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CHCFC507A: Use music as a medium to enhance children’s experience and development

Support facilitate and extend children’s participation in music and movement

NOTE: The sound recordings of the items where you are instructed to ‘Listen’ are included with the Activities in the Outline.

Content

Support facilitate and extend children’s participation in music and movement 3

Set up environments in a way that encourages children’s participation in developmentally appropriate music and movement experiences 4

Using songs creatively 4

Songs with visual aids 4

Using props and costumes with songs 13

Using chants and rhymes creatively 18

Setting up musically rich environments 20

Link music and movement activities and make them relevant to children’s daily life in care 22

Music, routines and rituals 22

Formulate strategies to encourage development of child’s individual music and movement potential24

Let the child lead the way 24

Encourage improvisation with instruments 26

Introducing percussion instruments to children 26

Instruments and musical concepts 27

Design a program to respond to children’s interests that arise spontaneously as they participate in music and movement experiences 29

Spontaneous opportunities for concept and skill development 29

Singing and singing games 30

Reluctant singers 34

Rhyming games and action rhymes 35

Use strategies to model appropriate attitudes and interaction to encourage children’s input and participation in music and movement experiences 37

Role of the carer 37

2 Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCFC507A: Reader LO 9322 © NSW DET 2010

Set up environments in a way that encourages children’s participation in developmentally appropriate music and movement experiences

NOTE: The sound recordings of the items where you are instructed to ‘Listen’ are included in the Outline with the Activities.

Using songs creativelyChildren, especially young children, will often find learning and singing songs more enjoyable when they are accompanied by visual aids and props. Young children think in concrete terms, and attractive, skilfully used props can provide something for children to focus upon and support their engagement in the experience.

Songs with visual aidsSome songs are suitable for use with visual aids such as:

• felt board and felt board pieces (shapes)• puppets – hand, glove, finger, stick• props and costumes to assist with dramatising and depicting

characters• pictures to show the sequence of events in the song• masks to help take on a character.

Felt board and felt board piecesThis visual aid works best with songs that have a simple story line. Characters, animals and objects are introduced to the children. Felt pieces depicting characters and so forth are added onto the board one at a time as they are mentioned in the song.

Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCFC507A: Reader LO 9322 3© NSW DET 2010

A good example of such a song is ‘Old Macdonald had a farm’. Animals chosen by the children are added on, one by one. Just make sure that the sizes of the animals are in their correct proportions. In other words, don't make the chicken as big as the cow. Sizes of animals have to be accurate. Also show the animals and characters in their entirety – not just their heads.

Felt board with ‘Old Macdonald had a farm’ animals

Felt board pieces can be made of felt as felt adheres to felt. You can also draw your character on lightweight cardboard, colour it in with bright textas or paints, cover with clear contact paper and then cut out the characters. Attach a small piece of adhesive velcro (scratchy side) on the back. Velcro attaches itself really well to felt. You can also back your pieces with sandpaper. (Velcro dots and strips are available in most supermarkets and craft shops.)

Using felt board figures with songsFollowing are two examples of songs which can be used successfully with felt board. The songs are ‘Three jelly fish’ and ‘Three speckled frogs’. As you look at the photographs you will notice that both the jelly fish and the frogs have been drawn on cardboard. The jelly fish have tentacles made of crepe paper—some are fringed and some are twisted (continuous twisting).

Three jelly fish on felt boardListen to the audio as you look at the photographs. The felt board shows three jelly fish sitting on a rock. The jelly fish are removed, one by one, as they fall off the rock in the song. Then, the jelly fish are replaced, one by one, as they jump back on the rock. The carer can push each jelly fish off to make ‘one fell off’ more dramatic. The same with ‘one jumped on’. Place the jelly fish on the felt board energetically. Children love to ‘help’ with this song.

Listen to Three jelly fish.


Jellyfish on a felt board

Three little speckled frogs on felt board

Listen to the audio recording as you look as the photographs.

Listen to Three little speckled frogs.

The felt board shows a pond, a log and three frogs. Some water reeds and small butterflies have been added to make the scene more realistic.

Feltboard presentation of the song Three Speckled Frogs: Version 1

Three frogs on a log Two frogs on a log

One frog on a log No frogs on a log



Three frogs on a log Two frogs on a log

One frog on a log No frogs on a log


Three frogs on a log with butterflies Two frogs on a log with butterflies

The song starts with three frogs on the log. When we sing the ‘yum, tum’, the children rub their stomachs in delight. On the words ‘glub, glub’’ children tap their stomachs or their chests.

As each frog jumps into the pond, the carer removes one frog and places it in the pond. Remember to remove jelly fish and frogs left to right (reading readiness).

Three speckled frogs

Three little speckled frogs


Sat on a speckled log

Eating some most delicious bugs

Yum, yum

One jumped into the pool

Where it was nice and cool

Now there are two green speckled frogs. Glub, glub

Two little … Now there is one green speckled frog,

Glub, glub

One little … now there are no green speckled frogs,

Glub, glub.

Activity 1

Creating your own felt board pieces• When gluing felt pieces together, use carpenter’s glue (also called

‘Aquadhere’). This glue is non-toxic, water-soluble and dries clear. Use a sheet of greaseproof paper as your base. When your pieces are dry, they will peel off.

• When presenting a sequence of objects on the felt board, always start from the left-hand corner and place objects from left to right. This is a good pre-reading exercise.

• Instead of a felt board you can use a white board and back your pieces with magnets.

