Link sounds with symbols
Provide opportunities for children to explore mark making when listening to music or exploring instruments/sound makers. For example, cover a table with paper and provide finger paints or colouring pencils, etc. alongside some sound makers. Draw together to represent the sounds, creating simple graphic scores or music maps. Explore longer and shorter sounds and symbols, as well as other elements.
Children might use different shapes, patterns or colours to express what they feel when listening to music.
You could take children on a sound walk around the school, encouraging them to create a sound map of what they encounter.
When exploring different sounds, show children how you can create symbols that represent each one, e.g. a wiggly line for the maracas, a circle for the drum. Encourage the children to think of symbols which could represent musical events, e.g. starting and stopping.
The children may be able to associate one symbol with one sound. Some children may be able to order a sequence of symbols and play those sounds.
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