaching of musical skill

We intend for all pupils to learn to control key musical aspects including pitch, rhythm, texture, timbre, dynamics, tempo and musical structure during their time at Earlham. We intend for children at Earlham to develop their confidence as musicians as they progress through the school, working individually and with their peers to create a wide range of musical performances.

A vocabulary rich environment

We intend to create a vocabulary rich environment, where musical talk is a key learning tool for all pupils. Where necessary, pre teaching key vocabulary is a driver for pupil understanding and develops the confidence of pupils to explain musically and thus consolidate and embed their conceptual understanding.

Overview and Implementation

Music development plan summary :
Earlham Primary School

Overview

Detail	Information
Academic year that this summary covers	2025/26
Date this summary was published	05.09.25
Date this summary will be reviewed	05.09.27
Name of the school music lead	Aisha Ali
Name of school leadership team member with responsibility for music (if different)
Name of local music hub	Haringey Music Partnership
Name of other music education organisation(s) (if partnership in place)	Wigmore Hall

This is a summary of how our school delivers music education to all our pupils across three areas – curriculum music, co-curricular provision and musical experiences – and what changes we are planning in future years. This information is to help pupils and parents or carers understand what our school offers and who we work with to support our pupils’ music education.

Part A: Curriculum music

This is about what we teach in lesson time, how much time is spent teaching music and any music qualifications or awards that pupils can achieve.

At Earlham children have a rich musical curriculum starting from our two-year old provision all the way to Year 6.

In the Early Years music is embedded in the everyday provision; children sing songs related to routines, hear music from other cultures, clap rhythms, learn rhymes, and use percussion instruments. From Year 1 upwards, music is timetabled for all year groups. We use an adapted version of the Charanga scheme modified to account for our whole school projects. Children listen, perform and compose, and building on their skills and vocabulary in a careful sequence, including simple notation.

Children are taught to play Glockenspiels and Violins, as well as a variety of percussion instruments, and learn to use their own bodies and voices rhythmically and musically. Children at Earlham are exposed to music from a variety of cultures and genres.

Part B: Extra-curricular music

Earlham Primary school is proud to be in a three-year partnership with Wigmore Hall/. We also work closely with the Haringey Music Hub. Children can continue learning the violin in Year 5, attend musical after school clubs, such as Musical Theatre and Musical Elements run by outside providers. Children also have weekly singing assemblies which are led by qualified specialist music teacher.

Part C: Musical events

This is about all the other musical events and opportunities that we organise, concerts and shows, and trips to professional concerts.

Pupils at Earlham take part in many different musical events, both as attendees and as performers. Each year the Early Years and Key Stage 1 perform festive shows for parents/carers, Year 4 put on violin performances, individual classes perform in their assemblies, and Year 6 host an annual talent show featuring a variety of songs and instruments. Children visit concert halls and festivals to watch professional artists, and visiting musicians play to children in assemblies.

In the future

This is about what the school is planning for subsequent years.

We are excited to be develop plans to build on our partnership with Wigmore Hall to further enhance our music provision in a number of ways which include offering individual music lessons, putting together a school ensemble, and committing to continuous professional development relating to music. We are also focusing on improving access to our children with SEND.