Respond freely to a wide range of music from different cultures and traditions, both live and recorded
Introduce children to a variety of songs and rhymes to listen to and join in with, performed live whenever possible. Create a balanced ‘bank’ of songs that demonstrate contrasting moods, e.g, different tempi, dynamics and metre (including 3/4 and 6/8 time).
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, engage them with your eyes and carry on with your singing). If the song is repetitive you may try and teach them a phrase or two, but be aware that some children enjoy the poetry of singing and stopping to teach them can affect their enjoyment. Some children may prefer to watch and listen from a distance, or may appear to be taking no notice whilst in fact absorbing the song and perhaps singing it themselves at home.
Ask 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.
Expose children to recorded music from a variety of different genres, cultures and traditions. Using videos of musicians playing gives children a visual reference. Conduct research and include genres of music heard in the children’s own homes.
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 promoting 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 school staff.
Be ready with a response to any suggestions children may bring that may not be suitable for sharing in the school context (e.g. in terms of 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.’
Choose videos carefully, ensuring that different ethnicities and genders are represented.
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. School staff could invite families to share their own music making with the group if appropriate.
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 available so that children can make choices about sounds they might play to accompany the music they hear.
Ensure that due care is paid to protecting children’s ears as necessary.
Provide opportunities for children to respond physically to the music they hear with movement and/or body percussion. Adults can observe and interact as appropriate, perhaps copying the child’s response (e.g. lying still alongside them), or modelling a response (e.g. marching, galloping or creeping).
Children may tap/clap to the pulse/beat, ‘conduct’ (moving hands), dance/move, or imitate playing instruments (e.g. guitar/drums).
Ensure that these opportunities are not always led by the teacher; e.g. rather than asking children to respond with a certain type of movement or a certain body percussion sound, give them the freedom to choose for themselves.
Encourage children to explore ribbons/streamers/scarves when listening to music.
Ensure a variety of opportunities for gross and fine motor skill exploration is given.
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.
Encourage children to talk about the music that they hear.
Children may be able to articulate how a piece of music makes them feel. This can be supported by emojis or other symbols/images. They may be able to articulate simple opinions about music, e.g. describing it as loud, quiet, or bouncy.
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