Introduction to Early Years Music Making
Music is vitally important for the personal, social and educational development of young children. Through participation in interactive activity and exposure to music, children are able to explore their own creativity and confidence through positive means which will benefit them as they grow and develop. Research also suggests that music impacts on the development of language, social skills, emotional responses, motor skills, mathematics and science.
Personal
Through involvement in music, children develop confidence in self-expression and independent creativity, exploration, and identity. Musical activity provides children with the means to explore role-play and emotion, and to develop vocabulary and communication.
Social
Musical activity helps to develop positive relationships and develops listening and responding, which supports the ongoing exploration of independent decision making and turn taking. Making music together helps to create a positive safe community, shared experience, and group identity. Music activitiy can give an outlet to the emotions that is much more basic than language and facilitate the communication of a feeling to others.
Educational
Reading
The use of written symbols and patterns to represent sounds or ways of playing supports the development of literacy skills. For example, a picture of a lion might be used to represent playing loudly, and a mouse to play quietly. Symbols can also be more abstract, and come from ideas that the children have, for example a child might draw a big red cross to represent ‘loud’, or wavy lines to represent playing long sustained sounds.
Motor skills
A certain amount of dexterity is required to play an instrument, or to hold a beater. Children can be encouraged to control the sound produced (loud, quiet, fast, slow, etc.) and timing and anticipation can be explored.
Development of language (see Singing and Early years)
Through participation in singing, chants and rhymes, children can join in when they are ready. The vocal expression and control of the voice illustrated by the adult through singing helps children to assimilate knowledge about the structure of language and the use of words. Singing can be used to encourage the development of language for children with English as a second language. For English speakers, it can be used to introduce other languages.
Science
A great deal of experimentation with instruments can be done to find out how sounds are made – by striking, plucking, scraping, blowing, shaking, children are encouraged to explore and investigate sounds. Exploring how volume is controlled and what effects the length of a sound (acoustics) is also part of a child’s science education.
Maths
Repeating rhymes and counting songs is a great way to explore maths with this age. Sorting instruments into groups, e.g wooden, metal, bells etc, also links in with the EYFS curriculum.