If you are thinking about what felt board pieces you can make remember that ducks, frogs and farm animals are very useful and appear in lots of children’s songs. For background scenes trees, rocks and ponds are also very versatile and can be made quite easily.

A simple way of making felt board pieces is to buy a packet of wooden craft shapes (often found in the craft section of many Discount stores) and back them with a small piece of adhesive velcro. These shapes are lightweight and, although small in size, are ideal for use with small felt boards that children can use for individual work. There is a diverse assortment of wooden shapes available from ducks to fish, and flowers to fruits.

The song One, Two, Three, Four, Five is about catching one fish but because children are learning how to count, they will enjoy placing the fish on the board as they count.


Listen to One, two, three, four, five.

Storing and organising your felt board piecesBecause each song will have multiple pieces, you will need to devise a method of storing them so that they:

• are all together in one place• will not develop creases• will be kept safely

Storing felt board pieces

Plastic envelopes and plastic pouches with zippers work well. Write the name of the song on the outside. Smaller pieces can be stored in small plastic bags or in small plastic containers. Your felt board pieces will become valuable musical aids, so it is important to look after them and store them safely.

PuppetsPuppets can represent characters in songs. Children take a more active role as they sing through their puppets. For example, during ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’, children hold their animal puppet and, when it was their turn, sing the animal name and make the corresponding animal noise.

Children can use hand puppets, sock puppets, finger puppets and stick puppets.

The caregiver can also use puppets to help illustrate songs. Sometimes a child will sing to a puppet or through a puppet before they will sing to other people.

The rhyme ‘Two Little Dicky Birds’ can be made into a song by singing it to the tune of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’. This song works well with finger puppets. The caregiver places one finger puppet of a bird on one hand (Peter) and one on the other hand (Paul). Start singing the song with both birds facing the children. Wiggle one bird when you sing ‘One named Peter’ and wiggle the other bird when you sing ‘One named Paul’. As you sing ‘Fly away Peter’, hide your hand (with the puppet on) behind your back. Do the same for ‘Fly away Paul’. Bring back your hand one at a time when you sing, ‘Come back Peter’ and ‘Come back Paul’. Remember which one is Peter and which one is Paul!


These finger puppets can also be used as felt board pieces as the birds can be removed from the finger puppet forms. Each bird has a rough velcro piece attached to its back. The finger puppet form is made of felt. You can use the birds as either puppets or felt board pieces. This allows for flexibility in the use of your visual aids.

Bird finger puppets

Listen to the audio and sing along. Pretend you have puppets on your fingers and do the actions. (This song can be used as a finger play where one finger on each hand represents one bird).

Listen to Two little dicky birds (1). To listen to this song go to the Practise section at the end of the Activities

Listen to Two little dicky birds (2). To listen to this song go to the Practise section at the end of the Activities

If you would like to use a felt board with this song, you will need to provide a wall for the birds to sit on. Here we use a tree instead, and have changed the lyrics so they rhyme with ‘tree’.

The new lyrics will be:

Two little dicky birds sitting in a tree,

One named Sally, the other named Lee.

Listen to the audio recording as you look at the photographs and sing along, using the new lyrics.


Glove puppets

Glove puppet 1 Glove puppet 2

Glove puppets can be made into one character, or, each finger on the glove can have one character or one object attached to it.

The following example is that of a birthday cake with five candles, one candle per finger. It is used with the song ‘Five Little Candles Straight and Tall’ from the ABC Song Book. As the child ‘blows out’ the candles one by one, the caregiver bends down the corresponding finger. The example is a photograph of the glove puppet only.

Glove puppet for Five Little Candles Straight and Tall

The next glove puppet you are about to see is that of a beehive with five bees, one bee per finger.

After you have looked at the photographs, listen to the audio recording and sing along.

Listen to Here is the beehive. To listen to this song go to the Practise section at the end of the Activities.


Here you can the glove puppet for Here is the beehive.

Stick puppets and other ideasWhat kinds of other puppets can you make or think of? You can be quite creative here and use all sorts of resources and materials. You can also purchase or borrow good quality puppets from educational suppliers and libraries.

Here are some ideas on using stick puppets.

Stick puppets are probably the easiest and quickest puppets to make. Use paddle pop sticks or tongue depressors (if you can get them) as they are wider and more versatile.

Cardboard cut-outs or pictures of animals or characters can be glued onto the sticks. Children hold up their stick puppet as it is named in the song, or they sing through their puppet during parts of the song.

For the song, One, Two. Three, Four, Five, 10 children can hold one fish stick puppet each with the fish facing them. They turn over their fish stick puppet so that it faces the group when their number is sung in the song. Children can also sing the number at the same time. This is good for solo work.

How does a caterpillar go?


A caterpillar puppet can be used with the song, ‘How Does a Caterpillar Go?’ or ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Caterpillar’ (The Small Singer by Roberta McLaughlin and Lucille Wood).

Listen to How does a caterpillar go? To listen to this song go to the Practise section at the end of the Activities.

Here you also see how the caregiver ‘walks’ the caterpillar down children’s arms as they sing: Caterpillar puppet.

The caterpillar is made of pom poms that have been glued together with carpenter’s glue.

When gluing a number of pom poms together, as in the caterpillar, start by gluing pom poms in groups of two together to form groups of four, and so forth. Attach the pipe cleaner by twisting around the gaps between the two pom poms—one at each end.

See: http://familycrafts.about.com

or

http://daniellesplace.com.HTML/puppets.html

For ideas on how to make simple puppets. Art and Craft shops will also have ideas and templates you can use for both puppets and felt board props.

