Music
At Woodloes, we are proud to deliver a rich and engaging music education through the Charanga Primary Music Scheme, which is implemented consistently across the school. The central aim of our music curriculum is to nurture a deep appreciation and enjoyment of music, inspiring our pupils to explore their creativity, gain confidence in their musical abilities, and develop a lifelong passion for music in all its forms. We strive to provide pupils with the essential knowledge, skills, and understanding they need to flourish as confident performers, imaginative composers, and thoughtful, attentive listeners.
Our curriculum is broad and inclusive, introducing children to a diverse range of musical styles, genres, and traditions from both around the world and across different historical periods. Through this exposure, pupils learn to respect, value, and celebrate the rich tapestry of music that exists across cultures and communities. They gain insight into how music reflects identity, history, and societal change, while learning that music can unite people and express universal human emotions.
Throughout their time at Woodloes, children will build and refine key musical skills including singing, playing both tuned and untuned instruments, improvising, composing, and responding to music. They will also explore how music is structured and notated, gaining an understanding of rhythm, melody, harmony, and dynamics. Lessons are active and participatory, encouraging every child to engage in practical music-making and to experience the joy of creating music together.
Importantly, our music curriculum goes beyond musical technique; it also supports the development of important transferable skills such as collaboration, leadership, creative problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking. Children learn to listen to others, express themselves with confidence, and present their work with pride—skills that are not only essential to their musical progression but also valuable across all areas of learning and life.
By engaging in a wide range of musical activities rooted in different cultural traditions and styles, our pupils develop a thorough understanding of how music works, as well as the confidence to perform, create, and appreciate music in meaningful ways. At Woodloes, we believe that music has the power to inspire, connect, and transform—and our curriculum ensures that every child has the opportunity to experience that power.
At Woodloes Primary School, the Music Development Plan sets out how we ensure that all pupils receive a high-quality music education that meets statutory National Curriculum requirements and reflects the ambitions of the National Plan for Music Education. Music is recognised as a vital part of a broad and balanced curriculum, supporting pupils’ academic learning, creativity, wellbeing and cultural development.
The plan ensures that music teaching is carefully planned and sequenced so that pupils progressively develop their ability to perform, listen to, review and evaluate music; sing and use their voices confidently; play tuned and untuned instruments; compose music; and understand how music is created, produced and communicated. Key musical elements, including pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and structure, are taught progressively and revisited to secure long-term understanding.
Through the Music Development Plan, pupils are given regular opportunities to experience a wide range of musical styles, genres and traditions from different cultures and historical periods. Planned performance opportunities, both within school and where appropriate beyond it, help pupils to build confidence, teamwork and a sense of achievement. The plan also supports inclusive practice, ensuring that music is accessible to all pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
The Music Development Plan supports staff confidence and subject knowledge, ensures consistency of provision across the school and enables leaders to monitor and evaluate the quality and impact of music education. By implementing and reviewing this plan, Woodloes Primary School ensures that music remains a joyful, inclusive and high-quality part of school life, while fully meeting statutory requirements and supporting pupils’ long-term musical development.