The content of each pack is based on a specially chosen piece of classical music. Explore the features of the pack below!
The content of each pack is based on a specially chosen piece of classical music. Explore the features of the pack below!
Relating music to maths is very significant as it enables the class to apply logic to various ideas. The activities within the packs highlight moments for correct use of language, counting, measurement, geometry and rhythm creation.
In all aspects of the course, whether talking about comparing instrument sizes and shape, or creating rhythmic patterns, the pupils will be asked to voice or demonstrate their opinions. Much of this can take form using mathematical language and the use of untuned instruments or body parts to communicate their discoveries. For example, a crescendo has a triangular shape (obtuse triangle when you fill in the third line); when you roll up the flute activity sheet it becomes a cylinder – in this exercise the children will turn a 2D shape into a 3D shape. When acting out movements in the lessons, the teacher should describe the actions. For example, in the conducting lesson, the children will perform the actions to conduct in three beats – they will make a right angle in the process. They can also comment on the angles you hold instruments at e.g. a flute is held to the side of your body at a 45 degree angle. They can also measure instruments using appropriate measurements and then use this information when deciding what measurements their final design project will be.
During the YouTube class activities, the pupils will work in teams to answer questions relating to the video. Some of these will require counting and the ability to recognise and describe number patterns. Listening and recreating rhythmic patterns heard in the music will also help the class to develop this ability. The teacher can also add simple maths questions to any of the lessons, for example; how many years ago did Offenbach write the music, or, if he was born in 1819 how old was he when he did such-and-such. When learning about the different ‘beat’ values, teachers can include questions relating to ‘fractions’, ‘decimals’ and ‘percentages’ (e.g. what fraction of a crotchet does a quaver represent = 1/2).
The pack covers all aspects of the KS2 Music Programmes of Study. Through lesson activities, pupils will sing, play musically with increasing confidence and control, develop an understanding of musical composition, organize and manipulate ideas within musical structures and reproduce sounds from aural memory. Learning the music curriculum through the methods in this pack will help to develop memory, coordination, creativity, concentration, confidence, collaboration, comprehension, individual work, and communication. Each lesson, a new musical component from the Voyage to the Moon music will be explored and the lesson activities will be based on this element. For students who are already learning instruments or have other extra-curricular music lessons, the exercises within this pack will challenge and help further their musical development. There are also a list of extra activities in the homework and assessment section of each lesson that have increased levels of difficulties for advanced students.
There are three sections that come under performing skills: the children will learn to use their voices expressively, singing in unison or duets whilst taking pitch control into consideration. They will play with tuned and untuned instruments and at the same time learn control and increasing rhythmic accuracy. Lastly they will practise and rehearse performances (both solos and ensembles), which they will then present to the class. In every single lesson there are activities that help the children to build on their communication skills by using their voices expressively. In the first lesson, they will be asked to suggest songs they know that have a strong message in them and to sing an excerpt in class before explaining the message. The inter-related dimensions of music will be explored through playing and performing, as expression is best taught through study of pitch, dynamics, tempo, tone etc. These will be explored through playing instruments and theory study, and built upon lesson-by-lesson, to ensure development of accuracy, fluency and control. One example is looking at a lesson on ‘dynamics’ (loudness): Lessons on dynamics will have the class learn about the different dynamics used when sending out a particular message through song and their singing activities will reflect as such. In instrument lessons, if there are tuned instruments available in the school then they may be used to aid lessons and give children a chance to discover their sounds and features. Students who are already learning an instrument will be given extra exercises that will challenge their abilities and improve their development in terms of control and rhythmic accuracy. These students will be given the chance to use their skills and develop them whilst also using them to create awareness of pitch, dynamics, timbre and rhythm amongst the others. We also provide activity sheets of the instrument that can be cut out and used to demonstrate playing positions (and some activity sheets that teach the class how to make instruments in the classroom that really make music!). There are also video/picture/sound resources so that the children can understand the concepts of the instrument and how it would sound. There are instructions within the summaries on how tuned instruments can be used if they are available (e.g. a piano or chime bars). In the conducting lesson, each child will be given a chance to become a conductor and tell the rest of the class (the orchestra) that sections of them will sing a chosen song, while the others play untuned instrument to the conductors’ direction. There will be opportunities for children to be split into groups to create specific rhythms together by using untuned instruments, vocals and choreography. In these, they will be taught about what an audience needs. In every lesson, they will practice exercises in unison. Sometimes they will be split into smaller groups so that the teacher can assess their development, and to give children the chance to learn from each other. They will practice becoming the different players in the orchestra together. In the cello lesson, the class will be split into pairs – one member will become a cello and the other will be a cellist – they will work together to perform the correct actions of playing a cello and create sounds using their voices to reflect the sound of the cello.
