BBC Teach > Primary > EYFS / KS1 Music > Musical Storyland
The traditional story of The Enormous Turnip is told by trumpet player Sean Chandler accompanied by members of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
The video
Narrator: Come to a magical place,of fairy tales and adventure.Let the music take you far awayto Musical Storyland.
Sean: Welcome to Musical Storyland with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.My name is Sean and these are my friends and their musical instruments.
Rebecca: Hello, my name's Rebecca and I play the horn.
Gary: My name's Gary and I play the trumpet.
Beth: My name is Beth and I play the trombone.
Ryan: My name's Ryan and I play the tubaAnd I play the trumpet too.
Sean: Together we're going to tell the musical story of the Enormous Turnip.Once upon a time, there lived a farmer and her daughter.Every year, they entered the biggest vegetable competition at the village fair.They dreamt of winning first prize.But their vegetables were never big enough.When spring came, they opened their seed box.All that was left was a wrinkly turnip seed.The farmer and her daughter were determined to help the turnip seed grow.They planted it in the soil in the sunniest spot on the farm.They watered it every day. They read it stories.They even sang it songs.
Grow, grow don't you stop,
Keep on growing till you're biggest of the lot.
One morning the farmer and her daughter went to check on the turnip.Well, it's definitely grown bigger, laughed the farmer. It's enormous, cried the daughter.The turnip had grown as wide as an elephant and as tall as a tree.Now THAT is a prize winning turnip, said the farmer.The daughter held the farmers waste, the farmer grabbed the turnip leavesand they pulled and pulled as hard as they could.
Pull, pull, don't you stop,
Keep on pulling till the turnip goes pop.
The enormous turnip would not move.But just then a goat peddled by on his bike.Please help us, said the farmer to the goat. The goat took hold of the daughter's top. The daughter held the farmer's waist. The farmer grabbed the turnip leaves,and they pulled and pulled as hard as they could.But the enormous turnip would not budge.But just then a dog parachuted down from the sky.Please help us, said the farmer to the dog.The dog seized the goat's back, the goat took hold of the daughter's top, the daughter held the farmer's waist. The farmer grabbed the turnip leaves,and they pulled and pulled as hard as they could.
The Enormous Turnip just would not move.But suddenly, a helpful rat in a cowboy hat rode in on the back of a rabbit.Please help us, said the farmer to the rabbit and the rat.The rat pulled on the rabbit's reigns. The rabbit grasped the dog's tail. The dog seized the goat's back. The goat took hold of the daughter's top. The daughter held the farmer's waist. The farmer grabbed the turnip leaves,and they pulled and pulled as hard as they could.
Suddenly, there was a rumble. Keep pulling, shouted the farmer and her daughter.Keep pulling, shouted the goat and the dog. Yee-haw! Shouted the helpful rat in a cowboy hat.They pulled and pulled until the enormous turnip went…POP!The turnip flew out of the ground and landed beside them with a huge thud. It was ENORMOUS!
The farmer and her daughter took the enormous turnip to the village fair.Not only did it win the prize for biggest vegetable but it won every prize available.They celebrated their victory by sharing turnip soup with everybody that had helped them to pull it up and they began to make plans for next year's competition.
Pull, pull, don’t you stop.
Keep on pulling, ’til the turnip goes pop!
The Enormous Turnip
Presenter: Sean Chandler
Composer: Daniel Whibley
Instruments: Horn / Trumpet / Trombone / Tuba
Synopsis
A farmer and her daughter dream of winning first prize at the village fair, but their vegetables are never big enough.
They're determined to win next time, so they do everything they can to help their last turnip seed grow. They plant it in soil at the sunniest spot on the farm, they water it, they read stories to it every day, and they even sing it songs.
One morning the farmer and her daughter go to check on the turnip, and it has grown as wide as an elephant and as tall as a tree! They try pulling it up but the enormous turnip just won't budge.
