SOME BASIC IDEAS FOR TEACHING MUSIC

1. TEACHING and LEARNING FOCUS

What are we doing when facilitating music sessions???

(a) General:
Participation/inclusion, team work (class/group), working independently,
listening skills, confidence building, problem solving, creative thinking, staying
healthy (posture/breathing etc.), peer discussion (AFL), development of
memory

(b) Music specific:

All the above general points can be experienced through musical engagement.
Specific musical skills include:

Exploration of sound learning how and why different objects make
different sounds

How sounds can be used for non verbal communication

Discrimination of the elements of sound

How sounds can elicit an emotional response and ways to describe this
with appropriate vocabulary

How sounds can be combined together and arranged over time
(composition and improvisation)

How sounds can be represented by gesture and written symbols

It is of crucial importance that all of the above are experienced not merely talked about
or demonstrated. There are 3 simple strands of musical learning:
1. Knowing about this is knowledge of basic facts e.g. a violin has 4 strings
2. Knowing how to this is knowledge of technique e.g. how to play open G on
the violin with correct bowing/posture etc.
3. Knowing of this is slightly less quantifiable but relies completely on first hand
experience of engagement with music e.g. the difference in physical and
emotional feeling of playing a violin with a bow or by plucking. This does not
necessarily require any knowledge of about or how to (although these can help)

These 3 strands when added together make for much more complete understanding
and contextualising of the whole musical experience.
2. SOME INITIAL IDEAS REQUIRING MINIMAL RESOURCES OR
PREPARATION
PITCH DISCRIMINATION
There are some practitioners who advocate singing everything in a music session
which is a nice idea but not always practical to sustain. However, it is effective
(although sometimes surprisingly difficult at first) to use as few verbal explanations as
possible. For example if you want the children to copy what you sing just sing and
use appropriate hand signals right from the start. Try not to begin by saying.and
now what we are going to do isbecause etc.
Next time you ask the children to stand (perhaps to do some singing work) try the
following

Sing:

Please stand up

Try to use the 3 notes of a triad you will probably do this naturally even if you dont
exactly know what a triad is. If you are unsure then just make sure that each
successive note rises in pitch. Also use hand gestures to correspond to the rising
pitches. As the children stand make sure they copy your singing pattern to make it a
call and echo*.
(* some people call this a call and response although I usually use echo when the children
copy exactly what they hear and response for when they respond with a reply that may
complement or answer what they hear)

Then sing:

Please sit down

Just do as before but pretty much in reverse with the children again copying your call
as they sit down.
Now ask them if they can tell which way the pitches went for each action
(up/down/rising/falling). Most will find this quite easy as the action corresponds to the
pitch movement.
So..if they can distinguish between rising and falling pitches then you dont need to
use words. Try it again but just use La La La (or whatever) instead of words. The
children will now have learnt to discriminate between rising and falling pitches and
also how to respond to sounds as a signal.
Development:
(n.b. the easiest and most effective way to develop an activity is to allow the children
ownership over it by inputting their ideas once they understand the concepts and are
fired up.)
Ask the children to think of any other instructions you give them regularly maybe
line up at the door be quiet put up hands get coats etc. etc. and get them to
make sounds (not just think of them!) that could be used as signals for these
instructions. They dont necessarily have to all be pitched the children could also
introduce claps, pops any sound they can make. Perhaps get them to make a list of
these sounds i.e. drawing a very simple picture for each sound (like the rising and
falling pitch pictures above).
Further development of pitch:

As the children build up their sound vocabulary (maybe over several sessions which
will test their memory) you could introduce more subtle pitch changes.
The please stand up/sit down example above is directly related to the number of
words/syllables so is quite easy to remember. You could vary this by using something
like:

La La La La La

i.e. 4 pitches exactly the same and one lower. This might mean stand on one leg (or
left leg etc. if you are trying to teach them left and right!).

When the children become confident in all of this see if any individual would like to
take your place and sing some instructions. Over time this is a great way to monitor
individual pupils development, to identify those who may already have a more
advanced musical ear, those who are still developing, and to see who is willing to
have a go at leading

If this musical dictionary extends to sounds which are not just pitched but include
grunts, quacks, squeaks, claps, pops etc. then this is defined as different timbres.
Timbre (the French word for postage stamp!!) is the word used to identify the type or
quality of a sound. It is timbre that helps us distinguish the difference between
peoples voices or the difference between a violin and a piano etc.

As a follow on with listening work, ask the children to think of sounds that might have a
high or low pitch e.g. the rumble of thunder, a baby crying etc. Perhaps ask them to
listen to sounds around the school or at home and bring their ideas to the next
session.

