It’s Music! Yipeeee

Background

Primary teachers in England are given very little training in music education, many lack confidence as music teachers and additionally feel under-educated themselves in musical skills and knowledge. The lack of specific pedagogical content knowledge is a further source of stress and contributes to the ever growing alienation of primary school teachers from music teaching. However, many generalist primary teachers, socially, are consumers of music and have a wide repertoire and familiarity with a range of musical styles and genres. This, together with a genuine desire to make music learning understanding, enjoyable and accessible has inspired the resource Charanga. Songs and pieces of music associated with non-formal teaching are used in the formal classroom and Charanga becomes a pedagogic partner. Central to its design is musical progress; musical concepts are re-visited through performing and composing activities, the activities become progressively harder, demanding deeper forage into their application.

Aim of the Work

A Charanga presentation will demonstrate the possibilities of an on-line pedagogic partner. It will demonstrate harnessing the general knowledge and love of music that many primary teachers are at ease with outside the formal setting, within their formal setting. Further it will demonstrate how stimulating the imagination supports the flexibility and freedom of a ‘keyhole’ approach to learning. Children become independent learners. They establish and log into their own musical world and can jump to activities on a ‘want to explore’ basis.
Technology provides the speed of the ‘press button culture’, giving instant access to appropriate musical models, materials and differentiated performance parts, inviting the learner into the musical world through the imaginative cartoon image. Activities become quickly associated with non-formal learning but at the same time ensure that the depth of learning demanded within a formal setting is still possible.

In Summary

Our Charanga presentation engages in songs and music from the informal and popular repertoire but enables the progression expected within the formal setting of school. Technology fires the imagination and enables a realistic speed of events demanded by our society, but does not abandon a depth of engagement.

Conclusions

Primary teachers need no longer to be afraid of music education. Nearly 50,000 teachers have registered with Charanga and at last enjoy teaching music.