Ourselves & Our Friends Level: Key Stage 1 - Skills & games

General Behaviour Management in Music

Music, obviously, is all about making sounds, not about keeping quiet, so things could get a bit too noisy if we don't establish some music-specific rules. I expect everyone to join in eventually but I try to be sensitive to the fact that not all children are confident with their voices - after all, they are still 'growing' them! Moving to music is also a relatively new skill for children. In terms of talking, we do need to talk about music. With a large group, I like discussion but I explain that's it's not polite to speak when anyone else is talking, and I ask for 'hands up'. In a small group, I mostly tell the children they are free to ask and answer questions without putting hands up - I prefer a conversational working atmosphere.

Starting to Use Instruments

It's possible that some of the children may not have used musical instruments before and they will be very excited when you first let them loose with them! You'll need to establish, in particular, a rule for when to stop playing and put the instrument down. My rule is very simple - when I put my hands in the air, the children put their instruments down and copy me.

Help With How to Play Instruments

Children need help with how to play the instruments. If you experiment with the instruments before using them with the children, you'll be better placed to show them how to get the best sound. Then the children need to explore the instruments, to discover what they do. Here, one of the children had chosen to use the djembe drum and I'm explaining how to play it:

'Body' sounds and 'Found' sounds

Voices and body sounds such as clapping hands and tapping on knees are the most natural ones and we can do lots of great work just with these, which can later be transferred to untuned and tuned instruments, or as a basis for starting to use technology .

Your Sing-Song voice

You need to use your sing-song voices for the next activity Here's an explanation:

Our Friends' Names (rhythm, pitch)

Everyone sits in a circle. The teacher 'sing-songs' the name of each child, and all the children sing it back. Next go round the group again, singing each name and, straight after the children have sung it back, clap the rhythm made by its syllables. The children clap the rhythm back:

• Jon-a-than (clap clap clap)
• Andrew (clap clap)
• Tom (clap)

Roll the Ball Names (rhythm, pulse)

You need a big, soft ball for this game. Practise name-singing and clapping until the children understand and can join in successfully. Next, everyone sits in circle. Roll the ball towards any child; everyone sing-songs that child's name and then claps it. The child rolls the ball back to you and you roll it to the next child. Aim to keep going with a steady pulse (no waiting in between rolls of the ball and no rushing) until every child has had a turn.

Chrome Music Lab Names

Chrome Music Lab is such a great introduction to music technology that you'll want to use it again and again - oh and you might let the children have a go too! In small, supervised groups, the children could experiment with Chrome Music Lab to invent their own name 'signature tune'. They need to be able to say, rhythmically, My name is Flo-rence (or whatever it is) then input that many blocks - five in this example. To save each name tune, click the SAVE tick (bottom, right corner) and then click DOWNLOAD WAV. Here's my name tune, to the words, My name is Sandy:

My Chrome Music

Chrome Music Lab is so simple to use and, amazingly, it's free! The children can create longer pieces of music which you can save as mp3 sound files like the one below. They can also download graphic scores of their music for you can save. You can even produce a conventional music score if you download the midi file. It took literally a few minutes to create this music:

This is the graphic score for my music

Access Chrome Music Lab here:

https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/ then click on the first box.