It is optional to integrate study of the history of: Jacques Offenbach, musical instruments, music in general. We provide a variety of ideas throughout the programme, but these can be explored more at the teachers’ discretion. By studying Offenbach’s history, the class will work in groups to analyse how elements of his background were used as inspiration in his music. These will help them understand social and political issues from the 1800’s surrounding classical music and its’ accessibility, as well as the class and religious barriers that were in place at the time. Nowadays there are many different forms of music that are popular and well known. There will be chances for discussions that allow the children to talk about the music they listen to now and how the issues surrounding it compare with those from Offenbach’s time. Before the invention of the radio, you would have to be at a live performance to hear music. The teacher can invite the children to talk about ways you can listen to music today. You can compare time periods; for example, we can still go to concerts today but a hundred years ago, nobody had an iPod or a television. In the lesson on Offenbach, the children will work in small groups and present information about his life to the class.
From the first lesson, improvisation and composition skills are a subject of focus. As each inter-related dimension of music is explored, these skills are developed. For example, with pitch, a number of tasks will have the class work in small groups and sing to determine what pitches and keys work best for them individually and as a group when singing. They will create harmonies for set lesson songs and also take the main tune of the Voyage to the Moon chorus and play around with the notes to create a new melody that will then be sung. This is a song that will be used lesson after lesson, with a view to building our own composition skills. In lesson 1 the class will be divided up into story-writing groups. The Voyage to the Moon music will be broken down into sections and dissected as a class to understand the musical components (dynamics, instruments, rhythms, tone etc.). The students will then use these ideas to form their own stories surrounding the music. Each lesson will focus on a new section and will give the class a chance to plan, write the words and lyrics and then finally they will rehearse and perform their compositions to the rest of the class using drama, instruments and vocals. Students without prior musical knowledge will be adding musical ideas to their stories as each lesson progresses – putting their new theory into practical application. A lesson on the composer of the music (Year 3) or composition (Years 4 and 5) teaches children the basics for composing music. They will learn about different forms of inspiration by studying the way that Offenbach created Voyage to the Moon and apply that to their compositional work. In lessons on rhythm and dynamics, the class will use untuned instruments, vocals and their bodies to create musical patterns and sequences before presenting them to the teacher. In the lessons on notation, the children will have the opportunity to recreate the tune of the chorus on chime bars or on the piano – they can then use the same notes to make a different tune or a different rhythm. In the lesson on the key signature, the class will work in groups to undertake a series of tasks that involve composition, modulation and transposition. Homework in the dynamics lesson will have the class write poem that will be written and performed to a set rhythm and acted out with musical expression. Finally they will take songs (that either they or another artist has written) and apply musical ideas to them to communicate various moods and messages.
