I have been teaching music to children aged nought to four for six years. When I first learned that the baby room was to be part of my remit, I wondered what on earth to do. Now, I find this the most fascinating and rewarding group of all.
Music is an integral part of learning to communicate, which makes regular music sessions so important for this age group. Music enriches children's language in so many ways:
- - Bringing meaning to words through actions
- - Bringing meaning to words through movement
- - Rhythm of words
- - Repetitive language and sounds.
The introduction of the EYFS document has provided much more clarity to the behaviours and skills we should be focusing on in music for babies, and does make planning a whole lot easier:
DEVELOPMENTAL MATTERS
- - Use movement and sensory exploration to connect with their immediate environment
- - Respond to what they see, hear, touch, and feel
- - Move their whole bodies to sounds they enjoy, such as music or a regular beat
- - Respond to a range of familiar sounds
(Taken from Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage - Creative Development, DCSF, May 2008).
On paper these look rather vague, but within these developmental matters there is a lot you can do to make music an exciting experience for babies and little toddlers.
A MUSIC SESSION
Getting started
- - Decide on the length of a session - it can be 15 to 20 minutes at this young age. You could have two full music sessions a week, and regular repetition of songs
- - Find an uncluttered space
- - Have as many staff as possible sitting with the children to support the lesson
- - Babies who cannot sit up can be on adults' knees or in baby bouncers.
Warm-up
- - Decide on a routine for young children. Establish a 'Hello' song to start every session. Perhaps introduce a soft toy or puppet to help sing 'Hello', focusing the children on something bright and fun
- - Remember that the musical warm-up can stay much the same for each session with a core of finger-action songs to start off the lesson: old favourites such as 'Two Little Dickie Birds', 'Incy Wincy', 'Twinkle, Twinkle'. This gets the children into linking words with actions. Babies may even make attempts at the finger wiggles for 'Dickie Birds' and start wiggling their fingers before you've even started to sing! (Respond to a range of familiar sounds)*
Main session
- - Again, much of the lesson is kept the same for the children to enjoy the routine. At this stage of the lesson, you could teach a new song or a new aspect of the song
- - Babies and toddlers enjoy a change of pace, so a box of instruments is just the ticket. Hand them around. Most will be put in the mouth, but persevere (Respond to a range of familiar sounds)*
- - If you can play along with a guitar or keyboard, fantastic. If not, just sing.
- - Babies and toddlers will enjoy bouncing along to 'Horsey, Horsey' with an instrument. You could do this several times at different speeds. Start at a moderate speed and get faster each time (Move their whole bodies to sounds they enjoy)*
- - You could follow this with dance scarves. Little ones love the colours and feel of these. Try popping in front of their face or over your own face, and singing 'peek-a-boo' songs or rhymes. (Use movement and sensory exploration to connect with their immediate environment)*
Finale
- - Here is an opportunity to do some movement (Move their whole bodies to sounds they enjoy, such as music or a regular beat)*
- - Even with children who are not yet mobile, adults can bounce, jog, lie babies down and whoop them up again as required. 'Row, Row Your Boat' is good for rocking the children in time to the music. For 'Humpty Dumpty', adults can help children to 'fall down', and then bounce up and down to 'All the King's horses and all the King's men ... '.
- - I usually wind down the lesson with 'Sleeping Bunnies'. Lie the children down, then give a pause before 'Hop little bunnies' for anticipation. The adults can help to get the children up to jump.
- - Sing a 'Goodbye' song with lots of waving 'goodbye'
- - Praise children all through the lesson for their efforts. Clapping after a song, 'well done!' and smiles will make this a happy experience.
* Refers to the EYFS Developmental Matters that relate to these activities
IDEAS FOR SUPPORT STAFF
- - Support children with the actions and movement
- - Be enthusiastic
- - Sing along
- - Keep an eye on children with instruments, particularly in mouths
- - Reassure fractious babies
- - Help little ones make a sound with their instruments
- - Help to observe and record children's responses to track progression
- - Take photographs of children's achievements
RESOURCES TO CONSIDER
- - A box of good-quality musical instruments for small hands: tambourines, different shakers, bells
- - Dance scarves - a collection of floaty scarves will do
- - Puppets as props for animal songs
- - Song books: nursery songs or rhymes are a great starting place. There are some good books available to further extend your repertoire for very young children. Singing Games and Rhymes for Tiny Tots (£18.00) is useful for different activities to do with some familiar and not so familiar songs. The songs are chosen to be easy to sing and interesting to very young children. It is available from the National Youth Choir of Scotland website: www.nycos.co.uk
- - www.kididdles.com is also a great free resource.
Anna Corballis Fry is music teacher for Little Pilgrims and the Nursery at Pilgrims Pre-preparatory School
FREE MUSIC PACK FOR ALL
Every nursery, pre-school, primary school and registered childminder in Lincolnshire has now been supplied with a free First Notes resource pack by soundLINCS - Lincolnshire Music Development Agency.
Commissioned by the Birth to Five Service and compiled in line with the EYFS, the pack is essentially a blueprint for running music workshops with pre-school children and has been approved by independent music education consultant Sue Nicholls and Youth Music Education Officer Carly Frey.
Included in the pack are songs, images and progressive activities with links to the EYFS curriculum. Many of the songs are set to familiar tunes, with a CD to support singers and boost confidence.
SoundLINCS began running First Notes workshops in early years settings in 2004, and since then has delivered over 1,500 residencies, each of six sessions, across both the maintained and non-maintained sectors.
The workshops introduce practical music-making in a sociable and creative atmosphere, involving concepts like rhythm, pulse, tempo, dynamics and even elementary composition. Sessions with carers are also offered. The aim of the workshops is to leave a setting with the skills and confidence to develop music-making with all of their children.
The resource pack draws on the ideas and experiences of the First Notes music facilitators, comprising hundreds of ideas for music-related activities, songs and instrumental work, supported by a CD and wall-planner.
SoundLINCS director Nikki-Kate Heyes says, 'By equipping every early years setting in Lincolnshire with its own pack of resources, we feel we are investing in the future of music-making within the county for generations to come.'
Stephanie Douglas, head of the Birth to Five Service in Lincolnshire, says, 'The Birth to Five Service is delighted to have been able to sponsor the development of such an excellent resource, and to provide musical instruments to complement the First Notes packs. The pack provides an incredible opportunity for young children to explore music through songs and fun activities. It can only serve to enhance their creative development and their enjoyment of music.'
- For information, visit: www.soundlincs.org or call 01522 510 073