Babies aged 6m – walking
Babies are often quiet and shy when they join class – taking everything in with big wide eyes and not immediately springing into action! Within a few weeks you will see them recognise their teacher and Jo when he comes round to greet them. They will reach into the instrument box to retrieve their instrument themselves – or if mobile will crawl or shuffle over excitedly to the box. I have even had some very adept rollers! As they mature and spend more time in class they become very sure of themselves, enjoying socialising with the other children, “visiting” other mums and dads in the class and making themselves known by playing in the quiet bits of the music when everyone else is going “shhhhh” much to the amusement of the grown-ups in the class.
We will do a lap songs section, incorporating some traditional nursery rhymes, but also great new music because after all who wants to sing Humpty Dumpty all the time? We dance and play with streamers and other colourful props to stimulate the babies, have hand puppets and wind up toys, giant balls and bubbles.
1's and 2's
Now the children are more mobile we make sure we have plenty of action in the class but also begin to introduce a gentle structure to help them get the best out of the class. But don’t worry it is normal for this age group to want to explore the room – we don’t expect them to be glued to laps. We play with streamers moving expressively to the music or practicing gross motor movements, the parachute is great fun and everyone begins to get very tidy and enjoy helping me to clear away the instruments or teddies or props! The children really begin to settle into class and it is easy to spot those who started as babies or who have been coming a while. We do simple actions with the instruments – loud and soft; different tempos; play high and low. We play over different parts of our body and begin to learn to control our movements and impulses. As the children turn two they progress into the next group and can tackle more complex action and instrument songs. Their listening skills get honed and they are able to concentrate for longer and really get into the themes of the class, showing me all they know about colours or the farm or transport for example.
3's and 4's
Our older children amaze me! They are excellent copiers. They have learned to listen for instructions and follow them. They can beat in time and have an appreciation for the tone of music – is it happy or sad? High like butterflies or low like stamping? They even tell me jokes or tease me!
We will often play a multi-instrument song which is quite an organisational challenge for them, but they love a challenge. We spend 5-10 minutes of the class doing a “Music Theory” activity which develops their abilities further and they are given their own named homework folder and weekly homework sheets plus sticker rewards. We will cover basic notation, learning about the beats of crotchets, quavers and the like and making up sound patterns. We may follow a musical story listening to and identifying many instruments of the orchestra. They have made their own instruments at home (and what instruments!) and played them proudly in class. When they leave to go off to the reception class in school I know that they will have a distinct advantage over the child who has never done a structured activity like Jo Jingles. Teachers have remarked upon this. Parents can be very proud of the hours and hours of one on one time they have given their child in bringing them in some cases for 4 years to classes and working with their children, even through the difficult times when they just wanted to run around! |
Each week I write a new programme with music and activities specially picked to fit the theme the older children may be using, and adapted/changed to work for each age group. Jo Jingles has been established in the UK for over 10 years now and as such we have worked with some of the best known names in children’s music. We have music written especially for us and have permission to use music from some of the wonderful new composers for children’s music activities. This means quite simply that our programmes are both original and fresh, but also using music which is picked up easily incorporating repetition and simple language and melodies within a child’s range.