A goat peddles by on his bike and agrees to help them pull the enourmous turnip up, but it still won't budge. A dog parachutes down from the sky and together they all pull and pull as hard as they can. The enormous turnip just won't move.
Suddenly, a helpful rat in a cowboy hat rides in on the back of a rabbit. They all join in and pull as hard as they can, until… the enormous turnip goes 'pop' and flies our the ground!
The farmer and her daughter take the enormous turnip to the village fair and finally win first prize (and every other prize). They celebrate their victory by sharing turnip soup with everybody that had helped them to pull it up, and begin to make plans for next year's competition.
Curriculum links
Music
The film and the accompanying Teacher Notes can be used to fulfil the following objectives of the Key Stage 1 music curriculum, which states that pupils should be taught to:
- use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
- play tuned and untuned instruments musically
- listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music
- experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.
English
The film and the accompanying Teacher Notes can also be used to target objectives from the Key Stage 1 English curriculum, particularly relating to Spoken language, Reading and Writing.
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p08h6hph.jpg)
Resources
Teacher Notes. document
Download / print the Teacher Notes for this episode
![Teacher Notes](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0gwtn04.jpg)
The instruments. image
Click to display image full size
![The instruments](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0gwtnf1.jpg)
Vocabulary. image
Click to display image full size
![Vocabulary](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0gwtp1b.jpg)
Activities for teachers of children who are deaf or have hearing loss. document
Download / print the activities for teachers of children who are deaf or have hearing loss
![Activities for teachers of children who are deaf or have hearing loss](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0hv9976.jpg)
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p08h6hph.jpg)
More Musical Storyland
Three Billy Goats Gruff. video
Join in with the goats’ rhythmic patterns and the troll’s catchy song as they trip trap over the bridge. Which instrument size matches which goat size? And which instrument represents the grumbly troll?
![Three Billy Goats Gruff](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0gt2w13.jpg)
Jack and the Beanstalk. video
Jack meets a giant in his adventures at the top of the beanstalk. Join in with the giant's song and see and hear the instruments that help tell this enduringly-popular story.
![Jack and the Beanstalk](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0gstssc.jpg)
Ananse and the Monkeys. video
Ananse, a character from the Caribbean, meets some monkeys who steal his hats. Join in with Ananse's call and response chant as he tries to get his hats back.
![Ananse and the Monkeys](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0gtzt57.jpg)
The Great Race. video
The Jade Emperor invites the animals of the world to race to decide the order of the years of the Zodiac. This Chinese story, told at Lunar New Year, features the guzheng, piccolo, violin and cello.
![The Great Race](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0gt9zrt.jpg)
The Little Fir Tree. video
This fir tree may be little, but she has some big emotions. She contemplates what life has in store in this musical Christmas story with a sustainability theme.
![The Little Fir Tree](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0gsyh5w.jpg)
Hare and Tortoise. video
Has Tortoise got what it takes to beat Hare in a race? This upbeat version of the well-known story features bassoon, clarinet and double bass and includes activities that can help develop co-ordination.
![Hare and Tortoise](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0gwndk0.jpg)
The Stone Cutter. video
The hard-working Stone Cutter wishes for greater things in life. Join in with the chants in this cyclical story from India, featuring oboe, violin and tabla.
![The Stone Cutter](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0gww6ln.jpg)
The Three Little Pigs. video
Can the three little pigs make houses strong enough to keep the hungry wolf out? Children can join in with the call and response chorus in this enduringly popular tale featuring horn, clarinet and accordion.
![The Three Little Pigs](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0gx0pd7.jpg)
The Baobab Tree. video
Can the hungry forest animals find the magical tree which will give them food and water? This traditional tale from West Africa features the n’goni, calabash, djembe, clarinet and cello.
![The Baobab Tree](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0gx152l.jpg)
BBC Teach > Primary > EYFS / KS1 Music > Musical Storyland