Many of the above ideas can be also used with rhythmic/pulse clapping games e.g.
3 quick claps could mean stand up and 3 slow claps sit down etc. Also using
rhythms on instruments of different timbres (e.g. a woodblock and a chime bar) could
be developed along the lines given above.
GOOD STANDING POSTURE

Get the children to stand (away from leaning on tables/chairs etc.).

Stand with feet about shoulder width apart (greatest point of balance) with arms
relaxed down by the side and knees very slightly bent (jiggly knees). Get them to
gently bounce (on the spot, not lifting feet off the floor) as if on the deck of a large
ship. Imagine the wind gets up and the bouncing becomes more pronounced. Keep
this going and just when everyone looks like they might fall over get the children to pull
themselves up straight by pulling on an imaginary string at the top of their head up
on to tiptoes no more bouncing - and then let go and flop like a puppet (but not fall
on the floor).

Now standing with good posture as described above ask the children to put one
hand on their tummy and when they breathe in to breathe into their hand. This
encourages deeper breathing most children and adults only breathe into the top half
of their lungs. Watch that they dont raise their shoulders when they breathe in. There
is no need for this. Also..how many children, when they put up their hands, breathe
in sharply, raise their shoulders and hold their breathe until either they are picked or
go blue!! Try to discourage this! Perhaps next time you ask for a volunteer, pick the
most relaxed, not the one who is sitting or standing the nicest.

After the children have breathed in and out gently (and quietly) for a few times, get
them to make a sound on their outbreath almost like a sigh or grunt. Then, on the
outbreath get them to make a sound like they have just seen a new puppy (AHHH) or
fireworks (OOOH) or slugs (EEERGH) or anything else you can think of. (Using
pictures is a good organisational stimulus for this).
Now they are getting warmed up to sing.
Try a simple call and echo at first (like the please stand up) using and varying any
vowel sounds (e.g. OO OO OO or EE EE EE etc.). Also introduce other sounds
(especially if you are not confident with pitched work) like animal sounds etc. Once
the children have got the idea ask for volunteers to take your place to make sounds
that the rest of the class must copy (and must copy EXACTLY).
One thing to watch for is that when moving on with these skills the children are still
retaining a good standing posture. It is often the case that when you start getting
them to make sounds they forget the first bit and will fold their arms, cross their feet,
lean on a nearby table etc. i.e. encouraging transferable skills.

In all of these activities try to move from the role of teacher to facilitator as soon as
you can and give over the responsibility of exploration and development to the
children.

From this point you can move forward to the learning of a song much more effectively.
The following pages contain more ideas and resources that can
be used in the classroom.
They havent been specifically designed for any particular key
stage or year group as it is intended that teachers themselves
make this decision and adapt any materials, as appropriate, for
the level of their pupils.
 THE SCIENCE OF SOUND

Name an object that Draw a picture to

could make these sounds represent each sound

High:
e.g.
e.g Flute
Baby
This describes
Pitch
whether a sound is
high or low Low:
e.g. Lorry
Thunder

Long:

Hum of the vacuum

This describes
cleaner
Duration whether a sound is
long or short Short:

Door bang

Loud:

Thunder
This describes
Dynamics whether a sound is
loud or quiet Quiet:

This describes the Timbre:

type or quality of
Timbre the sound (e.g.
squeaky, crunchy,
tinkly)
This describes how Thick:
many strands are
contributing to the
Texture overall sound.
Texture can be Thin:
most simply
described as thick People talking one at a
or thin time

Which word(s) above could describe silence?

 SOUND IN ACTION
Draw a simple picture to represent each item

This is a series of sounds of e.g.

the same duration e.g. a
Pulse dripping tap/ soldiers
or Beat marching/clock ticking . . . . .
This describes the speed of
the pulse as slow or fast e.g.
Tempo a funeral march/jogging on
the spot.
For music with no obvious
pulse then tempo can
describe the general feeling
of speed.
This is a series of sounds of
different durations e.g. a
Rhythm rock drummer/morse code

This is a series of sounds of

different pitches - also
Melody called a tune

This is when different

pitches are played at the
Harmony same time sometimes called
a chord
(pitch + texture)
This is how melody, rhythm,
harmony and other elements
Structure are combined, repeated,
varied etc. to former a longer
composition

When does noise become music?

 FROSETH RHYTHM TRAINING
Available from www.frosethdirectuk.com
(they are called Do It! Flash Cards rhythmic set A 22.75 per set)

The initial aim of this method is to encourage children to articulate rhythms they copy
in time to a steady beat. The extension is to develop the reading of conventional
rhythm notation (from flash cards) and to respond by articulating the rhythms to a
steady beat.
There are additional benefits of using this method such as improved focus and
concentration (some teachers use this as a starter to numeracy sessions). The
Froseth method is intended only as a starter and need not be used for much more
than 5 minutes each time.
The Froseth resource materials contain a wide range of flash cards and an
accompanying CD. The resource comes with minimal instructions so the following
ideas could be a good way to introduce this.

