Music Time is a British educational television programme as part of the BBC Schools strand from 23 September 1970 to 18 March 1991. The programme is aimed at primary school children aged between 7 and 9. It teaches singing, instrumentation, and basic elements of music theory and performance through simple, easily understandable songs. These often form part of a production intended to be performed by schools, and usually performed at either the start or end of the term. There would often be a pantomime in the autumn term. The programme also includes animated films (usually produced by Bura and Hardwick) based on classical works.
| Music Time | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Educational |
| Presented by | Mari Griffith (1970–72) Ian Humphris (1970–72) Kathryn Harries (1977–81) Peter Combe (1977–80) Andrew C. Wandsworth (1981) Jonathan Cohen (1983–91) Helen Speirs (1983–91) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 24 |
| No. of episodes | 224 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 20 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC1 (1970–81) BBC2 (1983–91) |
| Release | 23 September 1970 – 18 March 1991 |
Episodes
editPeter and the Wolf (1970)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Programme 1" | 23 September 1970 |
| 2 | 2 | "Programme 2" | 30 September 1970 |
| 3 | 3 | "Programme 3" | 7 October 1970 |
| 4 | 4 | "Programme 4" | 14 October 1970 |
| 5 | 5 | "Programme 5" | 21 October 1970 |
| 6 | 6 | "Programme 6" | 4 November 1970 |
| 7 | 7 | "Programme 7" | 11 November 1970 |
| 8 | 8 | "Programme 8" | 18 November 1970 |
| 9 | 9 | "Peter and the Wolf" | 25 November 1970 |
| 10 | 10 | "End-of-Term Concert" | 2 December 1970 |
Travel and Transport (Winter 1971)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Programme 1" | 13 January 1971 |
| 12 | 2 | "Programme 2" | 20 January 1971 |
| 13 | 3 | "Programme 3" | 27 January 1971 |
| 14 | 4 | "Programme 4" | 3 February 1971 |
| 15 | 5 | "Programme 5" | 10 February 1971 |
| 16 | 6 | "Programme 6" | 17 February 1971 |
| 17 | 7 | "Programme 7" | 3 March 1971 |
| 18 | 8 | "Programme 8" | 10 March 1971 |
| 19 | 9 | "Programme 9" | 17 March 1971 |
| 20 | 10 | "End-of-Term Concert" | 24 March 1971 |
Spells and Riddles (Spring 1971)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | "Programme 1" | 28 April 1971 |
| 22 | 2 | "Programme 2" | 5 May 1971 |
| 23 | 3 | "Programme 3" | 12 May 1971 |
| 24 | 4 | "Programme 4" | 19 May 1971 |
| 25 | 5 | "Programme 5" | 26 May 1971 |
| 26 | 6 | "Programme 6" | 9 June 1971 |
| 27 | 7 | "The Music Time Game" | 16 June 1971 |
| 28 | 8 | "End-of-Term Concert" | 23 June 1971 |
Animals (Autumn 1971)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 1 | TBA | 22 September 1971 |
| 30 | 2 | TBA | 29 September 1971 |
| 31 | 3 | TBA | 6 October 1971 |
| 32 | 4 | TBA | 13 October 1971 |
| 33 | 5 | TBA | 20 October 1971 |
| 34 | 6 | TBA | 3 November 1971 |
| 35 | 7 | TBA | 10 November 1971 |
| 36 | 8 | TBA | 17 November 1971 |
| 37 | 9 | TBA | 24 November 1971 |
| 38 | 10 | TBA | 1 December 1971 |
Unknown (Winter 1972)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | 1 | TBA | 12 January 1972 |
| 40 | 2 | TBA | 19 January 1972 |
| 41 | 3 | TBA | 26 January 1972 |
| 42 | 4 | TBA | 2 February 1972 |
