This is a simple but very effective way to teach improvisation and it can be made as easy or complex as you like, depending on the needs of your group.

The very easiest version:  The children sit in a circle without instruments.  The whole group chant ‘1,2,3,4’, in time to a steady pulse, then immediately the first child says or claps a 4-beat rhythm.  This is followed immediately by the group chanting ‘1,2,3,4’, then the next child saying or clapping a 4-beat rhythm. The aim is to keep it going without stopping.  The group chanting keeps the performance in time and gives the less confident members a good feel for the 4 beats they need to improvise to.  It is also fun for the group to whisper the ‘1,2,3,4’ as it gives a difference in dynamics between the group and the soloist.

Extensions can easily be made by chanting 1 – 8 and individuals improvising 8-beat patterns.  A great variation is then for the group to chant a regular 8-beat rhythm pattern instead of just chanting the numbers – or for the soloists to have instruments. The varieties are endless…

Multi-tasking! Pulse with one hand and rhythm with the other!

Have you ever thought about one of your favourite songs and tried tapping the pulse with one hand and the rhythm with the other?  WHY NOT TRY IT?!!

It comes more naturally to some than others.  It’s an excellent activity to give to a particularly talented child if he or she has covered the tasks you had planned for them and is hungry for more…

1-DAY KODALY-BASED PRIMARY MUSIC COURSE

IMPACT YOUR SCHOOL AND SEE GREAT RESULTS IN PRIMARY MUSIC!

‘Brilliantly useful’

FRIDAY 13th June – BRIGHTON & HOVE MUSIC & ARTS

‘It’s mindblowing how many games there are to use in the classroom’

Come along for:

• Increased confidence in music teaching
• Discussion about the NEW Music Curriculum in 2014
• How to teach music skills progressively
• 100 + of activities – songs, singing games and practical musical activities to teach immediately in the classroom
• Tips on how to work towards outstanding music lessons
• A refreshed love for music teaching

Receive a FREE singing games book and DVD of your choice – worth up to £34.99!

We have an ever-expanding repertoire of over 500 singing games and musical activities – but don’t worry, we don’t teach them to you all at once! We teach:

Singing game with xylophones

circle games,   name games

rhythm games,  pitch games

puppet games, instrumental games

Turn-taking games and many, many more! 

We then USE the games to teach musical skills such as notation and composition

WILL THIS COURSE WORK FOR YOU? WHAT DO OTHERS THINK?

‘Brilliantly useful – it’s mindblowing how many games there are to use in the classroom’ – ‘very engaging and practical’ – very enjoyable music course – great subject knowledge and pace – thank you’ – ‘excellent pack of resources and ideas’ – it has inreased my bank of songs, rhymes, games etc and improved my confidence’ – I like the many ways of using one song to develop musical skills’ – ‘I now have an overview of developing musical skills stage by stage’ – a practical approach to learning just as the children do’……

Course run by Sally Wagter, an experienced music specialist of 15 years, music trainer of 10 years and creator of 6 Primary Music Resource books and the Active Music Primary Music Teaching Scheme. Sally has a B/Ed (Hons) and a Professional Practice Certificate in the Kodaly Concept of Music Education accredited by Roehampton University.

Call Sally on 07963 431405 if you would like to attend or have any questions about the course,

For LASTING RESULTS IN YOUR CLASSROOM MUSIC, please join us on this fantastic one-day course.  Cost £99.00 per teacher.  FREE SINGING GAMES BOOK AND DVD. Call Sally on 07963 431405 or visit our contact page and send us an email.

VENUE

Brighton& Hove Music & Arts Centre

There is free parking at the centre and it is 5 minutes walk from the nearest train station…

TIMING OF THE DAY

10 am until 4pm

Hello! I just wanted to clarify for people who are unsure, that if you buy Active Music now, or are currently using it, it will still be fully in line with the NEW Music National Curriculum in 2014.

Active Music covers the MUSICAL SKILLS element of the Music National Curriculum:

The 2014 Curriculum for Key Stage 1 states that:

Pupils should be taught to:

• Use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
• Play tuned and unturned instruments musically
• experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music

We cover all of these in Key Stage 1.  Because we are focused on the specific music-making skills we do not cover the listening element or the ICT element, although many skills learnt within Active Music can be transferred to ICT.

The 2014 Curriculum for Key Stage 2 states that:

Pupils should be taught to:

• play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression.
• improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music
• Listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory
• Use and understand (staff and) other musical notations

We cover all of these in Key Stage 2.  Again, because we are focused on the specific music-making skills we do not cover the listening element, the historical element or the ICT element, although many skills learnt within Active Music can be transferred to ICT.

