Made by Teachers

Joanna Mangona Wider Opportunities Co-ordinator, Lancashire Music Service Charanga Composer

“When I started delivering Wider Opportunities five years ago it immediately became apparent that materials were needed that would engage the children; they needed to be relevant, differentiated and fun.

That was the point at which I decided the best way forward was to write my own. I developed a holistic repertoire-based course where children could work at their own pace and still be part of a corporate whole. Importantly, all children were engaged all of the time. I have always believed in sound before symbol and when delivering Wider Opps did not want any boundaries between the children and their music-making, so I adopted a notation-free approach.

inspira is the outcome of an exciting collaboration with Charanga. It is an inclusive and interactive course, based on my differentiated repertoire. The music is carefully written in a variety of styles and encourages children to express their opinions and to make their own musical decisions.

Charanga’s app development team have devised innovative ICT that supports the needs of learners and teachers during and between lessons. As a ‘non-techie’ teacher myself, I can say it is very teacher-friendly and simple to use. It is unobtrusive and can be used solely in the background of your lesson if you wish.

inspira has an improvisatory approach and includes opportunities for composition so there are times when the class can devise their own arrangements. Charanga have created an arrangement tool within inspira that is unique in my experience and really useful for teacher and pupil.

With our combined skills, inspira is an interactive, user-friendly, child-centred approach to Wider Opportunities where technology is a tool to enhance musical learning.

Jane Sebba Editorial Director, Charanga Charanga Composer

“The most rewarding aspect of writing materials for teachers and children is to see it being used happily and effectively; the pleasures of working with Charanga are many, but that’s at the top of the list. I get to talk to teachers, hear from them exactly what they want, and liaise with them throughout the process to make sure we’re thinking along the same lines. If I stray, I’m put right immediately, so I can be confident that I’m creating material that covers the necessary objectives at the correct pace, while also achieving a good balance between fun and learning.

My own experience of working with children covers thirty years, but it’s now, with new and innovative ideas being incorporated into the technological inventions of the software developers at Charanga – all fine musicians themselves – that the real excitement begins. It seems there are few limits to enabling teachers to bring music to more children, while supporting both the teachers themselves and the children’s practise between lessons.

I ran my own music school for nearly twenty years where we had a small turnover of pupils; many came aged three and stayed until they were competent and confident musicians of ten or eleven. Feedback from those musicians, now young adults (and some professionals among them) tells me that children’s early experience of music is vital to their lives: if it’s fun and lively and educational at the same time, then we have a winning formula. That’s what we aim to create at Charanga.”