Chamber Tots in the Community
“Children that participate in Chamber Tots gain humanitarian, aesthetic, imaginative and emotional qualities – that are arguably central to a quality education that seeks to educate well-rounded, independently and creatively minded individuals.” Dr Susan Young, Exeter University
Wigmore Hall has had a strong commitment to making music with young children and their carers and has developed an extensive programme activity in the hall since 1998. The Chamber Tots programme for 2-5 year olds was initiated in response to the perceived gap in the provision of music education for pre-school children.
A limited capacity meant that workshops could only reach a narrow group of children whose parents could buy tickets and come to Wigmore Hall. There was a clear need to make this opportunity available for a much broader range of children and so in 2000, Chamber Tots in the Community was launched, taking the project out to nurseries and other early years settings across London and particularly focusing on areas of deprivation.
Since 2000, Chamber Tots in the Community has since worked with over 3000 children in over 80 early years settings in 11 boroughs. During 2009, Chamber Tots worked with 305 children from varying ethnicities, of which 11% had broad Special Education Needs (behaviour, speech & language, visual impairment).
Chamber Tots in the Community
Chamber Tots in the Community is the outreach programme of music activity for 2-5 year olds. Led by highly experienced workshop leaders and professional musicians, the project engages with children and early years practitioners from children’s centres, nurseries and Primary Schools across London.
Each Chamber Tots project runs from January – July each year in early years settings from across London. During 2011, Chamber Tots in the Community will be working with 14 early years’ settings from Hackney, Westminster and Tower Hamlets. Early years settings are selected by music advisors and early year’s teams from the Borough councils to ensure that the project is allocated to early years settings deigned lacking in musical provision and/or access.
The Workshops
Led by a professional workshop leader with extensive experience of early year’s work, each setting receive 7 workshops including three sessions with a group of professional musicians and one session for parents and their children together. Each workshop consists of group singing, percussion activities, rhythm games and movement, building a repertoire of group activities and songs.
Over the course of the 7 workshops, the children learn about basic musical elements; high and low, loud and soft, have the opportunity to hear live music from three different groups of professional musicians and develop confidence in child led activities. Free play time is dedicated to letting the children direct and create spontaneous music making. Exploration of instruments, both individually and in conjunction with others, is vital to developing the children’s confidence in leading imaginative music-making.
“The programme offers exceptional musical experiences that engage and excite young children and enhance and enrich their lives in every respect” Dr Susan Young
The project culminates in a visit to the Wigmore Hall for the Chamber Tots Jamboree. Parents, early year’s practitioners and children are invited to Wigmore Hall for this concert encouraging a broader community to engage with and access the programme of events.
Project Aims
- To provide access to high quality live music and a series of participatory creative music making activities for 2-5 year olds, focusing provision in areas of greatest need
- To support nursery staff and parents/ carers in identifying and using their musicality with children and gaining new ideas for progressing and developing the musical skills of children
- To develop skills of teachers in the following areas:
- Facilitating music and creative arts within the EYFS curriculum
- Developing confidence in general music making and in leading singing activities
- Developing musical awareness through free play activities and spontaneous music making
- Listening and performing
- To develop skills of children in the following areas:
- Inclusive music-making
- Co-operation; turn-taking
- Increased love and confidence in creative play
- More confident play with instruments
- Increasing musical spontaneity, flexibility and responsiveness
- Explore role-play links: encourage musicality through role-play
A Lasting Impact
Through participation in Chamber Tots, children gain first-hand experience of music-making activities with professional musicians. Chamber Tots provides children with enrichment experiences that would not normally be available to them and provides opportunities to listen to and participate in activity of high musical quality. Through the provision of inset days and extensive resource packs, CDs and percussion instruments, Chamber Tots ensures that activities introduced can be sustained in the settings when the project concludes.
“Music and songs are being revived in the life of the centres” Support worker, Children’s Centre Hackney