Additions to Active Music with the New 2014 Curriculum will include activities to teach staff notation, which is not a requirement of the current National Curriculum.  These will be extensions of current lesson plans.

I hope this is helpful and gives you clarity.  Any questions, please phone me on 07963 431405 or email me at office@primarymusicspecialist.com.

Best wishes,  Sally…

It seems that the old Music National Curriculum doesn’t have to be followed throughout 2013 in preparation for the new Music National Curriculum in Sept 2014.  Wow! So music teachers have a lot of freedom this year… I know some teachers like the security of clear guidelines to follow and some like to be more spontaneous.  I wonder what the new National Curriculum will be like…

Active Music follows a child-developmental approach that focuses on the development of musical skills in small, logical steps.  This provides clear guidelines within itself and this is the basis on which Active Music is written. From this music/child developmental approach I have made links with the Music National Curriculum.

When the new Music National Curriculum comes out in 2014 I will align the Active Music skills with it, so you can be sure you are always working within the targets that should be covered.

This is what the Department for Education is currently saying…

The current national curriculum programmes of study for music at key stages 1 and 2 have been disapplied with effect from 1 September 2013 and are no longer statutory. This means that schools are free to develop their own curriculums for music that best meet the needs of their pupils, in preparation for the introduction of the new national curriculum from September 2014.

Music remains a compulsory national curriculum subject at key stages 1 to 3. New statutory programmes of study will be introduced from September 2014.

Well, let’s watch this space and see what happens!

This activity on teaching pulse is excellent – you can do it with any class from Reception to Year 6 – it’s highly entertaining – for you as the teacher, as well as for the children!!

In a nutshell it is this – lay out a whole load of hoops on the floor – in a line accross the room.  The children line up and one by one they ‘run’ inside the hoops, putting each foot down on the pulse.  You will need some music with a clear pulse for them to do this to (see below) – when the child has reached the end of the line of hoops, they go back and join the queue.  The activity goes on and on and is highly amusing and excellent for instilling the feeling of the pulse.  I learnt it on an Orff session at a Kodaly Easter school and really enjoyed it – I then did it with my year 4 class – it’s a lesson  high in energy and silliness and I love it!  Highly recommended!

Excellent (and very silly) music to do this to is ‘Jumping Bean’ (Robert Farnon and his orchestra’- find it on i-tunes)

N.B. You will need hall space (maybe do it at the beginning of a P.E. lesson if you can’t get the hall for music?!)

ANOTHER OPTION – have lots of groups of children with fewer hoops per group around the room so they are more continuously involved…

EXTENSION – place the hoops further apart!

Music Course June 28th ’13 Brighton

A fantastic day – we covered starter songs/games, rhythm and pulse games and activities, lots of ways to teach the difference between pulse and rhythm, how to teach pitch using pentatonic solfa (see picture), how to use chime bars in the classroom, and 15+ things to do with just one chant or song, including the use of instruments.  It was a full-on, practical and great fun day…

What did the participants think?

‘If you can only go on one course, go on this one! Lots of brilliant ideas, good for noth specialist and non-specialist’ – Linda Cole, Director of Music, Pennthorpe School, Rudgwick

‘This course covers lots of the curriculum areas and provides you with plenty of ideas on how to improve the teaching of music – it helps you build confidence and makes music teaching fun – it takes away the stress!’ – Julie Howliston – teaching student, University of Brighton

‘This course has helped me enormously as a non-specialist music teacher.  Full of ideas to engage children and make music learning fun. Also very helpful for breaking down and extending skills – a marvellous day – well worth attending. Thanks, I really enjoyed the day’ – Sue Harris, Balcombe Primary School

‘Excellent for refreshing your ideas and giving you new ways of thinking about music – thank you – I feel excited about my new job’ – Rebecca Kerney Haynes – Southwater Junior Academy

‘Lots of inspirational ideas – clear structure – I feel much more confident in approaching music now – looking forward to trying new things on my final school placement – really enjoyed the day – very glad I came!’ Oliver Caddy -final year student – University of Brighton

‘Excellent course – completely relevant material that can be directly transported to the classroom – thoroughly enjoyed the day – could very easily be held over 2,3,4 days!  I will definitely put all the resources to use!’

