Respond physically, emotionally, or orally to a wide range of music from different cultures and traditions, both live and recorded
Sing to and with children regularly, enabling children to build up a bank of familiar songs.
Children do not have to be still or quiet to be listening. They may sit or stand and listen, or move around listening and responding as part of their play, perhaps making their own sounds. They may want to approach the singer and try to join in vocally – if so, carry on singing. Don’t try to ‘teach’ them the song as this can affect the flow of the song and/or frustrate the child. Instead, trust that the song will be ‘caught’ by the child if it is of interest to them and reinforced through repetition. Some children may prefer to watch and listen from a distance.
Children may ask for favourite songs to be sung, or ask for a song they have enjoyed to be repeated.
Sing invented ‘on-the spot’ songs to celebrate a child’s activity or outcome, e.g.
Zara’s built a castle (x3),
It’s tall, as tall can be!
Encourage children to listen to and copy these instant song ‘creations’ and then make up their own.
Make songs that are relevant to the context, e.g. using key words, reflecting the weather, the environment, or the space.
Interact with the sounds that children make, making sounds and patterns alongside them. As they follow you, they are listening and internalising.
Ask nursery/school staff to share favourite songs from different cultures and genres outside of your music sessions. This may be part of carpet time or sung alongside children as they play and explore.
Play recorded music from a variety of genres, cultures and traditions and observe children’s responses. Using videos of musicians playing gives children a visual reference.
Children may choose to actively listen when music is played, i.e. they stop their current activity to focus on what they hear, or they may carry on with what they are doing.
Often young children will pause in between tracks waiting for the next one – will they know it? Will they want to move to it?
If a child offers a physical response, gently start to follow their lead, matching, then extending their movements, offering more ideas if appropriate (but don’t be disappointed if they stick with their own ideas!).
Make percussion instruments or other sound makers available so that children can add their own sounds to the music they hear.
Choose videos carefully, ensuring that different ethnicities and genders are represented.
Invite children to move to the music in a variety of ways, e.g. skipping, galloping, striding.
Children may change their movement to mirror changes in the music.
Model moving to music yourself and ask other adults in the nursery/school to use spontaneous movement, thereby encouraging children to respond physically to the music they hear.
Provide props such as colourful scarves, ribbons or streamers for children to draw shapes in the air while listening to music. You might begin by modelling particular shapes (e.g. circle, square, spiral) and then encouraging children to invent their own to express what they hear. Imitate children’s movements as well as offering your own ideas, thus creating a movement conversation.
This combines kinaesthetic exploration with expressive improvisation.
Read a simple story book aloud and assign a different rhythmic motif to each character. Encourage children to move like the character when each motif is played (e.g. quick/light steps for a rabbit, heavy stomps for a bear).
Ideally, use a picture book so children can see pictures of the characters in context.
Find out what music the children listen to at home and make a playlist for the nursery/school setting including these.
By finding out what kind of music children may have been exposed to at home, teachers can build on children’s prior experiences as well as promote an inclusive culture. Value what might be familiar to them and broaden their aural experience. As a visiting music teacher you may not have contact with families, so this should be done in collaboration with the nursery/school staff.
Be ready with a response to unsuitable suggestions (eg. inappropriate lyrics) without either endorsing the music or making a big thing of your disapproval, e.g. ‘That’s a good song for dancing, but those words are not okay for children to be singing.’
Expose children to live music – both singing and instruments. Teachers who are instrumentalists can bring in their own instruments to play, and music services/hubs, community/school groups or local musicians may be able to facilitate other performances. Nursery/school staff could invite families to share their own music making with the group if appropriate.
Speak to nursery/school staff to get an understanding of any other music that the children might enjoy listening to.
Children may be intrigued by instruments, or anxious, or anything in between. Some will want to come and touch the instrument. Some will watch and listen from further back – in which case be cautious about approaching them – let them come to you if they wish to. It may take several sessions for some children to gain the confidence to approach an instrumentalist. Don’t take children’s hands to touch an instrument – encourage them with your eyes/actions and support them if they reach out. Conversely, be ready for children who want to snatch the instrument or attempt to tap it with their hands.
Expect young children to have a physical response – you might start in a seated circle, but some may want to get up and move. Depending on previous experience, some will want to move away or seek an adult they know for reassurance.
Ensure that due care is paid to protecting children’s ears as necessary.
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