Developing pupils’ aural memory is of vital importance, and is a main feature of our programme – something that will be developed in every single lesson. For our modern children, there is a multi-dimensional focus to lesson activities. There is no room for boredom and so listening and attention skills build, alongside the ability to recall sounds. We ensure that timbre, and the other inter-related dimensions are learned, and relearned week-on-week, with repetition and the introduction of new musical concepts to solidify what has previously been learned. To help develop concentration and memory, musical components will be presented to the class through both theoretical and practical activities. For example, in the violin lesson the class will learn about its’ timbre and pitch through singing and listening activities – then in lesson three, the crescendo, the class will listen to the music to find when the violin creates a crescendo: They will then sing the tune with the right dynamics and pitch to match a violin before bringing untuned instruments into the fold. These activities are designed to keep children focused and determined. For example, when learning about the time signature, the first exercise may have the children clap to the rhythm. When the exercise is repeated, the teacher may add numbers to the beats, then words, then song, untuned instruments and finally separating the children into groups to build on these skills and create their own rhythmic patterns and methods. This way, the children are constantly building on a skill, but without allowing room for boredom. The teacher can allow competent students to come up with concepts of their own that the class can copy. Through the methods explored in the instrument lessons, the children will constantly increase their aural memory and learn to notice differences in sound when new instruments begin to play in the music. In every lesson, the class will learn about musical elements or pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and silence. They will then use these in a series of tasks to organise them within musical structures to communicate different moods and effects. This work will be done individually (in class and for homework) and also in groups in class (like in the story-writing challenge). They will learn how to identify different features as the music plays. The music is split into sections for each lesson so that the children can easily learn about the musical elements. In each instrument lesson, the class will learn how music is produced in different ways. They will also look at various examples of modern music to compare their production to classical. Finally, they will study how time and place can influence the way music is created, performed and heard, both in modern times and by studying Offenbach’s background
We have a vigorous approach to teaching pupils to read musical staff and other notations. This begins in lesson 3 – the rhythm lesson – and is built upon in every subsequent lesson. Pupils will learn what musicians ‘see’, connect patterns between written music and what can be ‘heard’ on recordings. Chanting, clapping beats, using instruments, responding to ‘crotchets’, ‘quavers’ ‘minims’ ‘pitch’ ‘dynamics’ signs – all of these skills will be developed throughout the programme.
As our programme is, at its’ core, a series of Classical Appreciation classes, our lesson activities have been devised to bring about a general appreciation of this traditional artform. Whilst the programme is very much based on one piece of music, from one of the great composers, we also provide links to other composers, other works and other musicians to illustrate ideas to the pupils. Activities also provide the option of integrating themes and ideas taken from music that is traditional to a faith or background of student or school. Appreciation comes from placing a modern spin on the classics, and so we bring traditional Classical Music into the 21st Century.
Through different physical exercises, the pupils will learn various actions and movements in relation to music and vocabulary that they will perform and improve on constantly. They will also build upon skills they have already learned in physical education to help them connect more with the music. In Year 4+5, they will learn the value of training and dancing to classical music by watching videos and testing this idea. This will help them to build on their coordination and memory skills, as well as helping them to gain grace and power in sporting activities. The programme aims to teach them about spatial awareness and to value and copy the actions of their classmates – each pupil will have the chance to choreograph actions in groups for performance purposes. They will learn about their own bodies and how musicians keep healthy and fit to play a certain part in the orchestra. They will develop control and balance through performance, and be given opportunities to compare and improve previous performances.
Students will have the opportunity to improve their mastery of art and design techniques through a variety of practical activities. They will create a flute and an oboe from classroom materials in the final lesson and learn to make thoughtful observations about why these simple materials can be used to create sound. In their other instrument-design projects, they will be expected to draw out their ideas and select various elements from experience, imagination and from first-hand observation to help develop their ideas. There is also the opportunity to discover information about the materials craftspeople and designers from different times and cultures used when making instruments in the final lesson. Design and Technology skills play a fundamental part for Years 4 and 5. When creating their instruments, pupils will research, generate ideas and communicate these whilst learning about the make-up of different instruments. They will then have access to a wide range of tools to perform the practical tasks. The materials will need to be assessed to use them for their functional properties, just how real instruments are made, as this is how their designs will create sounds. There will be chances to evaluate, investigate and analyse completed work in order to improve. They will need to use their technical knowledge of the instruments to improve and strengthen the mechanical systems of their instruments.