| 43 | 5 | TBA | 9 February 1972 |
| 44 | 6 | TBA | 16 February 1972 |
| 45 | 7 | TBA | 1 March 1972 |
| 46 | 8 | TBA | 8 March 1972 |
| 47 | 9 | TBA | 15 March 1972 |
| 48 | 10 | TBA | 22 March 1972 |
A River Journey (Spring 1972)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | 1 | TBA | 26 April 1972 |
| 50 | 2 | TBA | 3 May 1972 |
| 51 | 3 | TBA | 10 May 1972 |
| 52 | 4 | TBA | 17 May 1972 |
| 53 | 5 | TBA | 24 May 1972 |
| 54 | 6 | TBA | 7 June 1972 |
| 55 | 7 | TBA | 14 June 1972 |
| 56 | 8 | TBA | 21 June 1972 |
A Christmas Journey (1977)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | 1 | "The Sounds Around Us" | 19 September 1977 |
| 58 | 2 | "High Sounds, Low Sounds" | 26 September 1977 |
| 59 | 3 | "Long Sounds, Short Sounds" | 3 October 1977 |
| 60 | 4 | "Feel the Beat" | 10 October 1977 |
| 61 | 5 | "Rhythm" | 17 October 1977 |
| 62 | 6 | "Collecting Sounds" | 24 October 1977 |
| 63 | 7 | "Sound Traps" | 7 November 1977 |
| 64 | 8 | "A Christmas Journey Introduction" | 14 November 1977 |
| 65 | 9 | "A Christmas Journey 1" | 21 November 1977 |
| 66 | 10 | "A Christmas Journey 2" | 28 November 1977 |
Coppélia (Winter 1978)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | 1 | "Tunes Shapes" | 9 January 1978 |
| 68 | 2 | "Tunes Patterns" | 16 January 1978 |
| 69 | 3 | "Snap" | 23 January 1978 |
| 70 | 4 | "Happy Families" | 30 January 1978 |
| 71 | 5 | "Follow My Leader" | 6 February 1978 |
| 72 | 6 | "Holding On" | 13 February 1978 |
| 73 | 7 | "Sounds Maps" | 20 February 1978 |
| 74 | 8 | "Playing the Score" | 27 February 1978 |
| 75 | 9 | "Coppélia Introduction" | 6 March 1978 |
| 76 | 10 | "Coppélia" | 13 March 1978 |
Laughing Bird (Spring 1978)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77 | 1 | TBA | 17 April 1978 |
| 78 | 2 | TBA | 24 April 1978 |
| 79 | 3 | TBA | 3 May 1978 |
| 80 | 4 | TBA | 8 May 1978 |
| 81 | 5 | TBA | 15 May 1978 |
| 82 | 6 | TBA | 22 May 1978 |
| 83 | 7 | TBA | 5 June 1978 |
| 84 | 8 | "Laughing Bird" | 12 June 1978 |
The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (Autumn 1978)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | 1 | "Sounds in the Country 1" | 18 September 1978 |
| 86 | 2 | "Sounds in the Country 2" | 25 September 1978 |
| 87 | 3 | "Sounds by the Sea 1" | 2 October 1978 |
| 88 | 4 | "Sounds by the Sea 2" | 9 October 1978 |
| 89 | 5 | "Twos and Threes 1" | 16 October 1978 |
| 90 | 6 | "Twos and Threes 2" | 23 October 1978 |
| 91 | 7 | "Christmas Carols 1" | 6 November 1978 |
| 92 | 8 | "Christmas Carols 2" | 13 November 1978 |
| 93 | 9 | "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" | 20 November 1978 |
| 94 | 10 | "A Christmas Concert" | 27 November 1978 |
The Big Balloon Show (1979)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | 1 | "In the Town 1" | 30 April 1979 |
| 96 | 2 | "In the Town 2" | 9 May 1979 |
| 97 | 3 | "At the Fair 1" | 14 May 1979 |
| 98 | 4 | "At the Fair 2" | 21 May 1979 |
| 99 | 5 | "In the Factory 1" | 4 June 1979 |
| 100 | 6 | "In the Factory 2" | 11 June 1979 |
| 101 | 7 | "On the Sea" | 18 June 1979 |
| 102 | 8 | "The Big Balloon Show" | 25 June 1979 |
Lieutenant Kijé (1980)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 103 | 1 | "Watch and Listen" | 14 January 1980 |
| 104 | 2 | "Does it Come Back?" | 21 January 1980 |
