DLP Music – Saying Sound  

Music provides a wonderful springboard for the Dual Language Programme as it can involve rich and varied language no matter which theme is examined. Our children enjoy a diverse and interdisciplinary course that provides them with a grounding in music history and appreciation via curricular topics.   

The music teachers involved in the programme carefully select content for its relevancy. The native speaker teacher identifies key English vocabulary for each topic. She then guides pupils in using this new vocabulary with specifically designed exercises.   

This year, pupils learnt about music appreciation: they broke down a piece of music into its fundamental aspects and described them (tempo, dynamics, instrumentation, emotions, genre). They drew or painted the mental images evoked by programme music and used their pictures as a tool to vocalise their impressions. They learnt all about the history of the march, danced around a Maypole, created their own Christmas raps, and became acquainted with Austria’s finest composers. They ‘travelled’ to North America to dance a line dance like the cowboys. They listened carefully to identify the animals described in the Carnival of the Animals.   

These and the many other subjects covered in DLP Music this year all centre on the children being able to talk about what was being listened to or done. In other words, they are giving sound a voice – in English!  

(Sarah Devlin)