The KS2 curriculum for science teaches work scientifically, and each Year Group studies their own content. The content for each Year Group is drawn upon within various lessons of the Voyage to the Moon teacher’s pack under the following topics: sound creation, the human body compared to an instrument, materials used to create distinct sounds, using force to create sound through instruments. Learning in this way will help to develop communication, comprehension and inspire logical thinking patterns.
When learning about the makeup of instruments, the class will relate various features to what they know about humans and animals. For example, the cello has a long neck that runs down its’ body (kind of like the spinal chord). It has been polished to avoid corrosion and has purflings around its’ perimeter to help avoid the spread of any cracks that will cause worse damage (similar to our skins’ protective function).
Discussing the ‘Voyage to the Moon’ story will allow pupils to demonstrate their scientific knowledge of the movement of the Earth, relative to the sun, and that of the Moon, relative to Earth. The pupils will also be able to challenge the fictitious ideas in the story, applying their existing knowledge of space-travel.
When learning about the violin and cello, the students will learn about how much force you need to use the bow on the strings to create different dynamics and note duration. In dynamic lessons, they will learn about the makeup of the orchestra and how instruments are placed in a certain order because they have varying natural levels of intensity. They will carry out experiments to work out which instruments are the loudest and where they should be placed so all instruments can be heard on equal levels by the audience. In each instrument lesson, they will be taught the theory about how various materials (including our bodies) help produce vibrations to create sounds and will then recreate these vibrations through a series of design and practical tasks.
There are five instruments that will be studied in this pack. They are made from a combination of different materials that contribute to the way sound is created and how the instrument is protected from damage. These will be examined in each instrument lesson and give the class a chance to discuss why certain materials may have been used in terms of their hardness, strength and flexibility. Pupils will study the uses of metals, wood and plastic in relation to sound production of musical instruments. When learning about the violin and cello, the students will learn about how much force you need to use the bow on the strings to create different dynamics and note duration. In dynamic lessons, they will learn about the makeup of the orchestra and how instruments are placed in a certain order because they have varying natural levels of intensity. They will carry out experiments to work out which instruments are the loudest and where they should be placed so all instruments can be heard on equal levels by the audience. In each instrument lesson, they will be taught the theory about how various materials (including our bodies) help produce vibrations to create sounds and will then recreate these vibrations through a series of design and practical tasks.
The class will be presented with various ideas about the relationship between people and music, and also about musical features. Discussions and activities within all lessons will help them to establish links between causes and effects while testing the ideas; for example, a cello and a violin are both string instruments but the cello has a naturally low-pitch and the violin a naturally high-pitch. By carrying out simple experiments and by studying the makeup of the instruments they will work out why these instruments vary in pitch. They will undertake written and practical tasks when investigating a theory, working individually and in groups to plan thoroughly. In some activities they will be required to take down notes, fill in tables and draw diagrams to obtain and present their evidence. These will then be evaluated by the rest of the class, who will consider the evidence of others and compare it with their own findings.
Year 4 and 5 pupils (basic level for Year 4) will identify and analyse how sound is produced, with a heavy focus on ‘vibrations’. Pupils will study ideas about our ‘voices’ and musical instruments to understand how vibrations travel. They will explore patterns between pitch and volume with sound in relation to different objects and the strength of vibrations that produced it.
Both in school and at home, doing research to further understanding of learned concepts is vital for children. Sustaining an interest in ‘wanting-to-know-more’ about surroundings should be encouraged and can start in the classroom. This will inspire a passion for research in all future school subjects. There are many methods throughout the pack that will help the children to discover and develop ideas, and is a great way to provide them with an understanding of this skill for the future. Looking at resources to gather information is great for both shy and confident children, and presenting or sharing findings can help the former grow into the latter.