| 105 | 3 | "Fast and Slow" | 28 January 1980 |
| 106 | 4 | "Clap and Tap" | 4 February 1980 |
| 107 | 5 | "Copycats" | 11 February 1980 |
| 108 | 6 | "In Harmony" | 25 February 1980 |
| 109 | 7 | "Play the Game" | 3 March 1980 |
| 110 | 8 | "Lieutenant Kijé 1" | 10 March 1980 |
| 111 | 9 | "Lieutenant Kijé 2" | 17 March 1980 |
| 112 | 10 | "The Story of Lieutenant Kijé" | 24 March 1980 |
The Evening Star (1981)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 113 | 1 | "The Evening Star" | 5 May 1981 |
| 114 | 2 | "Hunting" | 11 May 1981 |
| 115 | 3 | "Stars" | 18 May 1981 |
| 116 | 4 | "The Animals" | 1 June 1981 |
| 117 | 5 | "The Garden" | 8 June 1981 |
| 118 | 6 | "Dancing" | 15 June 1981 |
| 119 | 7 | "Voices" | 22 June 1981 |
| 120 | 8 | "Water" | 29 June 1981 |
A Gift for the Baby (1983)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 121 | 1 | "Working with Sounds" | 19 September 1983 |
| 122 | 2 | "Long Sounds, Short Sounds" | 26 September 1983 |
| 123 | 3 | "Higher and Lower" | 3 October 1983 |
| 124 | 4 | "The Sounds of the Voice" | 10 October 1983 |
| 125 | 5 | "The Sounds of Words" | 17 October 1983 |
| 126 | 6 | "Call and Response" | 31 October 1983 |
| 127 | 7 | "The Regular Beat" | 7 November 1983 |
| 128 | 8 | "Fast and Slow" | 14 November 1983 |
| 129 | 9 | "Grouping Beats" | 21 November 1983 |
| 130 | 10 | "A Gift for the Baby" | 28 November 1983 |
The Sleeping Beauty (Winter 1984)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 131 | 1 | "Rhythm and the Beat" | 16 January 1984 |
| 132 | 2 | "Rhythms Together" | 23 January 1984 |
| 133 | 3 | "Tune Shapes" | 30 January 1984 |
| 134 | 4 | "Musical Patterns" | 6 February 1984 |
| 135 | 5 | "Contrasts" | 13 February 1984 |
| 136 | 6 | "Question and Answer" | 27 February 1984 |
| 137 | 7 | "Harmony" | 5 March 1984 |
| 138 | 8 | "The Sleeping Beauty 1" | 12 March 1984 |
| 139 | 9 | "The Sleeping Beauty 2" | 19 March 1984 |
| 140 | 10 | "The Sleeping Beauty" | 26 March 1984 |
Dick Whittington (Autumn 1984)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 141 | 1 | "Footsteps" | 17 September 1984 |
| 142 | 2 | "Time Span" | 24 September 1984 |
| 143 | 3 | "Sound Signals" | 1 October 1984 |
| 144 | 4 | "Traffic" | 8 October 1984 |
| 145 | 5 | "Bells" | 15 October 1984 |
| 146 | 6 | "Street Music" | 29 October 1984 |
| 147 | 7 | "Keeping Together" | 5 November 1984 |
| 148 | 8 | "Tempo" | 12 November 1984 |
| 149 | 9 | "Rhythms" | 19 November 1984 |
| 150 | 10 | "Dick Whittington" | 26 November 1984 |
Háry János (Winter 1985)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 151 | 1 | "Two in a Bar" | 14 January 1985 |
| 152 | 2 | "Grouping Beats" | 21 January 1985 |
| 153 | 3 | "Melody" | 28 January 1985 |
| 154 | 4 | "ABA" | 4 February 1985 |
| 155 | 5 | "Musical Clocks" | 11 February 1985 |
| 156 | 6 | "Copy Me" | 25 February 1985 |
| 157 | 7 | "Harmony" | 4 March 1985 |
| 158 | 8 | "Háry János 1" | 11 March 1985 |
| 159 | 9 | "Háry János 2" | 18 March 1985 |
| 160 | 10 | "Háry János" | 25 March 1985 |
Anansi and the Sky God (Spring 1985)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 161 | 1 | "Anansi and the Sky God" | 29 April 1985 |
| 162 | 2 | "Talking Drums" | 9 May 1985 |
| 163 | 3 | "Pottery" | 13 May 1985 |
| 164 | 4 | "The Bush" | 20 May 1985 |
