Music

At Coleshill, Music is a joyful, creative and expressive subject where children learn to listen, appraise, perform, compose, and improvise through a rich and progressive curriculum. Using the Charanga Scheme, our lessons are practical, high‑energy and rooted in high‑quality musical experiences. The scheme embeds all National Curriculum requirements and ensures children explore a wide range of genres, cultures and time periods as they develop their musicianship.

Children build their musical knowledge through a spiral progression, beginning with pulse and rhythm in EYFS and developing all inter‑related dimensions of music by Year 6. Every lesson includes listening and appraising, learning new musical vocabulary, warm‑ups, singing, playing tuned instruments and a performance element—giving pupils regular opportunities to rehearse, refine and showcase their skills.

Our approach ensures that Music is not only learned but experienced, helping children grow in confidence, creativity and cultural appreciation. From exploring instruments in Nursery—closely linked to their early phonics foundations—to performing as a whole class or joining the choir club, music is a vibrant and valued part of life at Coleshill.

Vibrant

Music at Coleshill is alive, practical and full of energy. Lessons follow a dynamic structure that includes listening and appraising, singing, movement, instrument playing, improvisation and composition—keeping children engaged, active and excited about music. The performance element at the end of every lesson ensures pupils celebrate their learning immediately and build confidence week by week. Charanga exposes children to music from a diverse range of cultures, genres, decades and traditions, making every lesson fresh, enjoyable and inspiring.

Rooted

Our Music curriculum is rooted in our Christian vision, celebrating every child’s God‑given worth and encouraging them to express themselves creatively and confidently. Through singing, collaboration and performance, pupils experience belonging, joy and community—reflecting the nurturing environment described in our whole‑school vision.

All children take part in weekly Praise and Worship singing celebrations, where the whole school comes together to sing, reflect, and celebrate faith, gratitude and togetherness. This shared musical experience strengthens our sense of community, gives children regular opportunities to use their voices with confidence, and builds joyful collective worship into the rhythm of school life.

Music also provides meaningful opportunities to explore themes of hope, celebration and cultural diversity, reflecting our values of kindness, respect, honesty, perseverance and self‑control. Our commitment to high expectations and nurturing talent ensures that every child flourishes musically, emotionally and spiritually.

Connected

Our Music curriculum is connected through the incidental links children naturally make as they explore a wide range of musical genres, cultures and historical periods. Although Music is taught as a distinct subject, Charanga introduces pupils to music from across the world—Motown, Reggae, RnB, Pop, Classical, Soul, Jazz and more—which means children often recognise links to what they have learned in other subjects, such as history or geography, without these becoming the focus of the lesson.

These incidental connections deepen children’s cultural understanding and broaden their awareness of the wider world while keeping the emphasis on musical skills: pulse, rhythm, pitch, improvisation, composition and performance. By exploring music from different countries, eras and traditions, children begin to see how music reflects identity, community and place—supporting their understanding of diversity and shared human experience.

Music at Coleshill is also connected through the life of our school community. Pupils regularly sing, perform and celebrate together in assemblies and services, and all children have the option to attend after‑school musical clubs, including Choir and Samba Band, which extend their musical experiences beyond the classroom. These opportunities further strengthen relationships, build confidence and foster a shared love of music while ensuring that music remains central to school life.

Inclusive

Music at Coleshill is for everyone. Our approach ensures that all children can access high‑quality musical experiences regardless of ability, need or previous experience. The Charanga scheme provides adaptable resources, visual supports, a wide range of genres and accessible activities, enabling both specialist and non‑specialist teachers to meet the needs of all learners. Visual aids—such as symbols, icons, picture prompts, screen‑based modelling and clearly displayed vocabulary—help children understand new concepts and follow musical structures more confidently.

Children learn through repetition, modelling, small steps and hands‑on practice, making music accessible for pupils with SEND or additional needs. Nursery begins with exploration, listening games and early musical foundations that align closely with phonics, giving every child a strong start.

Across the school, pupils use tuned instruments, digital tools, their voices, movement and improvisation—ensuring multiple pathways to success. Structured performances at the end of each lesson build confidence and self‑esteem, while enrichment opportunities such as Choir and Samba Band allow all children to engage further in the musical life of our school.

Adaptations in Music

Enrichment Opportunities

Children can join our after school choir club and take part in performances. Children have the opportunity to learn keyboard and brass instruments. Through this children have the opportunity to join Coleshill Beginner Brass Band. We run after school theatre and performance clubs with Dazzlers. (These extra-curricular opportunities have a small cost to parents).

Coming Together Through Music – Our New School Song

We are proud to have had one of our parents who is a music producer write a new school song especially for us! Called The Green School, the song is based around our school values and has become an important way we come together to celebrate who we are as a school community. Students and staff were delighted to perform this for our guests at our recent 30th birthday party celebration!

We sing a variety of traditional and modern hymns in praise and worship. We hold seasonal concerts and productions such as nativities and end of year shows.

We are proud of our links with Coleshill Town Band and regularly welcome them in for performances.