Scheme Songs vs now>press>play
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Scheme Songs
Access musical performance backing tracks from a musical school program. Download tracks for offline playback or stream them online. Ideal for rehearsals and performances where internet access may be unreliable.
- Access all performance backing tracks
- Download tracks for offline playback
- Stream tracks online
- Organized by year and term
- Searchable A-Z list of tracks
- Familiar timeline player
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Scheme Songs is a free app that lets you use your Charanga Musical School login to access all the performance backing tracks from Scheme, wherever you are. Use it to help your class put on a performance or sing a song, in places where you would find it difficult to use the website. All the Scheme backing tracks are available to download and play offline on your iPhone or iPod touch or online over wifi/mobile internet. Scheme Songs is perfect if you can't be sure that there's a reliable internet connection in your performance area, because you can save an entire term's performances in advance. • Includes all the seasonal productions in performance order, including Little Angel Gets Her Wings and Five Gold Rings. • Familiar timeline player from Charanga Musical School Scheme lessons. • Just plug your iPhone or iPod touch into the PA system and you're all set. • Organised by year and term so you can find the performance you're looking for with ease. • If you can't connect to the internet, but you've already got songs saved, you can play them offline. • All seven years of Charanga Musical School Scheme songs, from Reception through to Year 6. • Includes an searchable A-Z list of all our Freestyle performance tracks
now>press>play
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A now>press>play Experience is normally delivered by a primary school teacher to a class, as part of classroom lessons. Our library of Experiences covers a wide array of curriculum topics, teaching the central learning objectives and providing rich follow-on activities for afterwards. This app forms part of a school’s access package or free trial to now>press>play services. HOW IT WORKS In a now>press>play Experience every child is given a pair of wireless headphones. Immersed in sound, they become the main character in a story, meeting people, discovering places and solving problems on an educational adventure they’ll never forget. From climbing through layers of rainforest canopy in the Amazon, to fighting a woolly mammoth in the Stone Age, these audio-only adventures are uniquely designed to stimulate children’s imaginations. now>press>play can be used as a whole class activity or with smaller groups for intervention work. Through a child-centred approach to learning, they extend children’s life experiences and are a fun and inclusive way to engage children in the curriculum. CONTENT There are currently 80 curriculum-based Experiences for EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 (i.e. 3 to 11 years old) covering a broad range of subjects across literacy, maths, history, geography, science, PSHE/SEL, religious education and foreign languages. The app gives you access to all our immersive audio adventures in one place, along with their follow-on resources: every Experience includes SATs-style Reading Comprehensions, Writing Opportunities, Quizzes, Storyboards and Discussion Questions, making it simple to plan and deliver quality lessons. WHAT EACH SCHOOL GETS Access to 80 immersive audio Experiences for EYFS, KS1 and KS2 Topics include Maths, Science, History, Geography, PSHE, RE, MFL, and Literacy Follow-on resources for each Experience: Glossary, Storyboard, Quiz, Reading Comprehension, Writing Opportunities, and post-Experience Discussion Questions ‘How It Works’ guides to get the best out of now>press>play for your class Opportunity to access all now>press>play content offline for use in various settings REVIEWS 'now>press>play is an experience the children will never forget; it brings to life for them the topic work, in a way which quite frankly I could never have achieved, in such a direct and engaging manner.' Year 6 Teacher, West Drayton Primary School ‘I was blown away by how the pupils in Year 5 responded to this magnificent Experience. They were plunged into the middle of World War 2, and embraced and internalised every second without question! It has had such an incredible impact on their learning. This is a resource we will continue to utilise at every opportunity.’ Year 5 Teacher, Marshfield School RATINGS & AWARDS ***** 4.9/5 EdTech Impact rating ERA 2020 Winner Bett Awards 2019 Winner
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: now>press>play at every 2 months against Scheme Songs's every 7 months. Scheme Songs's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Scheme Songs ships an update every 7 months, now>press>play every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Scheme Songs | now>press>play |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | — |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Charanga Ltd | now>press>play |
In-app purchases
Scheme Songs
No in-app purchases
now>press>play
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Scheme Songs free?
Is now>press>play free?
Do Scheme Songs or now>press>play have ads?
Which is updated more often, Scheme Songs or now>press>play?
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