Here is a couple of ideas for a music lesson about Ralph Vaughan Williams. These ideas are taken from our printable music lesson plan product on the great composers.

Instruct the students:

“Imagine you are Vaughan Williams towards the end of his life and you have received a letter from a group of school students asking what you regard as your life’s greatest achievement. Write a letter of reply.”

Hold a class discuss on folk music. You may like to consider the following topics in your discussion:

  • What is folk music?
  • Who wrote folk songs?
  • Why do you think folk songs were written?
  • Why do we still know folk songs today?

Brainstorm a list of folk songs from your country. See how many you can think of in 2 minutes.

Choose one folk song from that list and discuss what it tells you about what life was like when it was written.

Extension Activity: Choose one major world event or development that occurred during the life time of Vaughan Williams and discuss how it may have effected or influenced him.