December 11, 2024Zoë Austin
Looking to enrich and expand the musical life of your setting? Neurodivergent educator Zoë Austin shares with us some ideas for resources which, she believes, every EYFS practitioner should have in their (figurative) Music Kit Bag (along with a few suggestions on how to use them).
The staple part of any early years music collection, small percussion instruments such as triangles, hand drums, tambourines, maracas, castanets, cabassas and kalimbas, can be played by any child with a grip. Drums and wind chimes lend themselves well to being played with a closed hand/immobile fingers. Large ‘gathering’ drums can be shared between members of a group. Instruments can be swapped between players, children explore their own agency by selecting the instrument they wish to play, fine motor skills can be developed through tap-tap-taps on drum skins.
Activity:
Silent Centering (using tambourine)
Everybody sits in a circle. The leader explains the activity and demonstrates the “right” and “wrong” way to do it. The aim is for the group to pass the tambourine silently around the circle. This is an excellent way for children to develop their listening and focus, and take pride in group achievement.
Activity:
There Was An Old Woman Who Swallowed A Fly
Each child represents a different animal eaten by the old woman (more than one child can represent the same creature, if you have more children than creatures available – but ensure they can all play the same instrument, e.g. all the “spiders” play shakers). They only play their instrument when their creature is mentioned in the song. (N.B. Whichever child plays the horse will have to be very patient – they only get to play once, right at the very end!).
Many adults fear the notion of playing guitar (or even the humble ukulele), having been (wrongly) made to believe at some point in their own lives, that they are “unmusical”. Nonsense! Anyone can learn to play the C, F and G chords (with an A-minor as well, if you’re lucky) on a soprano ukulele and, hence, accompany, the majority of nursery rhymes, and a good many pop songs. Information of learning soprano ukulele, in particular, abounds online, and for good reason: it is a very easy instrument for beginners to learn quickly, and you can make a pleasant noise on one the very first time you play it (unlike other childhood favourites such as the recorder).
Once you have mastered those three chords, you are ready to play the ukulele in myriad ways: as a summons to a different activity (to the tune of James’ ‘Sit Down’, I used to accompany myself singing, ‘All sit down/Sit down on the carpet with me’. The children didn’t understand the reference, but they enjoyed and understood the point of the song); as a way of sharing the “adult’s instrument” with children and making them feel special to boot; and, of course, as a way of bringing songs together with a simple but effective accompaniment. I also like to “offer” my guitar to children as part of my Goodbye Song at the end of each session/day: I tilt it towards them, and they enjoy strumming or plucking the strings in their own way. This is always a lovely moment of self-expression for each child.
Now, I mention YouTube with caution (other streaming services are available). I have been in EYFS and primary school settings where the only source of music is YouTube: the odd burst of song for children to join in with; the way in which songs are led during assemblies; ‘lyric’ versions of songs used for karaoke. I am not saying that any of these should be eradicated, but, in isolation, they don’t come anywhere close to providing quality music provision.
The most important thing to consider when reaching for the internet as a musical teaching resource is, ‘Is there any other way I could teach this without relying on YouTube? Can I bring it to the children ‘live’?’ i.e. only rely on YouTube if you have no other way of delivering the session/provision content. For example, I cannot bring an entire concert orchestra into a nursery, but I can source some orchestral instruments for children to try, and I can show them videos of incredible orchestral music.
Here are some ways in which early years practitioners can use sites such as YouTube to enrich their learners’ musical experiences (N.B.: Please do research safe streaming sites such as https://video.link/ into which you can copy a YouTube link, then experience the video without adverts. There are also ways to make YouTube child-friendly – a simple Google search will show you how):
‘Christmas around the world’
You could use this idea around any particular festival, but I’ve found YouTube to be particularly useful at Christmas time as a method of introducing children to music and traditions from different cultures. This could be part of an overall Christmas-themed provision, in which children learn to sing traditional songs from Britain and other countries. They might be interested to hear/learn the original French version of Jingle Bells (Vive le Vent), or Six White Boomers from Australia, which tells the story of the large, male kangaroos who pull Santa’s sleigh in that area of the world.
