Whether you are a non-specialist focussing on music for the festive season or an experienced music teacher, we have teaching resources and ideas to inspire.
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| From now until the end of term the singing isn't going to stop, these
resources will help you make the best of music in school. Photograph:
Adrian Sherratt/Alamy
Like it or not, Christmas spirit comes early to schools – so this is the time of year when even non-specialist teachers find themselves devoting inordinate amount of times to music and festive singing.
We have some inspiring music teaching resources to share which will uplift non-specialists and experienced music teachers alike.
We
start off with some excellent resources shared by Jackie Schneider, a
teacher on a mission to help fellow primary teachers teach music. Find
Jackie's useful presentation on teaching primary music as a non-specialist
dealing with such desperate questions as: "But I'm not musical, how can
I teach music?" There are lots of generous music teachers who like
nothing better than to share if you know where to look: I need some help to teach music is a handy guide to online inspiration.
Are you sitting comfortably? investigates children's listening and here are some fantastic and simple ideas of using ICT to teach music. Also see Jackie's easy-to-use workshop on Djembe drumming. Jackie's blog St Teresa's Music Matters, has more interesting ideas and examples of class work.
Sing Up's festive pack
is a real treat, packed with fabulous ideas including creating an
interactive Twelve Days of Christmas as a fantastic finale to your
school concert.
This resource on making Winter soundscapes
should create atmospheric wonder in your classroom, children
effectively become an orchestra with one maestro directing the sounds,
also watch the Winter soundtrack webinar to find out more about putting movement and drama to your songs. Find Sing it out and shake it all about for practical ideas involving bottle tops to harness the power of music making in primary school.
How to lead a singing session
includes lively tips and ideas for teaching SEN and older key stage 2
children. Teachers who haven't had any specialist training in music can
often find they strain their own voices, these voice warm up exercises should help and also find Inside the voice
for an explanation of why teachers are affected by vocal health
problems and tips on protecting your voice. Teachers will find loads of
songs from traditional carols to pop classics in Sing Up's songbank.
Roger Clarkson, director of the National Children's Orchestras explains why he thinks the best resource has got to be the children themselves.
Thank you to National Deaf Children's Society for sharing a fantastic resource on how to make music activities accessible for deaf children and young people,
which helps show teachers how children with hearing loss can enjoy
music, including practical tips and how to teach deaf children to play
music and sing in individual tuition and group work.
Jolly Music has shared some inspiration on how the Early Years and Foundation Stage (EYFS) goals for music teaching can be achieved,
addressing the problems experienced by primary school teachers who
have no musical background themselves and packed with songs and rhymes
to build confidence in music for all pupils including those with SEN.
Thank you so much to Anna Gower, star music teacher and head of community music at Monk's Walk school
for sharing some thought-provoking music resources which should inspire
even specialist music teachers to reevaluate their practice. First of
all read Anna's story of how she got involved in the Musical Futures programme – which turned everything she thought she knew about music teaching upside down and inside out.
Find a fascinating PowerPoint on what makes outstanding music teaching which includes a discussion of what Ofsted want and reasons why only 7% of children take up music at key stage 4. These seven steps to outstanding music lessons give real food for thought.
Here's a really interesting presentation on Anna's Music and Inclusion project 2013-2014
which looks at the role of the instrumental tutor in mentoring and
coaching students (you can read more about that project on the music for everyone blog) and here's a fascinating case study on setting up a music and transition initiative with feeder primary schools. Music teachers wanting to witness outstanding music teaching in action should see mrsgowersclasses.wordpress.com. Don't miss the Musical Futures sharing wall packed with a multitude of great ideas from passionate music teachers.
And finally, if this festive focus on music has got your students all excited about songwriting then then why not enter Amnesty International's Young Human Rights Songwriter and Performer competition? Here is a thrilling pack looking at protest music and the lyrics of social change, including a lesson by rapper and songwriter Kate Tempest. Listen to this Radio 1 Make Some Noise clip featuring last year's protest song winners and their songs. Teachers and young people can find out more on the Amnesty website.
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