INITIALLY
Begin by clapping a call and echo it doesnt need to be rhythmically in time, just
some variation in long/short claps will do.
Now clap a steady beat/pulse and get the children to clap with you. When this is
established try clapping exactly twice as fast then back to the normal speed then
exactly twice as slow. This can be harder than it sounds and may require a regular
revisit.
Now try another clapping call and echo . The children can sit down and tap the
rhythm on their knees. Try to make the rhythms as regular as possible by using the
following syllables as an example:

(normal (half length or (double length or

length) twice as fast) twice as slow)

Echo: Doo Doo-Day Dooooooo

Doo Doo-Day Dooooooo

(Rub hands along lap from thigh to knees for the length of the sound)

When the children are ready try this to the Froseth CD (just use track 1), First get the
feeling of the beat by tapping hands and feet. When everyone has got the beat then
try a rhythmic call and response in time to the beat on the CD track.
If you want to introduce a silence:
e.g.

Doo Doooooooo

Then simply raise up the hands (quite quickly) during the silence/rest.
NEXT STEPS
When the children are ready (this could be a year for Y1 or 10 minutes for Y6!!)
introduce them to the flash cards.
Basic conventional rhythmic notation on the 2 flash cards:
4

DOO

Sitting down, pat

knees with every
rhythmic syllable

DOO DAY

stroke the legs (thigh to knee) in a

longer movement
DOOOOOOOOO

For rests (silences) use the hands to make a pat-a-cake movement in the air for each
missing beat rest (DOO).

If you use a slight variation on these very basic rules it doesnt matter a great deal.
The most important thing is consistency i.e. try to keep it the same every time
otherwise pupils will get confused.
EXAMPLES (these examples have 2 beats in every bar think of each
bar as left-right. Marching will help this):

left right left right

1 2 1 2

DOO DAY DOO DAY DOO DOO

(1 beat rest)

DOOOOOOOOOOO DOO DAY

(whole bar rest 2 beats)

DOO DAY DOO

(2 raises of the hands as it is 2 beats silence)

N.B. keep the gesture(s) reasonably big for rests to stop children speeding up in the
silences!
TEACHING TO PUPILS

All of the following is done seated (either on chairs or sitting on the floor).

1. Tap a steady beat and rock in time from side to side/tap feet etc. and get the
pupils to copy
2. Use a mixture of the rhythmic syllables shown above and get the pupils to copy
as a call and echo by tapping the knees (stroking for Dooooooo)
listen very carefully - then try and copy me
(Call then echo)
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 using the CD backing track
4. Use the backing tracks and flash cards and do as a call and echo try the
following:
look and listen carefully - then try and copy me
(Call then echo)
5. Eventually you should aim to use the flash cards with
with no call and echo (i.e. pupils reading the cards themselves)
Just recite: ready now, look and say

FURTHER EXTENSION:
The flash cards can also be used in group/whole class work to stimulate rhythmic
composition and improvisation on class percussion instruments.

NOTE:
One of the trickiest skills to master at first, but most fundamentally important, is the
rhythmic relationship of dividing any given duration in half.

The Doo lasts exactly the same

amount of time as the Do Day but the
trick is to make the Do and Day exactly
the same length as each other (i.e.
(Doo) (Do - Day) each one exactly half the length of the
Doo). Often what happens at first is
that children do it too quickly so the Do
is shortened and the Day then has to
be a bit longer to compensate.

One little trick to help sort this out is (sitting down) to gently tap a constant beat (Doo
Doo Doo.. etc.) on the knee with one hand. Bring the other hand above the tapping
hand so that the back of the tapping hand hits the palm of the spare hand as it rises.
There should now be two taps (one on the knee and the other on the palm of the
spare hand) this should give a more accurate Do-Day and children who have had
previous difficulties should now be able to feel and hear the accurate duration
division.
 MINIBEAST FLASH CARDS
These are really useful as another way of exploring and developing rhythmic skills and
reading basic rhythmic notation. 4 cards have pictures of minibeasts on them such as:

Beeeee Spi - der La-dy - bird Ca-ter-pi-llar

Dooooooo Doo Doo Doo-Day Doo Doo-Day Doo-Day

The flashcards can also be used in composing (structuring) work. For example table
groups could have 4 different minibeast cards each and arrange them in the order
they choose and then clap the rhythm they have created.

Extension:
One person in each group could try and clap a steady beat while the others clap the
minibeast rhythms in time with the steady beat.
Several groups could try and clap their rhythms together (again in time to a steady
beat).

Further extension:
The rhythms could be transferred to instruments with attention given to matching the
rhythm (not the insect) to an appropriate instrument (e.g. a chime bar might be better
for Bee and a woodblock for Ca-ter-pi-llar). These rhythms could them form the basis
of a much larger whole class percussion piece.

