Category Archives: Early Years

2017/5 Classroom Percussion – Group exercise for Early Years

Here’s a lesson that went rather well today. I remembered one of the games I tripped across while looking at Drum circle activities, on youtube, posted by a drummer called Kalani. (I was so impressed by him, that I bought … Continue reading

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2017/3 A Snail song for young children

I found this song and game on youtube; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Oz5wOq8qLY no, back a step, I found the song on www.singup.org which is a great song site, but you need to PAY MONEY to join it (but loads and loads of resources). … Continue reading

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99/100 We’re Going on a Bearhunt

I watched the animation of this famous children’s classic story on television over Christmas. It’s been written down by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. I say “written down” rather than “written”, because, as Michael Rosen says himself, it … Continue reading

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75/100 The shy soloist

This week’s challenge with the infant class concerned the soloist for the Nativity Play. She is supposed so be a sheep, and has a solo to sing to the other sheep. Left to her own devices, she sings confidently all … Continue reading

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74/100 The Singing Tummy-Button Success

The last post concerned a young lad in the infant class who consistently sang in a high-pitched version of the more usual drone of children who “haven’t found their singing voice”. A week later, and I was working with the … Continue reading

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54/100 “So-Mi” songs, Bee Bee

Another So-mi song which I use all the time with classes up to the age of about 7 It’s well worth indicating the pitch movement in the melody, with Kodaly hand movements or just by moving your hand up, down, … Continue reading

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15/100 1,2,3 It’s Good to Be Me

Great song for Keystage 1 and Early Years; It is on www.singup.org, and also on youtube here, with words and signing; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igmU0b65WCU and here, as a backing track and words only; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYexa_3uFGc I haven’t tried signing properly it yet. I … Continue reading

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Issue 147: ‘So-Mi’ songs

Songs that use these two notesĀ are the bedrock of early lessons in almost any instrument; clarinets – use G and E. Piano, use F and D. Ukuleles, open G and E strings. Descant recorders, C’ and A. Or G and … Continue reading

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