Music is among the many subjects offered in the huge provision of free teaching resources launched by the BBC in the first week of January.
Starting on Monday, 11 January 2021, BBC Teach is provided in direct response to the pandemic and is the largest project of its kind ever attempted by the corporation. Most importantly, it offers learning opportunities to children without internet access by devoting substantial airtime to schools programming on BBC Two, CBBC, BBC Red Button and the BBC iPlayer.
Online, the offering includes dozens of specialist lessons. Providing for Key Stages 1-4 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Levels 1-4 and National 4 and 5 in Scotland, BBC Teach provides teaching resources across the national curriculum including music classes for four age groups.
The lessons include text, audio, videos, animations and interactive elements on all aspects of music, its history, its range and the instruments and technology that make it. Lesson plans and teachers notes can be downloaded in English and Welsh. Musical figures Howard Goodall, Alex James, Barry Russell, Mr Switch and Gabriel Prokoviev join children’s television and other BBC presenters as part of the team to enthuse and inform students.
The move has been a reaction to most children having to move to home schooling and has been supported by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
‘Ensuring children across the UK have the opportunity to continue to follow the appropriate core parts of their nation’s school curriculum has been a key priority for the BBC throughout this past year’, commented the BBC’s new Director General, Tim Davie.
‘Education is absolutely vital – the BBC is here to play its part and I’m delighted that we have been able to bring this to audiences so swiftly.’
