“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.”

Plato

At Holm Cultram Abbey, children are encouraged to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians. Music topics give pupils the opportunity to listen to music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions. Pupils learn to sing, play musical instruments and to create music of their own.

Our teaching of music at HCA is underpinned by the National Curriculum and we follow the ‘Charanga’ music scheme across school. When children reach KS2, they have specific music teaching from the Cumbria Music Hub – currently children are learning to play both trumpets and trombones.

In KS1, Children begin to expand their repertoire of songs and explore an increasing range of musical styles including reggae and blues. They develop their understanding of rhythm and pitch (high and low notes). They use this knowledge to create their own simple rhythms and melodies.

In KS2, children build on their musical knowledge from Key Stage 1 by experiencing a wider range of musical styles, for example RnB and Disco and music traditions from around the world. They further increase the repertoire of songs they know and begin to sing songs in two parts. They begin to think in more detail about the music they create, taking into account dynamics and tempo. They continue to build their skills in playing tuned instruments, using an increasing range of notes.