‘Lots of ideas to use and build on in lessons.  Introduction to solfa and notation to enable composing and using pitched instruments, giving me an idea of what can be achieved in the classroom and the confidence to be able to teach it – thank you for your knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm – a really enjoyable day and full of great ideas’ – Mandy Powell, student, University of Brighton

‘This course provides you with lots of new ideas and information and will increase your confidence. It’s a lovely safe atmosphere where you can practise and ask any questions. Thank you for a lovely day – I can’t wait to teach children all these new chants, songs and games’ – Katie Wyke, student, University of Brighton

‘This course covers the practical skills – actually doing the activities. There is lots of subject knowledge, right down to the first steps of rhythm, pulse and pitch, solfa was well explained’ – Sophie Plachcinski and Rhiannan Vaughan – Whytemead First School

‘Really good ideas to use in class every day, for every teacher!  Good suggestions for children of all ages and abilities. Thank you for a really lovely, helpful day!  Helen Jones, Discovery Primary School

‘Great practical skills, fantastic resources, fun and engaging!’ Elise Brogan, Seddlescombe Primary School

IF you are thinking of attending a future course, please keep visiting me here at my blog and I will soon give the dates and venues of the next courses I will be running.  Alternatively you can call me,  Sally,  on 07963 431405 or email office@primarymusicspecialist.com.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Hello! Welcome to my blog!

interactive drumming

My aim with this blog is to help you become the best music teacher ever!  There are many free lessons and DVDs to inspire you and get you started, as well as lots of information on report writing, the National Curriculum and assessment.

Let me guess though – the thing you need THE MOST as a Primary Music Specialist is REPERTOIRE!!!  Everyone needs more repertoire, don’t they!  You want games and activities and easy ways to create compositions… You need ways to engage your children and create successful music lessons.

I would like to encourage you to have a FREE TRIAL of ACTIVE MUSIC – you can’t lose and you will be amazed at the amount of repertoire and new ideas that can really help you in your classroom music.

If you are considering the course on 28th June in Brighton, it would be great to see you – the day is very practical and amazing fun!

I would love to know more about you – your job, what you love and what you struggle with – so please feel free to reply to me and share your situation – and I will do my best to help.

Take care,

Sally

If you have always come to music teaching randomly, wondering what you should do next and exhausting yourself, trying to think of new and inspiring ideas, Active Music will give you order, calm, structure and creativity. It will give you happy and interactive children, an inner-knowing that you are giving excellent musical skills to your children and an impressed head teacher, not to mention colleagues!  It will also give you a long, uninterrupted summer holiday (if you were planning to spend it on writing music lessons!!)  I think that changes your life a bit!!!!

1-DAY KODALY-BASED PRIMARY MUSIC COURSE

IMPACT YOUR SCHOOL AND SEE GREAT RESULTS IN PRIMARY MUSIC!

‘Brilliantly useful’

FRIDAY 31st JANUARY 2014 – ACS HILLINGDON INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

‘It’s mindblowing how many games there are to use in the classroom’

Come along for:

• Increased confidence in music teaching
• Increased knowledge of the Music National Curriculum
• Discussion about the NEW Music Curriculum in 2014
• How to teach music skills progressively
• 100 + of activities – songs, singing games and practical musical activities to teach immediately in the classroom
• Tips on how to work towards outstanding music lessons
• A refreshed love for music teaching

Receive a FREE singing games book and DVD of your choice – worth up to £34.99!

We have an ever-expanding repertoire of over 500 singing games and musical activities – but don’t worry, we don’t teach them to you all at once! We teach:

Singing game with xylophones

circle games,   name games

rhythm games,  pitch games

puppet games, instrumental games

Turn-taking games and many, many more! 

We then USE the games to teach musical skills such as notation and composition

WILL THIS COURSE WORK FOR YOU? WHAT DO OTHERS THINK?

‘Brilliantly useful – it’s mindblowing how many games there are to use in the classroom’ – ‘very engaging and practical’ – very enjoyable music course – great subject knowledge and pace – thank you’ – ‘excellent pack of resources and ideas’ – it has inreased my bank of songs, rhymes, games etc and improved my confidence’ – I like the many ways of using one song to develop musical skills’ – ‘I now have an overview of developing musical skills stage by stage’ – a practical approach to learning just as the children do’……

Course run by Sally Wagter, an experienced music specialist of 15 years, music trainer of 10 years and creator of 6 Primary Music Resource books and the Active Music Primary Music Teaching Scheme. Sally has a B/Ed (Hons) and a Professional Practice Certificate in the Kodaly Concept of Music Education accredited by Roehampton University.

Call Sally on 07963 431405 if you would like to attend or have any questions about the course,

For LASTING RESULTS IN YOUR CLASSROOM MUSIC, please join us on this fantastic one-day course.  Cost £99.00 per teacher.  FREE SINGING GAMES BOOK AND DVD. Call Sally on 07963 431405 or visit our contact page and send us an email.

VENUE

ACS Hillingdon International School 108 Vine Lane, Hillingdon, Middlesex UB10 0BE England