Making Music Matter

Make music matter by embedding music in your setting. Develop children’s confidence in playing instruments, with the basic skills to produce an effective sound. Use a range of instruments that enable children to play simple tunes in an ensemble with others.

Have instruments available around school to help build understanding of music and provide regular opportunities for pupils to create and share their compositions.

Children will develop confidence to participate in music activities and will be able to perform for others and have their work heard. They will enjoy exploring the instruments, creating sounds, and expressing themselves through music.

Here are some instruments you may wish to look at. All come with free downloadable activities that you can use, adapt, and enjoy.

Boomwhacker and Rainbow Range

Ideal to enhance an outdoor space or sound garden to encourage music making at playtimes and lunchtimes. Each colour plays its own distinct note. Download our Little Book of Songs and have a go at playing different tunes such as:

Download our activity ideas HERE and give children the opportunity to work together to create sounds and compose tunes. Make your own Boomwhacker orchestra!

Gathering Drum

Drum up lots of fun, exploring rhythms and building confidence with music. The Gathering Drum has great cross-curricular links and is perfect for music lessons.

For example, see how it can be used in PE lessons:

Download our activity ideas HERE and explore a range of ways to use.

MES Soprano Glockenspiel

Great for starting to play tuned instruments and experiencing and learning key musical elements such as pulse, rhythm and pitch. Learn to play simple songs such as:

Build up confidence to play songs together, play as a round and perform to an audience.

Download our free activity cards HERE and enjoy learning songs and tunes and making up compositions of your own.

Gamelan Starter Set

Provide pupils with authentic instruments, such as the Indonesian Gamelan instruments, to discover traditions of another culture and listen to music from around the world.

Watch video clips of Gamelan instruments being played and enjoy creating your own musical patterns to accompany Indonesian stories and legends.

Download our free activity cards HERE and discover more about the Gamelan Starter Set.

Enjoy making music. Use our free downloads. If you have any brilliant ideas for using musical instruments throughout the school, please share them with us, we’d love to hear from you.