EYFS / KS1 Music: Musical Storyland
Journey through Musical Storyland, where children’s favourite fairy tales and traditional folktales are re-imagined with magical music performed by musicians of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
The stories below are narrated by a host of stars; BBC Radio 5 Live presenter, Nihal Arthanayake; international storyteller, Jan Blake; and CBBC and Eastenders actor, Molly Rainford, with live action and animation alongside original music compositions.
As well as traditional European fairy tales, some of the stories in Musical Storyland are taken from other cultures around the world and include musicians and instruments from those countries and cultures - giving the opportunity to see and hear an even wider variety of instruments and soundworlds.
The films feature musicians from the BBC Philharmonic and an array of guest musicians including:
- Sidiki Dembélé – Multi-instrumentalist who has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and as a soloist and collaborator at festivals, theatres and concert halls all over the world.
- Zi Lan Liao – Guzheng player who has appeared with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and on the soundtrack for The Last Emperor. Zi Lan Liao is artistic director of Pagoda Arts, Europe’s largest and oldest Chinese Youth Orchestra.
- Sean Chandler – DeaF trumpeter, playing lead trumpet in various big bands. Sean is on the teaching staff of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, is a Teacher of the Deaf, and workshop leader.
- Kuljit Bhamra MBE – Tabla player, composer, record producer and pioneer of the British Bhangra sound whose film career includes: Bend It Like Beckham; Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Using these resources
The resources were devised to cover a range of musical skills and experiences as well as wider curriculum subjects for children within the ages of 3 to 7. Each story appears on its own dedicated page and includes the following resources:
- Downloadable teacher notes
- Full size image highlighting the instruments
- Full size image highlighting the key vocabulary used in the story.
These are appropriate for the educational curricula in all nations of the UK.