Learning activities

Starter activities

Starter activity Sa (Links to any main activity)

Children to list as many instruments as they can in 1 minute on a piece of paper. Go round the class and add to a list on the board. How many of these instruments would have been played in Victorian time? Teacher to identify the brass instruments and ask children what they have in common. Explain to the class that these instruments were very popular during Victorian times. See Teachers' Notes on bands and the Salvation Army.

Starter activity Sb (Links to Mb)

Teacher to ask children a modern music quiz, for example, name that tune, name that band, what instrument is in this? Teacher will need to compile the quiz.

Main activities

Main activity Ma (Links to Sa)

Children to learn a Victorian song, for example 'Alice, where art thou?' (Source 6) or another popular song such as 'Daisy Bell' (A Bicycle Built For Two), 'The Man On the Flying Trapeze', or 'Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me A Bow Wow'. Either perform it with actions in a small group or write a modern day version with modern lyrics to perform.

Main activity Mb (Links to Sb)

What do the children know about Pop quizzes? If they were to write a quiz, what types of questions would the children need to include eg. names of band, singers, song title, year, instruments used, and so on? Children to have the Victorian sources, and could listen to source 6d, music from a Victorian Polyphon. Children to then write a quiz to include Victorian music questions. Children could use PowerPoint to make the quiz and include pictures found on the Internet or design it in the style of 'Millionaire'. All children to use sources 1,2,4,5,6,7. More able children could include source 3. Less able children to use sources 1,2,4,5.

Plenary activities

Plenary activity Pa (Links to Mb)

Children to complete some of their peers' quizzes. They should be familiar with the Victorian sources that they used to make their own quiz and so be able to answer the Victorian questions.

Plenary activity Pb (Links to Ma)

Teacher and Teaching Assistants to act as a panel of judges (like X Factor) and give feedback as to the children's performances.

Extension activity

Show Source 8, the video of the Victorian Polyphon at The Mechanical Music & Doll Collection in Chichester. Note: there are other videos in the Source Gallery showing different music-boxes and other mechanical instruments. Discuss the instrument(s) shown and compare them to how we use CDs or MP3 players today. A visit to the museum could also be arranged as a school trip (Call 01243 372646).

Additional activities that could be used as homework or a short classroom task:

1. Find out as much as you can about a British Victorian composer and make an information page or biography.

2. Research the term: Music Hall.