Activity 2

Using props and costumes with songs As discussed in other topics props can greatly assist the children’s participation and enjoyment of a musical experience.

Props to accompany songs need to be something that the children or the caregiver can manipulate to enhance the performance of a song and enrich the actual music experience.

‘Miss Polly Had a Dolly’ is a song which can be acted out using the following props: doll, phone, bag, hat, hard surface to knock on (or real door), doll bed and small


piece of paper (to represent a prescription or a bill, depending on which version you are singing).

Two children are selected. One to play the role of ‘Miss Polly’ and the other the doctor. Ensure you give both the girls and boys a chance to be the doctor. You can even change Miss Polly to Mr Polly here.

Miss Polly and the doctor use the props as the group sings the song.

Listen to the audio recording and join in the singing.

Listen to Miss Polly had a dolly. To listen to this song go to the Practise section at the end of the Activities.

The rhyme ‘Three Cheeky Monkeys’ can be sung to the tune of ‘Shortnin’ bread’. Three soft toy monkeys and a blanket thrown over a table to represent the bed are used as props. Three children are selected and each child holds one monkey. As the song is sung,

Three cheeky monkeys

Jumping on the bed

the three children bop their monkeys up and down on the bed.

One fell off

And bumped his head

One child drops his or her monkey on the group. The order in which children’s monkeys will be falling off the bed needs to be established before you start the singing game.

The remaining two monkeys keep jumping on the bed while the group continues singing:

Mother (or father) called the doctor

(put pretend phone to ear)

and the doctor said,

‘No cheeky mon-keys

jumping on the bed (children wag finger, in time, when doctor speaks. Beat is underlined.)

The game continues with two monkeys, then one. The last verse is:


One cheeky monkey

jumping on the bed.

One fell off and

bumped his head.

Mother called the doctor

and the doctor said,

‘No cheeky monkeys

jumping on the bed.

Listen to the audio recording and sing along.

Listen to Three cheeky monkeys. To listen to this song go to the Practise section at the end of the Activities.

Activity 3

PicturesPictures can be used to show the sequence of events in a song. You can use pictures of farm animals and a farmer for ‘Old MacDonald’ or ‘I went to visit a farm one day’.

The pictures should be fairly large and mounted onto stiff cardboard. You can also contact then for durability. These pictures can be used a number of ways.

One way is to display them will in a row, in the correct sequence and the caregiver (or child) indicates the corresponding picture as children sing.

Children can also hold the pictures to play ‘parts’ in a song, like ‘Old McDonald’ or ‘Five Little Ducks’. When using any props it is important to think about how you can involve the children, who will naturally want to touch and handle the props!

You can use a series of pictures to illustrate the events in a well known nursery rhyme with younger children. For example, the rhyme ‘Humpty Dumpty’ has four main parts / events:

1. Humpty sitting on a wall2. Humpty falling off the wall3. The king’s men on horses4. The king’s men trying to piece Humpty together.


A picture of each part can be revealed as children sing. Ensure the pictures are large enough for your group of children to see clearly.

Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall

Activity 4

MasksOlder children often really enjoy using masks in music and movement experiences. However, children under the age of three can be terrified by them. This is largely due to developmental factors as Nixon and Gould note in ‘Emerging’. Children of this age can be scared of masks, clowns and other fantasy figures because of their ‘...inability to distinguish clearly between reality and fantasy’ and ‘...the belief that inanimate objects may be alive’ (Nixon and Gould, 1996:113)

When children are ready for masks they can be used in a variety of ways to enhance musical experiences. They can be worn or held on sticks, as children take on the role of the animal or character in the song. Masks can help children ‘get into character’. Provide a mirror so that they can see themselves with their masks on. Older children especially will enjoy the ‘theatre’ of this.

Lion masks can be used with the song, Leo the lion and tiger masks with the song, ‘The tiger’. Both songs are from Play School and can be found on the ‘Oomba Baroomba’ CD. The lyrics are also included.

Lion mask Tiger mask


Note: The Oomba Baroomba CD from the ABC Play School, has many of the old favourite songs on it. The lyrics come with the CD. Songs include:

If You’re Happy and You Know It

Leo the Lion

The Tiger

Der Glumph

Heads and Shoulders

Five Little Ducks

Three Little Speckled Frogs

Rock-a-Bye Your Bear

Funny Caterpillar (for use with the caterpillar puppet)

It’s a CD worth purchasing.

The ABC’s Ooomba Baroomba

Paper and foam animal masksNow have a look at some paper animal masks.

Each paper plate shows the head of an animal and sometimes includes the ears. There is usually an assortment of animals with a few duplicates per packet: tiger, pig, koala, camel, frog, turtle, penguin, to name a few. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing which animals are included in the packet, outside of the one on top, of course. These paper plates are reasonably priced and there are 12 plates in each packet.

All you have to do is cut out the eyes and attach an elastic to the back or tape the plate onto a stick. Stick masks , held up to the face, are useful when children sing a part in the song. The masks can then be quickly passed on to another child for their turn.

Masks with elastics on the back can be worn leaving children’s hands free. This allows for more movement and even for playing an instrument. It is a good idea to have both kinds of masks on hand.

Paper animal masks


Foam animal masks

Woolworths supermarkets carry foam masks (three to a packet) for a few dollars. These, however, are not suitable for children under the age of three. Foam pieces can break off and cause a choking hazard.

Activity 5

Using chants and rhymes creativelyMusically, rhymes can be treated in much the same way as songs. They can be used with visual aids, they cane dramatised and they can encourage locomotor movement. We can include actions and instruments and participate in a game as we chant.


Rhymes with visual aids‘Walking through the jungle’ is a rhyme that can be easily illustrated. We start with the jungle – that’s the background. We are then introduced to the first animal, a lion. During the second verse we are introduced to a monkey. The third verse, a snake. Each verse introduces a new animal.

We can easily extend the rhyme by including other animals: an elephant, a tiger, and a crocodile, as we add our own verses.

The following example is that of a mitt-puppet — an extension of a glove puppet and a bit like a mini felt board with a glove sewn onto the back. A number of scratchy Velcro oval shapes have been included in the jungle setting to give the illusion of some kind of plant-life. As each animal is mentioned in the rhyme, the corresponding animal shape is fitted onto the Velcro. Each animal shape has a piece of soft Velcro attached to its back.

Include the following three verses:

Walking through the jungle,

What did I see?

An elephant trumpeting

At me, me, me.

Walking through the jungle,

What did I see?

A tiger growling

At me, me, me.

Wading through the jungle,

What did I see?

A crocodile snapping his

jaws at me.

We can make transitions more fun by chanting directions to children instead of saying them. You’ll find that children will start joining in the chanting naturally:

‘Let’s go wash our hands

It’s time for lunch.’


Activity 6

Setting up musically rich environments If we are committed to creating and promoting environments that encourage children’s exploration and appreciation of music it is important to provide thoughtfully set up spaces and places in our services where children can explore and participate in a range of musical experiences.

Music centresIndoors a quiet corner can be provided with low shelves for easy access to musical instruments. Use a carpeted area with large cushions to assist in keeping music noises in and other noises out. Likewise, in the outdoor setting, a quiet area can be set up with instruments and props stored in baskets and containers for the children to use. Store these thoughtfully and attractively, encouraging the children to select and experiment.

Having two or more similar musical instruments on the shelf will help reduce any possible conflicts. It is also important to only have a small number of instruments out on the shelf at any one time. If the music and movement area is a normal part of the daily program, children are more likely to feel comfortable and confident in participating in music.

It is also important that you, as a carer, ‘introduce’ children to the props, resources and instruments available within your music centre. This may happen spontaneously, or as part of a shared group experience. This is an ideal time to discuss what instruments can do, explore musical concepts and for children to experiment with a range of sounds and possibilities. It is also important to discuss the appropriate way to play, care for and store instrument here.

A music centre is not limited to instruments, consider including a portable CD player here as well with a selection of CDs children can choose and listen to independently. With appropriate role modelling and positive guidance pres-schoolers and even younger children become very apt in using a CD player correctly, (if they are not already aware of this!) Well chosen and multi-use props, such as scarves or puppets may also prompt musical participation.

Your music centre should evolve and develop naturally as the children’s focus and interests do within your music program.


A music centre

Activity 7


Link music and movement activities and make them relevant to children’s daily life in care

Music, routines and ritualsOur services are built on the importance of routines and rituals that help shape the fabric and direction of any given day. These times can be enriched by the spontaneous inclusion of a simple song, some thoughtfully chosen classical music to accompany a painting experience or a funky jazz number to lighten up a transition time.

Music does not just occur at ‘Music and Movement time’. Possibilities for music exist anytime and anywhere. An authentic and responsive music program is one that recognises and promotes the opportunities for music that occur naturally and spontaneously with the centre’s daily life. These may be inside or outside, with infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers and older children. They can occur with individuals, small groups and larger groups of children.

The integral rituals and routines inherent in Children’s Services are perfect opportunities to engage yourself with children and develop your appreciation and knowledge of a diverse range of musical possibilities.

Making music part of everyday experiencesThink about the routines and rituals that occur within a service on any typical day. From greeting, to departing, from morning tea to rest time play, from nappy change to washing hands. How can these experiences be enhanced by a touch of music?


Hand washing time at the service may be the perfect opportunity for a song

Activity 8


Formulate strategies to encourage development of child’s individual music and movement potential

Let the child lead the wayFollowing the lead, interests and rhythms of children is an essential component of responsive care giving practice. It is useful to reference Belonging, Being and Becoming, the recent publication endorsing the Early Years Learning Framework from the Australian Government Department of Education, here. This essential document provides a framework of principles, practices and learning outcomes for children’s early learning experiences. You can read more about this publication at http://www.deewr.gov.au

This document acknowledges the fact that children are ‘Children are confident and involved learners’ (pp 33-37) and ‘effective communicators’ (pp38-44). How do these outcomes influence the musical opportunities we provide for children and plan for potential learning opportunities?

Engaging children in their own learningChildren are much more likely to enjoy and participate within a musical experience when it is appropriate for their age and developmental level, reflective of their interests and involves meaningful and participative learning. Children learn by exploring, being active learners and becoming engaged in the actual experience. Music provides a wealth of opportunities here; but it is important to ensure that children have maximum opportunity to respond and be involved within the experience.

Think about the musical experiences you provide. Are the children given opportunities to listen, move, explore and create? Are they encouraged to experiment, interpret and experience new ways of communicating and expressing themselves? Are provisions available to master competencies and skills as well as extend and experiment?


All children have musical potential Belonging, Being and Becoming, (Early Years Learning Framework), views all children as being ‘confident and involved learners’, (p 33). The Framework discusses how children “take responsibility for their own learning’ and how a ‘supportive active learning environment encourages children’s engagement in learning’, (p33). We have discussed in other topics how children are born with the infinite capacity to respond to and appreciate music. Tapping into this capacity and curiosity is essential to encourage children to enjoy and appreciate music and explore its possibilities.

Children will choose their own level of involvement and participation within music and movement experiences. As a carer it is essential to respect this choice, and never force participation. A child who sits on the sidelines and listens to your Music Group Time, but does not actively participate, can be gaining as much the child who always seems to be at the forefront of your musical experiences. Engagement can be a quiet and contemplative action as well as an active, dynamic one.

Accept and acknowledge differences in levels of involvement and activity. One day the child who sits on the sidelines may surprise you and just walk over to sit down on the mat of their own accord, or wander over to the Music Learning Centre you have thoughtfully set up to experiment with some independent exploration of sounds.

Provide a range of musical experiences and provisions. By promoting an environment that is musically rich, supportive and stimulating you are giving all children the opportunity to discover and realise their own unique potential.

Children exploring instruments: ‘All children experience learning that is engaging and builds success for life’ (Belonging. Being and Becoming, The Early Years Learning Framework, pp 7)

Activity 9

Mark is an actual example. He is now eighteen (18) years old (!), and has just finished his HSC, where he majored in music. He is an accomplished guitar player and is looking forward to career involving music. He has no recollection of when


he first walked over to the mat on morning! We never know how much or how long our influence stretches. All children have infinite potential.


Encourage improvisation with instruments

Introducing percussion instruments to childrenBefore using instruments with children, they should be carefully introduced and under adult supervision. Children need to:

• learn the name of the instrument• be shown how to hold an play the instrument• be shown how to look after the instrument properly (caring and

storing)

Children can learn right from a very early age that instruments must be used with care.

It is best to introduce one instrument (type of instrument) at a time. Children will only learn how to use instruments appropriately and with respect if they are given opportunities to experience, explore and experiment.

Using instruments requires organisation, supervision and patience from the caregiver. Instruments can be noisy and naturally encourage excitement in children. If you take your time initially, model appropriate behaviour and are consistent about guidelines and rules, then you are more likely to achieve the desired behaviour and attitude in children. (Greenberg, p233 and Bayless and Ramsey, p72).

Activities with percussion instrumentsWhen first given an instrument children will naturally want to explore the sound that it can make and what the instrument is capable of. They can play their instrument loudly and softly; DYNAMICS or quickly or slowly; TEMPO. They can use a tuned instrument such as a glockenspiel or chime bars to explore PITCH, starting high and becoming lower and lower.

When encouraging children to explore instruments, we are introducing them to a range of playing techniques. By using their hands and body, children can: tap, beat, use their nails, fingertips, palm of their hand, and knuckles. Children can tap other body parts against their instrument: elbow, wrist, thigh, knee and hip. The


instrument itself can be explored by: tapping its various parts; shaking it; and tapping with different implements.

It is important to provide descriptive words as children discover new sounds on their instruments, such as scratchy, tinny, hollow, flat, sharp, dull and crisp.

When children have acquired a variety of techniques for playing instruments and are aware of the possible sounds which they can create, they have the necessary resources for using instruments both constructively and imaginatively.

With practice and experience pre-school children will be able to play on cue as they wait and anticipate their part in the song or rhyme. They can keep a steady BEAT on an instrument such as a drum and they play RHYTHM patterns with accuracy and in time with tapping sticks. Children are beginning to learn the rules of music, the same way they learn the rules of language—that is indirectly, through exposure and exploration.

A well presented activity by the caregiver can stimulate children’s imagination and be an impetus for further creative experiences. Creativity is enhanced when children are exposed to many ideas and when they begin to see that there are many possibilities. Children need free, uninterrupted time and a safe place in which to experiment with these combinations—to try out their ideas and learn at their own pace.

Children can tap and beat these bongos. They can experiment using the palm of their hands, the side of their hands and their knuckles. They can also use a mallet.

Instruments and musical conceptsPercussion instruments can supply wonderful opportunities for children to explore and learn about musical concepts in a fun and natural way.

Let us take the song ‘If you’re happy and you know it’ as an example.

Listen to If you’re happy and you know it. To listen to this song go to the Practise section at the end of the Activities.

In this song you could allow children to choose an instrument for each MOOD in the song: happy, angry or sleepy. When you come to their part in the song, ‘If you’re happy and you know it play your drum’, pause and allow the child to play


an improvisation—giving them more time than the two claps in the song allows. Do this for each mood and corresponding instrument.

Listen to Three jelly fish. To listen to this song go to the Practise section at the end of the Activities.

Each jelly fish can be represented with an instrument. You might use drums, tapping sticks, chime bars or a glockenspiel here and so explore RHYTHM, DYNAMICS and PITCH. When one jelly fish falls off the rock, give the child with the instrument time to play his or her part. Some children may like a quick splash, others may show a bumping sequence down the rock and other children may slide down, shaking or wobbling all the way.

Take the time to describe the child’s style of playing: “Kelvin’s jelly fish went bump, bump, bump all the way down the glockenspiel, starting off very high and then becoming very low”, “Anne’s jelly fish fell with one big clang on her cymbals!”, “Abdullah’s jelly fish fell so quietly I could hardly hear it falling onto his drum”. This validates the child’s style of playing and provides an enriching language experience, as well as reinforcing musical concepts in a meaningful way.

Activity 10


Design a program to respond to children’s interests that arise spontaneously as they participate in music and movement experiences

Spontaneous opportunities for concept and skill developmentYou may have come to realise just how often you have actually used and explored musical concepts without even being aware of this! You can now think about making this an intentional choice. With practice and exploration you will learn to recognise the concepts that you are using instinctively allowing you to build upon your own musical knowledge, repertoire and appreciation.

Becoming more attuned to musical opportunities means being able to recognise and utilise opportunities for using music concepts and skills as they occur. This can happen during Music Time as well as any other time during a typical day at your service.

Once you become familiar with musical concepts and skills, you will find that their inclusion will become automatic and natural.

A child exploring tempo and dynamics with a maraca

Exploring other musical conceptsWe have enjoyed exploring BEAT, RYHTHM, DYNAMICS and TEMPO. Let’s revise a few other concepts in a little more detail.


You will be exploring these particular concepts when you note any of the following with children within a music experience, or just throughout a given day at your service.

• PITCH: “Let’s sing that in a high voice…. low voice”, “ Wow, Trevor, that is a very low voice that you have used”, “Can you hear the low tooting of that train going passed?”

• TONE or COLOUR This is the individual sound quality made by different instruments, voices and objects that makes them easily and clearly recognisable. Our talking voices all have their own tone colour. Listen to each child’s voice. Play voice games to encourage recognition of children’s voices, such as ‘Kangaroo Skippyroo’. Older pres-schoolers especially, often enjoy trying to tick one another here by disguising their voices!

• FORM: “Here comes the change…I wonder what is going to happen next?” Children begin to expect and anticipate the recurrence of certain actions which always occur in the same place in the music.

• MOOD This is the feeling and emotions we derive from music. You may be listening to a piece of recorded music with children that they describe as “happy”, “sad” or “scary” music. For example, children may describe Mussorgsky’s ‘St John’s Night on the Bare Mountain’ as “monster music”, as it is heavy and looming in TONE and makes one think of scary, apprehensive things!

Activity 11

Singing and singing gamesChildren develop singing skills gradually, in accordance with developmental readiness and their own unique cultural and social experiences. Ensure that your expectations of children’s performance levels in singing are realistic and developmentally and culturally appropriate.

When choosing songs to sing with children we need to consider:

• age appropriateness• level of difficulty• content• type• interest and appeal to children.


SingingSinging is an integral part of any music program. Not only does singing give children a great deal of joy and satisfaction, it also provides the carer with an opportunity to introduce and develop music concepts and skills.

Generally, by the age of four to six years children can accurately sing familiar songs and stay in a key—however, children’s singing ability is much influenced by the singing experiences they have had at home.

There seems to be a high correlation between home environment and the ability to sing in tune. It seems that culture also influences the development of pitch accuracy. It is only logical that singing, like any other skill, will improve with regular practice. We also know that singing plays a larger role in some cultures than in others.

Even though four- to six-year-old children can sing in a key, you will find that many young children still have not found their voices and do not sing in tune. Do not be overly concerned about this. The best way to encourage tuneful singing is to provide lots of opportunity to sing! Sing with children often and in a relaxed and comfortable manner—this will help them develop and control their singing voices in a natural and unforced way.

Learning songsThe attitude of the caregiver towards singing will influence the way children view singing. Singing songs with children should be an enthusiastic, fun and enjoyable experience.

When teaching a new song to children it can be useful to either play a recording of the song for the children to hear, or play it on a tuned instrument first. Ensure you know the song well, are singing in tune and that it is a song you enjoy singing.

When teaching children new songs it is useful to note the following:

• Children learn songs through repetition and involvement.• Avoid using a formal ‘teaching’ process. • Avoid breaking a song up into lines to be repeated.• Teach the entire song, unless it is very long.• Sing with confidence, never apologise for your singing!• Use eye contact to obtain feedback.• Sing the song several times with children – sing softly, loudly, clap the

RHYTHM or tap the BEAT add simple actions and movements.• Provide positive reinforcement about children’s singing and

participation.• Continue to sing the song over the next day or two, so it becomes

familiar. The children will eventually join in with the actions before they join in with a few words.


• Don’t expect an instant response, especially with toddlers. They need to know a song well before they ‘join in’ and sing with you.

Keep learning activeWhen children are learning songs it helps to do something physical or active. Some suggestions follow:

• Move in a variety of ways (clap, stamp, pat the knees, wave hands) to the song’s BEAT.

• Talk about the song’s MOOD, TEMPO or DYNAMICS.• Move to the song in a way that reflects its RYHTHM and BEAT.• Add props to represent the characters in the song; use a felt board, or

finger puppets.

Action songs are particularly popular with children. Becoming physically involved by performing hand actions or by moving other parts of the body is wonderful motivation for children. The words in the song gain more significance and the experience becomes more concrete. This active participation helps children remember what the song is about and, ultimately, makes learning the song easier.

Choosing songsThe task of selecting suitable songs for children has been significantly simplified by the introduction of such a large range of high quality Songbooks on the market.

If you purchase several of the following resources, you will have an excellent collection of songs to choose from:

• Australian Breastfeeding Association, 2001, Merrily Merrily: A Book of Songs and Rhymes for Babies and Young Children, 4th edn, The Association, Victoria

• Clarke, H, 2003, The New Useful Book: Songs and Ideas from ABC Play School, updated edn, ABC Enterprises, Australia.

• Clarke, V, 1991, High and Low Dolly Pepper, A and C Black, London• Crees, G & C, 1997, Songs From Around the World for Young Children,

[Book & CD], Crees, Manly, NSW.• Hoermann, D, & Bridges, D, 1988, Catch a Song, [Book & sound

recording], Incentive publications, Nashville, USA.

You also have the added advantage that most of these Song Books are also available on CD. Why not make it a goal for yourself to learn one new song each fortnight, or even once a month? This will encourage you to make time to hunt through books and CDs for songs which appeal to you and the children in your care. It is important that you teach songs that you enjoy singing. It is very difficult to be enthusiastic when singing songs which do not appeal to you.


Types of songsWhen choosing and singing songs with children, be sure to include variety. Here are a few suggestions:

• Nursery Rhymes e.g. ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’, Humpty Dumpty’• Songs about various parts of a daily routine. e.g. ‘The Toothbrush

Song’, ‘Splash, Splash, Slosh’• Songs for teaching numbers e.g. ‘Ten green bottles, ‘One, two three,

four, five’• Songs that name body parts e.g. ‘Head and Shoulders’, ‘Put your

Finger on your Nose’• Cumulative songs, with many verses sung to the same melody e.g.

‘Old MacDonald’ • Action songs, e.g. ‘I’m a little teapot’, ‘Here is the sea’• Finger play songs, e.g. ‘Where is Thumbkin?’ • Question and answer songs e.g. ‘Who put the cookie in the cookie

jar?’• Lullabies e.g. ‘Hush Little Baby’, ‘Golden Slumbers’, ‘Inanay’’• Traditional Folk Songs e.g. ‘The Bear went over the Mountain’• Tickling Songs e.g. ‘Round and Round the Garden’• Dandling Songs e.g. ‘This is the way the Ladies ride’• Expandable Songs e.g. ‘If your happy and you know it’, ‘Let’s go

walking’• Rounds e.g. ‘Row, row, row your boat’

There are many websites that will give you more ideas.

KIDiddles (for children’s music, song pages, lyrics and print out sheets)

http://www.KIDididdles.com

Nursery rhymes (for lyrics and interesting information on origins)

http://www.rhymes.org.uk

Ensure your choice of songs also reflect cultural and linguistic diversity. Catch a Song and Songs From Around the World for Young Children are especially useful here.

Activity 12

Content of songsChoose songs where the subject matter and words are closely related to the child’s understanding and interests. Pre-schoolers particularly enjoy action songs and singing games on a vast variety of subjects. These may include:


• Outer space • Nature and the seasons• Their own names • Birthdays • Fun and nonsense• Daily routines• Their families and friends• Their bodies, parts of their bodies, and clothing• Feelings, such as happiness• Machines and robots• Animals and pets.• The sea and under water life

The repertoire of songs that you select for your group of children should include a large variety of song types.

Young children enjoy using props when singing

Reluctant singersChildren participate in singing experiences when they are developmental ready, and feel comfortable and relaxed in your service and group. Do not be concerned if a child does not join in the singing. They may not be ready to join in, they might just be content watching the other children or they might still be finding their singing voice.

As with any learning experience, never put pressure on a child to participate. As we have discussed elsewhere, children join in on any musical activity in their own time-not ours. Ensure your singing experiences are fun, relaxed and enjoyable. Provide a variety of options for involvement, using props or other aids. Make singing a part of the everyday life of your service; not just something that happens at Music Time.


Children who are hesitant to join in, may feel more comfortable if holding a prop, such as a teddy bear when their friends are singing ‘Teddy Bear Teddy Bear, Turn Around’ (Merrily Merrily).

Rhyming games and action rhymesOne of the best known clapping games is ‘Pat-a-cake’. It is usually done with a baby sitting on your lap. The rhyme is chanted as the baby’s hands are clapped together by the adult.

Children can play the clapping game with a partner and so explore BEAT and RYTHYM. . This game is ideal for preschoolers; toddlers find it challenging to synchronise their movements with another person. The easiest way to play this game is for children to tap both their hands simultaneously with the hands of their partner on the beat.

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, ba-ker’s man

Bake me a cake as fast as you can

Pat it and prick it and mark it with B

Put it in the o-ven for ba by and me.

When children can do this with ease, introduce them to a combination of clapping their own hands first and then their partner’s hands throughout the rhyme as follows:

Pat-a-cake, clap own hands on underlined word

pat-a-cake clap partners hands on underlined word

ba-ker’s clap own hands on underlined word

Man clap partners hands on underlined word

Bake me a clap own hands on underlined word

cake as clap partners hands on underlined word

fast as you clap own hands on underlined word

Can clap partners hands on underlined word

Pat it and clap own hands on underlined word

prick it clap partners hands on underlined word


and mark it with clap own hands on underlined word

B clap partners hands on underlined word

Put it in clap own hands on underlined word

the o-ven clap partners hands on underlined word

for ba by and clap own hands on underlined word

me. clap partners hands on underlined word

Teaching rhymes to childrenWhen teaching rhymes to children ensure you use the Whole Song Method. Children need to hear the rhyme from beginning to end before they are ready to join in.

As with songs, action rhymes should be taught with the actions. Remember that children will generally copy your actions first. Actions are often easier to learn than the words, an also act as a trigger for the memory.

There are some actions which are complex or require well-developed coordination. For example, the spider climbing finger action in ‘Incy Weensey Spider’. Young children can walk their fingers up their arm instead.

