Getting More Music into Classrooms — and Making It Last

I’ve worked in music education long enough to know that the difference between a child discovering a lifelong love of music and never really connecting with it can come down to something surprisingly simple: having the right instrument in their hands at the right moment.

That’s not a small thing, and it’s something I think about a lot in my role at Normans.

Many of us at Normans are musicians ourselves, and we genuinely believe that access to music education from an early age can be transformative — not just musically, but for confidence, communication, creativity and so much else that shapes a child’s development.

But access isn’t only about having instruments in the classroom. It’s about having instruments that children can enjoy playing, that teachers can rely on and that schools can continue using year after year.

Why this partnership with Charanga felt right

When the conversation with Charanga first started, it quickly became clear that we shared that same belief.

Charanga’s platform is built around giving children access to high-quality music education, and its KS1 and KS2 resources make extensive use of real classroom instruments: glockenspiels, djembes, recorders, ukuleles and hand-held percussion. These are the instruments ending up in children’s hands every day.

Our A-Star range was designed with exactly that environment in mind: instruments that are robust enough for regular classroom use, affordable enough to help schools equip groups and whole classes, and reliable enough for teachers to concentrate on teaching rather than worrying about the equipment.

Bringing together our shared passion for music education and the strengths of both organisations felt like a natural fit. Charanga provides teachers with the resources, structure and support to deliver engaging music lessons, while our role is to help make sure schools have the instruments they need to bring those lessons to life.

At its heart, the partnership is about making it easier for schools to give more children access to hands-on musical experiences — with the right resources and the right instruments working together.

Making the most of your music budget

We know schools have to make every part of their budget work hard, and music provision is no exception.

That’s why price matters — but so does value.

The cheapest instrument isn’t necessarily the most cost-effective if it quickly needs repairing or replacing. An instrument that can cope with regular classroom use, be packed away and brought out week after week, and continue doing its job reliably represents much better value over time.

And better value can also mean better access. If a school can make its budget stretch to a full class set rather than a smaller number of instruments, more pupils can play together. If existing equipment lasts longer, money can be used to broaden what’s available rather than simply replacing what has worn out.

Buying well can also mean wasting less

There’s something else I want to touch on, because it’s become increasingly important to how we think about what we do at Normans.

We’re on a journey as a business towards becoming more environmentally conscious — and along the way, it’s become clear that one of the simplest ways to reduce waste is to choose instruments that are made to last. You can read more about our sustainability journey and the steps we’re taking as a business on our sustainability page.

An instrument that can withstand regular classroom use and continue doing its job year after year doesn’t need replacing as often. Quality and sustainability can go hand in hand here: the longer an instrument stays in use, the less often it needs replacing.

Of course, no single purchasing decision makes a huge difference on its own. But collectively, the choices made by schools, suppliers and manufacturers do matter.

For us, producing and supplying instruments that offer schools good value over the long term is part of that responsibility.

Looking ahead

Ultimately, this partnership is about helping more children make music.

We want schools using Charanga’s classroom resources to have access to instruments that help bring those lessons to life — instruments that pupils enjoy playing, that teachers can depend on and that schools can keep using over the long term.

If our partnership can help a school put more instruments into more children’s hands while also helping its budget go further and reducing unnecessary waste, then it’s doing something worthwhile.

Charanga subscribers can receive 10% off the full A-Star range, with the discount applied automatically at checkout.

If you’re planning a class set, refreshing existing equipment or simply aren’t sure which instruments will work best for your pupils, our team is always happy to help.