Teachers TV: Managing Music at KS2

Primary teachers are often required to teach music despite having had little or no musical training. Primary music advisor Helen MacGregor offers teacher Steve Owen support and advice as he teaches two Year 6 music classes. Using pop songs as a starting point for composition, the class is shown working on the early lessons of this unit as they create the verses and chorus of their new song using simple rhythmic patterns. The pupils work on beat and rhythm and are given the opportunity to perform their patterns on percussion. Owen is then able to assess the pupils' rhythmic skills before they move onto recording using notation software. The session highlights some key vocabulary, which will become the focus of later ICT work.