Here’s a fun game to play with a DIY spinner to get you started with some musical composition.
Composition Game to Play with your Children
Musical games to play at home. A fun way to get your children to have a go at composition, and to make their own music. Great for homeschool music composition class.
Music Product Review: Kazoo that Tune game
A review of a silly, fun musical game- Kazoo That Tune!
Product Review: Music Instruments Colouring Book
Reviewing a children’s music-themed colouring book.
Call And Response Games To Play With Your Children
Playing music games is a great way to pass some time at home, and with the educational benefits of call and response rhythm games. A fun way to teach your child turn taking.
Spotlight on Sensory Scarves
What are sensory scarves and why should you get some to use in musical play?
Spotlight on Sleigh Bells / Jingle Bells
A post shining a spotlight on a festive favourite instrument- sleigh bells. Make music with your children to get you into a festive mood with sleigh bells.
Learning to Listen to Music: What Does This Music Make You Think Of?
Introducing a new series of blog posts: children’s (my children’s) responses to music. Imaginative responses to music
Spotlight on Mini Tambourines
Mini tambourines are a good instrument choice for smaller children. They are easier for small children to hold onto, and therefore play independently; and for very small children who mouth objects, enclosed mini tambourines are available, which are much safer for them to use on their own. What Is a Tambourine? Tambourine means little drum,... Continue Reading →
Spotlight on glockenspiel
A spotlight on the glockenspiel. A first musical instrument for children in the tuned percussion family.
Spotlight on tambourine
Spotlight on tambourine, a great first percussion instrument. What is a tambourine and how to play it
Music Book Review: Debi Gilori’s Nursery Rhymes
When I first had my son, my eldest, was home from the hospital,everyone had been to visit and we found ourselves alone for the first time, I thought I would sing to him. I was a musician and had spent a lot of time at school and Uni singing so I must know what to... Continue Reading →
Music Book Review: Usborne Listen and Learn Musical Instruments
Today’s Music Book Review is Listen and Learn Musical Instruments from Usborne Books. We do have quite a lot of Usborne books at home. They are quite fantastic for young children - and that is my experience so far as my eldest is 6 years old as I write this. My recommendations may change as... Continue Reading →
Counting songs
Music is fantastic for learning. As a student I would often struggle to remember texts I was supposed to learn, and would absolutely not be able to tell you about any of the stuff I learned today; but song lyrics I heard in my teenage years, even younger, can flood back in an instant as... Continue Reading →
8 Happy Songs
For this week’s playlist, we have a selection of very happy songs, or pieces of music. These are all fun, bubbly, joyful works that will have you up and dancing and maybe even singing or humming along to them. If you ever need a pick me up, these would all be ideal to listen to.... Continue Reading →
Ukelele Challenge
Ukelele is a great first instrument for children to learn. It is small, so a good size for small hands, it has 4 strings, so is not overly complicated, it is quite easy to play, and you only have to learn a few chords before you can start to play tunes you know and like.... Continue Reading →
Making a DIY hand drum
Making a hand drum out of items you have at home. Keeping the children busy with screen free activities.
Making a DIY cardboard box guitar
Another incredibly simple instrument to have a go at making at home this week. Today we have a box guitar! Now you can make these guitars as fancy or as plain as you like. We opted for plain so we could get on with using them- the children couldn’t wait to use them! You can... Continue Reading →
How music has been helping us through homeschool
So it is the end of week 6 of lockdown for us, and the end of the first week that we have had organised home learning from school. I had thought that it would help us enormously having access to a full timetable of activities from school for my eldest, and his teachers have clearly... Continue Reading →
Making DIY straw and foil shaker
Making easy musical instruments with children, to keep children busy during the corona lockdown.
Making DIY Lego shaker
Making DIY Lego shaker. An instrument my 5 year old was able to make entirely independently.
Learning musical notation
If you have read this blog before you will know that I decided to use this time to teach my children some music. One of the things I wanted to teach my 5year old was how to start reading musical notation. You can read more about starting to teach him about this here. In a... Continue Reading →
Making Balloon Shakers
More DIY instruments to make with your children while stuck in self isolation. This time: balloon shakers.
Musical Games: Notation on Craft sticks
Games for teaching music notation/rhythm at home.