Also for older/more advanced pupils the minibeast pictures could be replaced with
their rhythmic notated equivalent (possibly using Froseth cards as mentioned above).

SOME PHOTOCOPIABLE MINIBEAST FLASH CARDS ARE PRODUCED ON THE

FOLLOWING PAGES
 KODALY HAND SIGNS FOR PITCH
(pronounced Ko-Die Hungarian composer and music educator 1882-1967)

When doing pitch work and learning songs, using some method of hand signals to indicate
higher/lower/the same (i.e. the interval from one pitch to another) can really help especially if
the children also copy the hand movements. The Kodaly method uses very specific hands
signs for each pitch of the scale - Do Re Mi Fa Sol (or Soh)-La Ti Do.
This requires quite a bit of practice, but stick to a few notes at first moving up and down by
step or small leaps.
Traditionally, when teaching the Kodaly method, it has been customary to start on the Sol,
then introduce Mi then La. Sol Mi-La-Sol Mi form the initial notes of Its raining, its
pouring and this pitch sequence (also the jeering na na-na - na - na that children do in the
playground) is believed to be the most natural and easiest for the human voice to produce.

KODALY HAND SIGNS:

th
8 degree of scale (e.g. high C)

Hand at head height

th
7 degree of scale (e.g. B)

th
6 degree of scale (e.g. A)

th
5 degree of scale (e.g. G)

th
4 degree of scale (e.g. F)

rd
3 degree of scale (e.g. E)

nd
2 degree of scale (e.g. D)

st
1 degree of scale (e.g. low C)

Hand at waist height

VOCAL COMPOSITION IDEA:
Once the children have really got the idea of relating these signs to sung
pitches and intervals, then photocopy the above Kodaly hand signs a few times
and split the class into groups. Give each group a selection of the hand signs.
Maybe restrict this to only 4 or 5 different signs at first - Do/Re/Mi/Sol/La would
be good (pentatonic scale) but with several copies of each sign for good
measure. Ask each group to compose a melody using their selection of cards
and then be able to sing it back to the rest of the class. This could also be
developed further into a songwriting project.
REMEMBER the Kodaly method is to encourage the development of interval
recognition (i.e. the step from one pitch to another) and not to identify individual
pitches in isolation
 ANIMAL COMPOSITION
Children discuss different animals (pets/toys/mythical)
One child makes a sound for chosen animal and other children are
then asked/choose to join that animal group using appropriate
instruments or vocal/body sounds
Repeat process until 5/6 animal groups have been formed
Choose 1 child to be the director

ALL CHANT:

All our animals make a noise

Are they real or are they toys
As our music goes around
Who is next to make a sound

DIRECTOR:
(name of animal group)

That group then makes their animal sound

DIRECTOR:
Stop!!!!

.Repeat the chant and director chooses a different animal group

EXTENSIONS

Each animal group could make 2 different types of music one for
the animal asleep (quiet/slow sounds) and one for the animal awake
doing a particular activity e.g dog barking, horse galloping etc.
(fast/loud sounds)
Using graphic notation for each animal sound (this could be initiated
with pictures of the animals)
Sequencing the animal sounds - composing (therefore not needing
the director) and using the graphic notations/pictures to inform the
sequence. To develop a way of stopping each animal sound using
silent signals or a particular instrumental cue
Children to invent a tune for the chant
Recording the final composition, playing it back to the children and
using it for self-evaluation and ways to develop/improve
 JOURNEY COMPOSITION

Children discuss what/where they might pass on a journey

A child volunteers to make a sound for that place and then other
children chosen to be part of that place group
Process repeated until there are about 5/6 place groups using
instruments and voice/body sounds

ALL CHANT:

On our journey we must go

Where to next we do not know
All the places on the way
Are in the music that we play

DIRECTOR:
(name of a place group)

That place group performs their music

DIRECTOR:
Stop!!!!!! (or visual/instrument cue)

Then repeat the chant and choosing a different place group.

EXTENSIONS:

Imagine the journey at different times e.g day/night giving

opportunity for fast/loud or slow/quiet sounds
Taking the journey in different vehicles (i.e. at different speeds)
To invent graphic notations for each place and to sequence
(compose) the events (so not needing a director)
To make up a tune for the chant
 KEEP IT TOGETHER

We are marching, marching, marching

We are marching altogether
We are marching, marching, marching
We will march in any weather

Another group could chant:

Left right left right simultaneously

EXTENSION:

Use strolling for a slower pulse or jogging/running for

a faster pulse. Maybe try hopping or skipping.

At the end . any weather one child could announce

what the weather is e.g. rain/sunny/windy/hot/cold etc.
and the class could then do actions and/or make sounds
to represent that weather. This work with the weather
could then go on to form the basis of composition/art
work.