| 165 | 5 | "The Weavers" | 27 May 1985 |
| 166 | 6 | "The Sky God" | 10 June 1985 |
| 167 | 7 | "Creatures of the Bush" | 17 June 1985 |
| 168 | 8 | "Follow the Drum" | 24 June 1985 |
Panji and the Buffalo (1986)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 169 | 1 | "Panji and the Buffalo" | 21 April 1986 |
| 170 | 2 | "The Padi-fields" | 28 April 1986 |
| 171 | 3 | "On the Road" | 8 May 1986 |
| 172 | 4 | "The Animals" | 12 May 1986 |
| 173 | 5 | "Shadow Puppets" | 19 May 1986 |
| 174 | 6 | "The Gamelan" | 2 June 1986 |
| 175 | 7 | "Java Food" | 9 June 1986 |
| 176 | 8 | "The Ceremonial Meal" | 16 June 1986 |
Tarfa and the Trolls (1989)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 177 | 1 | "Tarfa and the Trolls" | 18 September 1989 |
| 178 | 2 | "Housework" | 25 September 1989 |
| 179 | 3 | "Wooden Sounds" | 2 October 1989 |
| 180 | 4 | "Metal Sounds" | 9 October 1989 |
| 181 | 5 | "Sleigh Ride" | 16 October 1989 |
| 182 | 6 | "Voices" | 30 October 1989 |
| 183 | 7 | "Loud and Quiet" | 6 November 1989 |
| 184 | 8 | "Drummers" | 13 November 1989 |
| 185 | 9 | "Duets" | 20 November 1989 |
| 186 | 10 | "The Orchestra" | 27 November 1989 |
Pictures at an Exhibition (Winter 1990)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 187 | 1 | "Promenade" | 15 January 1990 |
| 188 | 2 | "Smooth and Spiky" | 22 January 1990 |
| 189 | 3 | "The Castle" | 29 January 1990 |
| 190 | 4 | "Machines" | 5 February 1990 |
| 191 | 5 | "Transport" | 12 February 1990 |
| 192 | 6 | "Birdsong" | 26 February 1990 |
| 193 | 7 | "Catacombs" | 5 March 1990 |
| 194 | 8 | "The Gnome" | 12 March 1990 |
| 195 | 9 | "The Gardens" | 19 March 1990 |
| 196 | 10 | "Rondo" | 26 March 1990 |
The Emperor and the Nightingale (Spring 1990)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 197 | 1 | "The Emperor and the Nightingale" | 30 April 1990 |
| 198 | 2 | "Reflections" | 10 May 1990 |
| 199 | 3 | "Pentatonic" | 14 May 1990 |
| 200 | 4 | "Songbirds" | 21 May 1990 |
| 201 | 5 | "Chinese Birds" | 4 June 1990 |
| 202 | 6 | "Mechanical Sounds" | 11 June 1990 |
| 203 | 7 | "Chinese Music" | 18 June 1990 |
| 204 | 8 | "Lanterns and Lions" | 25 June 1990 |
Cinderella (Autumn 1990)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 205 | 1 | "Cinderella" | 17 September 1990 |
| 206 | 2 | "The Kitchen" | 24 September 1990 |
| 207 | 3 | "Paper Sounds" | 1 October 1990 |
| 208 | 4 | "Grouping Beats" | 8 October 1990 |
| 209 | 5 | "The Beat" | 15 October 1990 |
| 210 | 6 | "Mystery Sounds" | 29 October 1990 |
| 211 | 7 | "Changing Tunes" | 5 November 1990 |
| 212 | 8 | "Dancers" | 12 November 1990 |
| 213 | 9 | "Ups and Downs" | 19 November 1990 |
| 214 | 10 | "Cinderella's Christmas" | 26 November 1990 |
The Planets (1991)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 215 | 1 | "A Space Journey" | 7 January 1991 |
| 216 | 2 | "Mars" | 14 January 1991 |
| 217 | 3 | "Mercury" | 21 January 1991 |
| 218 | 4 | "Jupiter" | 28 January 1991 |
| 219 | 5 | "Uranus" | 4 February 1991 |
| 220 | 6 | "Saturn" | 11 February 1991 |
| 221 | 7 | "Venus" | 25 February 1991 |
| 222 | 8 | "Neptune" | 4 March 1991 |
| 223 | 9 | "The Planets 1" | 11 March 1991 |
| 224 | 10 | "The Planets 2" | 18 March 1991 |
External links
edit- Music Time at Broadcast for Schools