‘One instrument, different genres’
Ideally, this would be prefaced by children experiencing a particular instrument being played live (if no one in your setting plays an instrument, ask if any of their or the children’s family members play). The player can demonstrate the genre of music which they enjoy playing the most (e.g. rock guitar; folk violin). Children should, ideally, be allowed to explore the instrument for themselves afterwards (although musicians might not be comfortable letting little hands explore expensive instruments!) but if that isn’t possible, they could at least be given a “guided tour” of the instrument. What are its component parts? What materials is it made of? How is the sound produced? The next step could then be showing children YouTube videos which exemplify the instrument being played in different ways by players from around the world. For example, if a violin has been brought into the setting, you could follow on by playing the children some Stephan Grappelli jazz violin, followed by traditional Jewish klezmer, traditional Eastern European folk violin, classical Indian violin…. Instruments travel the world and the ways in which they are incorporated into the musical culture of different communities is both beautiful and fascinating.
Singing Hands
Learning to sing-and-Makaton-sign can deepen children’s understanding of the language used in song lyrics, develop fine motor skills, and facilitate a lovely group experience. Children might not be able to wrap their mouths around all the words to a song, so their sense of achievement is enhanced when they can communicate those lyrics another way. I am no expert in Makaton, so if I want to work on a Makaton song with a group of children, I head straight to the Singing Hands YouTube page. If you’re not already familiar with these two amazing ladies, do investigate them – you’ll be glad you did!
An introduction to classical music
Sadly, in the UK (and, I suspect, much of the Western world), classical music is seen as the domain of the upper classes and, due to frankly pathetic support of state music education, this continues to actually be the case. It’s the children whose parents can afford instrumental lessons who go on to learn classical music. Which is a shame.
Classical music is not boring (well, some of it is, but the same could be said of any genre). Do not assume that children should only be fed an aural diet of pop music “because it’s what they’re familiar with” (I have had that said to me in the past.). Our children deserve to experience all the magical flavours that the musical world can offer, including the piquancy of the classical. My Reception class adored dancing along to Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, and devising their own retelling of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf (their idea, not mine!). Music tells stories, and we know how much children adore those.
‘Our what?!’ I hear you cry. ‘We don’t have a musical community!’ Well, think again.
Music permeates all of our lives in different ways. Every person has their favourite song and music which is meaningful to their family. Why not capitalise on the musical lives of your children’s families? Invite them to take part in music sessions in your setting: let them bring their own musical traditions (instruments, songs, anthems, memories) and share them with the children. This is a wonderful way to share in and celebrate each other’s cultural identities and create new musical memories together.
I appreciate that, in this post, I have written the most about using prerecorded material available online. That is merely because I wished to ensure that YouTube et al be used in specific ways when it comes to music provision. Having dedicated more words to this area than others does not, however, mean I believe it is the most important of all. Far from it. Live music-making is the most important thing! We could banish all screen-based technology tomorrow and still provide excellent music to our children: the same could not be said if we threw away our musical instruments and the knowledge of how to use and play them.
If you are interested in discussing any of the above further, or would like advice on how to enhance the musical life of your setting, please do get in touch. You can reach me at zoeaustinmusic@gmail.com
About the author
Zoë Austin is a freelance neurodivergent educator living in Cambridgeshire and working across East Anglia. She divides her time between providing group and individual music sessions, 1:1 tutoring for autistic/ADHD school-age children, mentoring autsitic/ADHD university students, and writing/presenting on the subjects of neurodiversity, child development, and music-making. Part of the Pen Green Schema Group, she contributed to the book Schemas in the Early Years (Routledge, 2022), and presented on ‘Schema theory and children’s emerging musicality’ at EECERA, 2023. Zoë uses her past experiences as a (Pen Green-trained) classroom teacher, Music Therapist and working in children’s social services to inform her position as a holistic practitioner, creating learning opportunities to meet the needs of the individual child as a whole person.
