We believe that every child should have access to quality music education and this year we have taken the bold step to ensure that every child at Wentworth, from EYFS through to year 6, will receive at least one term’s worth of music tuition from a specialist music teacher. This is in supplement to the music sessions our children already receive during their topic work and allows every child at Wentworth the opportunity to learn to play a range of instruments as they progress through the school.
Our visiting musician-in-residence is from the Red Rooster project based at Dartford Grammar School for Boys. Sessions are taking place in our dedicated music studio which gives children the opportunity to learn in a dedicated space as well as the chance to make as much noise as they need to!
Read on to find out what our spotlight year groups of year 2, 3 and 6 have been getting up to this term………
Year 2 – They’ve Got Rhythm!
Year 2 have been lucky enough to be the first year group to work with Alan, our musician-in-residence. They have been exploring rhythm, tempo and pulse through a range of body percussion games and activities.
Here the children are following and responding to notation. Children can clap notated rhythms and recognise how the pulse affects the speed of the rhythm.
Our favourite game is ‘don’t clap this one back’ – a fun game to help children hear and recognise notated rhythms.
Later this term children will be making the most of having a dedicated music studio as they play a range of samba instruments in a simple samba band. They will be using their knowledge of notated rhythms as well as chants to play as an ensemble.
Year 3 – The Rainforest
Children in Year 3 have been learning about the rainforest during their topic work and their music sessions have helped them to think about the many layers of the forest, from the forest floor to the canopy.
Click on the video below to hear a soundscape of the rainforest created using voices:
Children also used a range of percussion instruments to compose their own music inspired by the rainforest.
Children have experimented with different forms of graphic notation to record sections of their class composition.
Year 6 – Reggae
Children in Year 6 have been studying St Lucia and The Caribbean during their afternoon topic work. This has been the perfect opportunity to explore the music of Jamaica – they have learned to identify the main features of the music as well as to perform as an ensemble.
Children have learned to identify off-beat chords and to understand what syncopation is.
Children used glockenspiels to learn to play the familiar riff of ‘Three Little Birds’.
Children followed the score perform their version of ‘Three Little Birds’.
Here is the performance from 6NA: