Primary Music Teaching in the 21st century
29.06.16
Being in the Room
To begin with I sang ‘Hello Everyone’ with variations of so/mi. The only rule is that the last pitch will be the starting pitch of the next time. At first quite a few children don’t join in. I cajole them in a lighthearted way; it’s the afternoon, they look like they’d rather go home!
24.06.16
Motivation, Musicianship and Multiple Brains
All in a circle I remind them of the sea shanty song from last week. We sing ‘I’ve Been to Harlem’ without any warm up. The whole lesson is 30 minutes so I treat this first run-through as a warm up! I encourage the class to rock from one foot to the other on a slower tempo (minims). During a second run-through I produce a lightweight plastic football. In response the singing picks up a little in anticipation of a game*.
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Ownership
All in a circle I asked for a song title. A pupil suggested ‘Seagull, Seagull Sit on the Shore’*. It’s good to start with a song that everyone knows. Children suggested different ways to show the beat while singing this song e.g. pat head or clap hands. These suggestions give a sense of ownership of the activity.
I bounced a lightweight plastic ‘football’ to everyone in the circle one by one to a chant of ‘Bounce and Catch’.