After researching their ideas and being taught information, the class will be taught to develop ideas through constructive planning, and will then create and test these ideas in practice. An example would be in the lesson on the violin the class will be taught that the tightness and length of the strings on the violin contribute to the pitch. They will then carry out an experiment using string to back-up their findings. In some instances, they may be put into groups and given resources that will help them form sequences based on musical content that will later be shared. These exercise gives them a chance to think comprehensively. Activities such as the YouTube activity (one in each instrument lesson) will give the children a chance to select from and add to information they have retrieved from the Internet and document their findings on the activity sheets provided. They can continue these exercises at home if the teacher wishes to give out homework.
The children can review resources individually or in groups. The group work allows them to build on ideas together and learn from each other. Once the children have had a chance to study new resources, they are encouraged to present their findings to the rest of the class. This way, the class are taught to listen to their peers and learn from their information.
The children will be introduced to videos, pictures, sounds and texts on the composer, instruments, symbols and the Voyage to the Moon story. A series of the resources will be based on the use of classical music and instruments in a modern setting, helping them to understand the future setting classical music can move into. They will be taught where they can gather information that they need to understand the lesson material and answer questions posed by the teacher, including newspapers, online articles and videos.
In this pack, there are a couple of links between Music and Geography. Geographical features are used creatively and to inspire new ways to communicate with music. They will study the journey Offenbach made from Germany, to Paris, to England, to Germany and finally back to Paris and understand the obstacles that he had to overcome that led him on this voyage.
As many musical words (symbols) are Italian, the teacher can explain this and encourage children who speak second languages to volunteer the word in their own language. The teacher should explain when a key word is in Italian and have the children repeat both the Italian and English form – if a word is written in Italian, it is explained in the key vocabulary section of each lesson.
Building on the reading and writing, communication and language skills is a central focus to the programme. Throughout the classes, there are opportunities for the pupils to build on these skills through a range of activities, while using and developing their musical skills. The most important part is ensuring a cohesive environment, which is evident throughout the course. This can be seen firstly in the group projects, and also by allowing individuals to present their projects to a receptive class. All sections of the English KS2 syllabus are evident throughout the pack.
To help develop positive attitudes to reading, as well as the understanding of musical and non-musical information, pupils will listen to and discuss a wide variety of text-based resources, such as poetry, riddles, stories, song-lyrics, musical and historical information. The story of ‘Voyage to the Moon’ is essentially a fairy-tale and pupils will develop strong familiarity with this story through performance retelling – aurally, with instruments, and through movement. In Years 4 and 5, the pupils will build comparisons between the structure of fairy-tales and stories from other genres, while being taught to recognise the themes and conventions in both ‘Voyage to the Moon’, and apply these to knowledge of other stories. When preparing to read and perform certain text-pieces, instructions prompt pupils to use the correct intonation, tone, volume and action. Not only does this show understanding of the written text, it also demonstrates the strength of musical skills, as these types of activities are preceded by study of tone etc. in studied music. Discussions throughout every lesson provide teachers and pupils with the opportunity to share words, phrases and literature that capture interest and imagination. The assessments for each lesson should be used to prompt pupils to discuss their understanding of lesson concepts. Understanding of the ‘Voyage to the Moon’ story: The aural discussions, questioning for the teacher to use, lesson comprehension sheets and written assessments aim to prompt students to draw inferences about the thoughts, actions, etc. of the characters, (such as ‘why’ Prince Caprice did not want to become the King), and by analysing the tone of the music in conjunction with the story, the pupils are able to improve their comprehension skills. Understanding that the story is also told through the tone of the music, and learning about inter-related dimensions such as ‘pitch’, helps the pupils to see how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning. Here are further examples of how Comprehension features in the programme: When learning about the story or the life of the composer, the class may be set or asked questions that require them to scan given texts to find information. For example, in the composer lesson, one of the activities splits the class into groups of 2s or 3s. They will be given a list of events from Offenbach’s life and the pages from the Voyage to the Moon story in order to decipher links between the two. Prince Caprice’s journey to the Moon is an analogy of someone who wants to fight convention by abstaining from the crown in order to follow his own dream. The themes and underlying contexts of this story are what must be discussed and explored in class – this will help the children connect with the story, gain a better understanding of the text and prepare them for writing tasks in this pack. There is a list of the main themes found in Voyage to the Moon that you will find in the pack, and learning them throughout the lessons will give pupils the opportunity to reveal and discover more about themselves as they deduce the true meanings of this story as they look for meaning beyond the literal.
A variety of new vocabulary will be introduced in every single lesson. These are used within a ‘comprehension’ setting – the learning of new words and terms aids comprehension development. Many words from lower and higher Key Stage 2 lists are present in the resources, such as ‘special’, ‘appreciate’ ‘rhythm’ ‘muscle’ and ‘symbol’, as are new word endings. The text-resources correspond with music clips and audio narration – these help pupils to analyse the meaning of new words and decode them as they read. Some example activities are: – The Voyage to the Moon story: pupils will be introduced to the story over the whole course. Before hearing the music, they will be presented with 3 potential story events, one of which will match the music. They will dissect each scenario, matching key words to what mood or tone it is portraying. They will then hear the music that illustrates this part of the story, and will analyse which scenario best correlates to the tone of the music. – Learning about the Musical Instruments: instruments are presented through descriptive poems and riddles. These help the pupils to understand the materials used to create instruments, and key musical features such as ‘pitch’ that are associated with particular instruments. – Assessment: Each lesson comes with a series of assessment sheets for pupils, testing their knowledge of the
Throughout the pack, the class will create a number of different types of written compositions, including stories, song lyrics and poetry. Each of these tasks will start by discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write. For example, before writing lyrics to a chorus tune, they will learn existing lyrics and develop understanding of the structure, vocabulary and grammar. They will work independently and in groups – this allows pupils to discuss their ideas, before recording them on activity sheets. Drafting and writing will be assisted by oral rehearsals. The instructions and preparation resources will help to increase the rich vocabulary and range of sentence structures. Paragraphs will be organised around a theme – for example, in Year 4 and 5, and week the pupils will work together to create their own compositions to music – these story compositions must focus on the musical and non-musical themes of the week, and correlate to the tone of the audio music. All year groups will create narratives, settings, characters and plot in story composition activities. The pupils will evaluate and edit both theirs and others’ work, proof-read and read aloud to discern errors. Expression is a key focus of our writing activities, and including expression ideas in planning for presenting purposes, so that using the correct tone and volume in presenting aurally helps to convey the meaning of the work. By learning about the ‘tone’ created by the different instruments in the music, pupils can identify and use ideas in their own work.
Each lesson provides writing activities to help assess pupils at their Key Stage 2 level. Activities are based on musical concepts, literary materials used in class (such as Instrument poems), and the ‘Voyage to the Moon’ story. Some activities may require pupils to display Curriculum knowledge, such as distinguishing between homophones, or ‘filling in the missing words’ as sentences and stories are dictated to them via recordings or the teacher (this type of activity also encourages ‘speed’ in writing). Teachers can encourage pupils to use dictionaries and thesauruses when completing activities or participating in discussions when preparing for activities.
Various activities have pupils demonstrate their knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and punctuation. For example, the pupils may be presented with a copy of the ‘Voyage to the Moon’ story, that has no punctuation. They will then listen to the recorded narration as they annotate their script with punctuation. Teachers can use the resources in all lessons to explore all other concepts outlined in the English Appendix of the National Curriculum guidelines, to develop vocabulary and grammar skills. An example would be providing extra instructions in written composition activities, instructing pupils to use brackets, semi-colons, etc.
Jacques Offenbach wrote Voyage to the Moon in 1875, during the Romantic Period. By studying components of music from this period, as seen in Voyage to the Moon, and comparing these with ideas from current popular music, students will be able to gain a great sense of historical understanding and may even be able to determine the future for music. The instruments and symbols learned within the lessons originated thousands of years ago – some of these have evolved from ancient times (e.g. the first flutes were made from human shin bones) to their current classical forms, and as technology has evolved, some have been made electric to suit various purposes (e.g. an electric violin). These concepts are imperative to impress upon modern children to gain comprehensiveness of musical history. The concept of going to the Moon was explored in this story – a hundred years before anything was ever sent to the Moon from Earth. The children should be encouraged to discuss these ideas throughout the lessons to make links between old and new ideas and to bring an element of variety and background to music. This will help to increase concentration, and creativity, while studying the life of the composer and creating their own stories set to the music will help the class to build stronger connections between themselves and music.