Give children time to learn the rhyme before you start adding visual aids, unless the aid facilitates learning the rhyme. Children need to be familiar with the rhyme before they can take on a role and before they can recite parts of the rhyme.

Children will learn the rhyme through many repetitions over a period of time, the same they learn a song.


Use strategies to model appropriate attitudes and interaction to encourage children’s input and participation in music and movement experiences

Role of the carerThe way that the carer interacts with children during movement and music experiences will influence the freedom and confidence children have and demonstrate within the experience.

Carer interactions will also determine the range of movements that children learn and whether or not children will have ‘...a repertoire of body movement ideas’ (Barbara Andress, 1991:26) to choose from.

There are four techniques that we can use when interacting with children during movement experiences. They are:

1 Describing2 Suggesting3 Modeling4 Demonstrating (adapted from Barbara Andress, 1991)

Describing and suggestingDescribing is the least intrusive of the four methods of interacting and it is the most appropriate and natural technique to use during ‘free movement’ experiences. We simply observe children as they move and describe their movements. Typical statements to describe body movement are, for example:

• ‘Marcel is lifting his knees high to his tummy’. • ‘Amber walked on her tip-top toes’.• ‘Spinning and spinning ... everyone is spinning’.• ‘Jack pushed from the balls of his feet.’• ‘Antoinette used lots of space. She pointed high, low, and around to

the side’. (examples adapted from Barbara Andress, 1991:26)


Describing children's movements reinforces their behavior. Hearing movements being described may prompt other children to try an idea that had not occurred to them. We all learn initially by copying one another to some degree.

It is also important for the caregiver to describe the children's movements in relation to the music. Typical statements to describe movement in relation to music are, for example:

• ‘Maria opened her fingers slowly until the sound was all gone’.• ‘Michael moved when he heard the music and stopped when the

music stopped’.• ‘I see Gregory slide his feet with the soft music. Now Gregory is

stamping when the music is very loud’. (examples from Barbara Andress 1991:26)

The second technique— Suggesting, allows us to introduce children to new ways of moving their bodies and expressing themselves. It may also children's attention to key features or CONCEPTS in the music and to changes in the music as they occur.

Let's look more closely at an example that was introduced earlier. Children are moving like fish as they listen to Aquarium from Saint-Saens' ‘Carnivale of the Animals’. Each child is weaving a chiffon scarf through the air as they move.

• ‘Let's flutter our scarves as though they are fins’• ‘What can you do with your scarf? I'm moving mine up and down with

the waves’

Using Description: • ‘I see Stanley is moving his scarf quickly as he moves his arms up and

down.’• Allow children to make Suggestions too.• Henry aged 5 years: ‘Look at my scarf. It is sliding along the floor, like

an eel’’• Carer: ‘Let's all try that.’

Just imagine how empowering that is to a child, using their suggestions, and ideas!

This works really well with Description too:

• ‘Sanchi’s scarf is moving up and down in big, slow movements.’• ‘Jocelyn is moving her scarf behind her back. What a wonderful tail.

Let's try Jocelyn's idea.’

Before starting this movement experience it is a useful idea to discuss exotic fish with the children. Calendars featuring a sea theme are a good source for this, or you can find lots of interesting fish photographs on the internet. Maybe you have


a friend who has just come back from holiday diving on the Great Barrier Reef; they might have some wonderful marine photographs they can share with you.

Point out the fins on the sides, the fin on the fish’s back, the tail, and let the children consider how these might look in motion. Most children have seen live fish so they will have some ideas. (You might even have an aquarium in the room.)

Give children time to explore and select their scarf and experiment with the movements it can make. You can also have a ‘trial run’ before you move with the music. Give children opportunity to explore the different ways they can move their ‘fins’/streamers. If one child thinks of a particularly interesting movement, ask them to show it to the others: ‘Show us how you moved your arms, Lola. You really looked like a fish swimming in the ocean.’

Use Description as you observe children while they are moving. Make Suggestions: ‘What would happen if you moved your scarf around in circles? Up and down?’

When you feel that children have some movement ideas, start the music. ‘I'm going to play some swimming music for you now. Listen to the music as you swim like a fish in our ocean.’

Continue describing as children move around to the music. Make suggestions when you feel they are necessary, for example, if children seem unsure about how to move their scarf.

Activity 13

Modeling and demonstratingIt is important for the carer to be involved in the movement experience as well. When we move with the children, we cannot help but express our own ideas, but we don't insist that children copy our movements. It's important for children to see that adults derive pleasure from moving to music. If children are unsure of how to move, or a little hesitant about being involved, they will naturally look to you for guidance.

From time to time we can invite children to copy or model our movements, especially if children seem unsure about how to begin. Sometimes that is enough to get them started.

Dances require more direct teaching. We demonstrate the steps to children and there is not as much room here for individual interpretation. The best way to teach a circle dance is to call out the steps as they occur rather than describe the entire dance at the beginning. Always keep your instructions short and immediate. This keeps the learning ‘in context’. Remember it is okay for both the children and yourself to make mistakes, ensure it is a relaxing and fun experience. (And that your expectations of children are developmentally appropriate.)


When teaching a partner dance, it is best to teach the dance to one child while the others watch. Once children have seen the dance from beginning to end, they know what to expect and what they need to do (the same principle as the whole song method). After you have taught the dance to one child, pair the remaining children up but continue to dance with your partner so that children can see the dance a second time as they imitate your movements. Don't expect children to remember every detail of the dance after seeing it once.

Children participating in a circle dance

Activity 14


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