On Tuesday, I visited RD's Music lesson with Mrs Street and was surprised to see the range of skills they were learning in just one lesson. The first song they learnt required them to use a shaker to create a basic rhythm whilst singing a song about going to the shops. During the song, children jumped up to place items into the shopping basket: Eva - beans, Evie - eggs and Lilland - peas. All the children loved being fully involved in the song and understood the importance of creating a consistent rhythm with the shakers. The next song involved them moving around the room with their shopping trolley singing and taking items from the shelves. Nate reached up high for some peas and Henry managed to get some apples. They also had to remember all the items they had placed into their trolley. Laith demonstrated an excellent memory, firing his hand into the air and saying ‘ice-cream’, ‘chicken’ and ‘ham’. The next task was to build up a song using words, actions and a variety of beats using their hands and feet. I was amazed to see how quickly they had picked up the basic concept. As I left the classroom, I reflected on the variety of skills they had learnt in just twenty minutes and the fun they were having. I now understand why it is one of their favourite lessons of the week. Towards the end of the lesson, the whole class played a tune called, ‘Pop Corn on the Xylophone’. Wow!

Mr J. Duke