Every lesson will help to place people and ideas into the correct periods of time. When introducing the composer and the story, the teacher should use words and phrases relating to the passing of time (for example, ancient, modern, century). There are verbal exercises in various lessons that will give children a chance to use the same vocabulary when relating to what happened in the past – in this way, levels of concentration are assessed. They will look at ancient, recent and modern examples in comparative exercises.
By studying Offenbach’s history, the class will work in groups to analyse how elements of his background were used as inspiration in his music. These will help them understand social and political issues from the 1800’s surrounding classical music and its’ accessibility, as well as the class and religious barriers that were in place at the time. Nowadays there are many different forms of music that are popular and well known. There will be chances for discussions that allow the children to talk about the music they listen to now and how the issues surrounding it compare with those from Offenbach’s time. Before the invention of the radio, you would have to be at a live performance to hear music. The teacher can invite the children to talk about ways you can listen to music today. You can compare time periods; for example, we can still go to concerts today but a hundred years ago, nobody had an iPod or a television. In the lesson on Offenbach, the children will work in small groups and present information about his life to the class.
Even though PSHE is no longer part of the KS1 curriculum, we believe that it is extremely important to develop these skills through the pack. Building on confidence and internal development is a critical feature in the learning activities within the pack. The music and activities encourage expression, which is communicated in a variety of ways. It is also important for the class to respect and understand the backgrounds of their peers, especially those that differ to their own.
All of the activities within the pack aim to engage the children and give them a chance to discover their preferences. These interactive methods are in place to inspire confidence. Children are given the chance to express their preferences between different instruments and symbols and explain the reasons for these. This will be approached in a verbal and physical manner so that their opinions can be understood. They are asked to relate their own situations to the characters they learn about in the lessons and so they have time to reflect on themselves and learn. The routines of the lessons encourage children to communicate their emotions: these are seen through physical and creative activities. As there are different roles and opportunities to volunteer, the children are taught the significance of sharing and listening while others communicate.
The packs encourage a cohesive environment where children work together on mini-activities, or praise each other for their work. In some physical activities, the teacher may call on individual volunteers to create a pattern or movement for the rest of the class to imitate, thereby teaching the class to value each other’s opinions. When teaching the relationships between instrument families, the children will be asked to recount their experiences with similar family members in front of other class members. One of the homework activities invites children to bring in music they listen to at home with their family, which the teachers can play during Activity Sheet time so that the children learn about each other’s home cultures.
As mentioned under English, there are many opportunities throughout the pack for children to work together in groups. When learning about the conductor, they learn that one man stands at the front of the orchestra and helps them to keep in time – this is why the music is beautiful. Without a conductor then there would be chaos. This theme can also be used in a discussion of what a class would be like without a teacher, or what home life would be like without supervision etc.
The Free Trial provides users with a whole lesson for free. It will provide excerpts from all other resource tabs such as the song library and assembly script. The Free Trial lasts for 30 days.
Yes they are. Years 3, 4 and 5 all follow the KS2 Curriculum, and therefore have similar elements. However, they are 3 separate programmes with variable teaching content.
No musical experience is required! You will be guided through all stages of the programme in our step-by-step lesson preparation.
Year 1 and Year 2 programmes are each £225 ex VAT, with a 10% discount upon purchase of both.
You will need a variety of untuned (or percussion) instruments, such as drums or bells.
Yes – this is excellent supplementary material for music teachers. The content is adaptable and can fit into their curriculum easily.
The content within each pack has been written in accordance with the guidelines set by the National Curriculum for England & Wales.