Year 4 recently completed some work which tied in with their IPC curriculum theme 'Island Life'. After getting into groups, they were given a picture of an island - a tropical island, a volcanic island or an arctic island. Their goal was to create and perform a layered musical soundscape to match their chosen island. They were challenged to include rhythmic and vocal ostinatos (repeated patterns). They also notated their rhythms using a range of notes such as crotchets, quavers and minims. I was very impressed with their compositions and the children very much enjoyed the freedom to create.