Integrating Climate Education into a High-Quality Music Curriculum

The National College has made two ground-breaking webinars free exclusively to Music Mark members:

• Integrating Climate Education into a High-Quality Music Curriculum | Primary
• Integrating Climate Education into a High-Quality Music Curriculum | Secondary

These webinars have been developed by Jonathan Harris, Head of Academy Music at world-leading primary school, The Premier Academy in Milton Keynes with a special interest in integrating sustainable development into arts education. The Premier Academy represents the UK in the Global Science Opera project, an international collaboration linking the arts, science and sustainability to create an annual opera performed by children and students in over 35 countries around the world. In these webinars, Jonathan explains how primary and secondary schools can use music lessons to develop pupils’ climate literacy, using practical examples and activities to enhance teaching and learning.

Music, as an art form, has always been a powerful tool for expression and communication. It transcends language barriers and can convey complex emotions and ideas, making it an ideal medium for exploring global issues like climate change. By integrating climate education into music lessons, we can help students develop a deeper understanding of sustainability while also enhancing their creative and collaborative skills.

The integration of climate education into the music curriculum supports the development of key skills:

• Fostering creativity and Imagination: Music encourages creativity, and when linked with climate education, it allows students to imagine and create a sustainable future. This could involve composing songs about environmental stewardship or creating soundscapes that reflect the natural world.
• Promoting collaboration: Many music activities, such as ensemble performances or group compositions, require collaboration. These can be tied to themes of global citizenship and community, emphasising the collective effort needed to tackle climate change.
• Encouraging reflective thinking: Music can prompt students to reflect on their actions and the broader impact of those actions on the environment. For example, discussing the environmental themes of certain songs or creating music that tells a story about climate change can lead to deep, reflective conversations.