<h4>Frost Dancing (dynamics, pitch)</h4><p>Children enjoy using dance scarves and having a floaty scarf can be a great help to children to whom dancing freely doesn't seem to come naturally. Ask the children to show with their scarf how the music gets louder and quieter, and higher and lower. </p>                          

<h3>Plant Pot Playing (timbre, pitch, structure)</h3><p> You need lots of plastic plant pots for the children to use instead of musical instruments so maybe ask parents to donate any spare ones, as well as a few surplus, small gardening implements. It's good to do the Plant Pot activities outdoors if possible!</p><p>Lead the children to discover that the plants pots (being various sizes, volumes and thicknesses) make different-pitched sounds when you hit them using beaters or garden canes. With help, the children could put several plant pots in order of higher or lower pitch. By chance, we discovered pots that could, more or less, play a tune! </p>                                                                                                                                                                                <p>There's a distinction to be made between making music up, which is original and doesn't deliberately replicate a known tune, and playing 'by ear' a known tune, invented by somebody else. When I ask for music to be made up, I generally find that adults try to play a known tune whereas children prefer to make up their own. Both are useful activities with their own value but making up original music lends itself to greater creativity.</p>                                                                <h4>More Garden-Music Discoveries</h4><p>1/ Hang plant pots upside down by tying a big knot in a length of string and threading it through a hole at the bottom so that the knot is inside the pot and the pots hang down like bells. If the pots are hung in clusters they may be shaken to create an interesting sound.</p><p>2/ Bang the plant pots on the table or the floor, either open side down or with base of the pot. The children may come up with different ways of creating a sound such as banging two pots together.</p><p>3/ Bang on a trowel with a garden cane. </p><p>4/ Shake dried peas or beans in a tin. </p><p>Allow time for experimenting first, then create more structured tasks for pairs or small groups of children, such as creating a sequence of different sounds that can be repeated. For a whole class piece of music you could put the children into four groups: </p><ul><li>shake pot clusters</li><li>hit trowels with cane beaters</li><li>bang pots on the floor</li><li>shake peas in a tin</li></ul><p>You be the 'conductor', indicating by big hand gestures which group makes their sound next and which groups should stay quiet. It's fun!</p>                                                                                

Plant pot playing (timbre, pitch, structure) - Video

<h3>Plant Pot Playing (timbre, pitch, structure)</h3><p> You need lots of plastic plant pots for the children to use instead of musical instruments so maybe ask parents to donate any spare ones, as well as a few surplus, small gardening implements. It's good to do the Plant Pot activities outdoors if possible!</p><p>Lead the children to discover that the plants pots (being various sizes, volumes and thicknesses) make different-pitched sounds when you hit them using beaters or garden canes. With help, the children could put several plant pots in order of higher or lower pitch. By chance, we discovered pots that could, more or less, play a tune! </p>                                                                <div class="video">    <div class="embed">                    <iframe class="lazy_embed" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/393899425?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;color=A2D6BD" allowfullscreen="">            </iframe>            </div></div>                                                                <p>There's a distinction to be made between making music up, which is original and doesn't deliberately replicate a known tune, and playing 'by ear' a known tune, invented by somebody else. When I ask for music to be made up, I generally find that adults try to play a known tune whereas children prefer to make up their own. Both are useful activities with their own value but making up original music lends itself to greater creativity.</p>                                                                <h4>More Garden-Music Discoveries</h4><p>1/ Hang plant pots upside down by tying a big knot in a length of string and threading it through a hole at the bottom so that the knot is inside the pot and the pots hang down like bells. If the pots are hung in clusters they may be shaken to create an interesting sound.</p><p>2/ Bang the plant pots on the table or the floor, either open side down or with base of the pot. The children may come up with different ways of creating a sound such as banging two pots together.</p><p>3/ Bang on a trowel with a garden cane. </p><p>4/ Shake dried peas or beans in a tin. </p><p>Allow time for experimenting first, then create more structured tasks for pairs or small groups of children, such as creating a sequence of different sounds that can be repeated. For a whole class piece of music you could put the children into four groups: </p><ul><li>shake pot clusters</li><li>hit trowels with cane beaters</li><li>bang pots on the floor</li><li>shake peas in a tin</li></ul><p>You be the 'conductor', indicating by big hand gestures which group makes their sound next and which groups should stay quiet. It's fun!</p>                                                                    <div class="img img_sml">        <img class="lazy_img" src="https://rippleeducation.blob.core.windows.net/media/plan_pots.png" alt="Plan Pots">    </div>

Gardens & Growing Level: Early Years - Creative music

Year 1

Year 2

Music

Frost dancing (dynamics, pitch) - Video

Music Playtime has been created by a Key Stage 1 and Early Years Music education specialist. The schemes are built in recognition of the fact that most primary teachers are not music specialists. Access the knowledge and the ideas you need to feel confident teaching music.