Beginner’s guide to music

Remembering my music seminars at university (I had just eight in four years in which to prepare me for teaching the KS1 and KS2 curriculum!), I was under the misapprehension that with my own class, I would spend every music lesson playing ‘London’s Burning’ on the recorder and singing ‘Land of the Silver Birch’ with a chime bar accompaniment. Ring any bells? I hope not.

I was lucky. I am fairly musical. Gloria Estefan was right – the rhythm did get me and it equipped me with enough knowledge to teach a music lesson well. But not everyone feels like that – I still receive numerous bribes from colleagues to take their classes for music. For many it is clearly an area where subject confidence is flagging.