Striking the right note

Teaching music is about so much more than learning to play an instrument. Recent research carried out by Freenotes confirms the general belief that there is a direct link between better music teaching and a step-change in how our children could and should be developing. Robin Ashfield of Freenotes explains how outdoor musical instruments can provide a way of interacting through spontaneous creative expression.

According to some, we are set for a revolution in our classrooms. In January 2007, the then Education Secretary Alan Johnson in an exchange in the House explained that the Government was to extend music teaching in England's schools for those aged 5 to 14 through an investment of £30 million between 2006 and 2008. This new money was to back up their pledge that every primary child who wants to will have the opportunity to play a musical instrument, with the weighting of the funding to be for areas of greater deprivation, and an additional pot of £2m for instruments, this seems the ideal vehicle for music tuition. Coupled with the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), being introduced for children aged 0 to 5, there can be seen a powerful cocktail of vision, policy and resources.

Music is an art that has been undertaken within our schools since before the Education Reform Act of 1870 and only now, it is argued is there the appearance of the true value of musical learning within the broader curriculum, and how this should be harnessed for children from the earliest opportunity. Freenotes Ltd aims to develop this understanding, that as children learn music, so they learn so much more which adds to their development, and their ability to engage with the wider curriculum and accelerate their learning of other subjects.

It is widely understood that play and outdoor learning have added so much into the learning experience of children within their early years of organised learning. The Freenotes range of instruments aim to harness this enthusiasm and openness to outdoor learning and to take the principles of both play and structured learning to a new level.

The EYFS outlines what communication, literacy and language means for the child, and this outline mirrors the values that Freenotes sets as the ambition of the goals delivered through the use of their outdoor instruments: Building social relationships, developing friendships and trust are just add-ons that support this educational key stone. These principles are not in themselves new, but the concept of introducing them to the EYFS means that children have as an early experience success and achievement in their creativity which as they grow can be redirected into other areas of the curriculum.

In looking at early years learning and the introduction of the Foundation Stage Curriculum, there is at last an ebb away from the prescriptive table-top focus in schools which, some may say beleaguered our infant provision. At last there is the realisation of the value of kinesthetic learning and learning that allows the child to engage with their world in a way which is naturally inquisitive. Music provides many of the learning tools for the child, and in sharing these tools the child is at an advantage to then engage with the curriculum.

Let's look at some of these tools

Rhythm: Cadence and rhythm allow the child to pick up on the intonation of language and to have an opportunity to translate the oral to the literate, and to establish the link between the spoken or sung word and the written word. The Freenotes range of instruments allow the child to explore rhythm, to explore music making and to feel and hear the joy of bringing together a tune and a rhythm to reflect their creativity and experience.

The link between rhythm in music and reading is fundamental to the learning process and in the development of speech and literacy alike. Music as a key to this process enables there to be a frame around which the child can explore language. The use of nursery rhymes and limericks also express this process of learning and with music there is the fully engaged brain, with both sides of the brain being used to interpret the written word into the sung song. Music enables the child to bypass so many of the learning processes in a natural sweep that results in the youngest of children remembering nursery songs.

The development of memory strengthens the child's learning ability and as children grow so they pick up on more complex songs, lyrics and styles and if harnessed, this process of assimilating information for purpose enables the child to advance their reading and understanding of language in a unique way. Having access to instruments which facilitate this process enables the child to embrace the experience and to grow into the idea of creating music and using language as a natural tool. Likewise, the mathematics involved in predicting notes, and in contrasting the octave means that the numbering sequence is needed and becomes absorbed within the playing nature of the musical discovery.

With music as the tool to this process, and with an understanding of rhythm it can be seen as to how strategic in importance it is to develop the greater understanding of how children can develop their grasp of language.

In playing an instrument, the child is able to explore rhythm, to explore language and to develop a relationship between rhyme and language: What words go together, and 'how can I extend this tune to match my thinking'. The child is empowered to use language freely, and to interpret their own tunes in a way which reflects their creative thinking. Freenotes want to develop these themes by providing a range of instruments which allow the child to find different ways of expressing their musicality while being able to hear the benefit of participating in a style of music which is attractive and which is going to encourage the child to play.

In developing such songs, the child can be alone or in a group, there evolves the social side of music and the shared learning experience. With the added role of the teacher, cognitive development is stretched. Listening skills are honed, attention to speed, concentration and dynamics can be considered and these skills mirror the skills needed for reading and classroom learning.

From the Literacy Trust, to the DCSF there are numerous groups and bodies that are calling for an holistic understanding of the value of teaching music as a mechanism for children to access the curriculum. Using outdoor instruments as part of a taught music curriculum opens these doors, and enables the child to embrace this form of learning through to other curriculum areas. Guided by the teacher and given permission to try and to collaborate in music making will enable the child to appreciate the work they are doing.

Freenotes are delighted that the dated KS1 is now being replaced with Foundation Stage, and as pioneered in Wales, the whole value of experiential learning being centred through play, allows for the early years in school to be a creative crucible where the child is prepared to learn, and arrives at a point where they want to learn. This style of learning is based on discovery and experimentation, and with children being encouraged to explore the outdoor instruments, they are developing their ideas of what works and what does not. With there not being a 'wrong' answer, music can be used to demonstrate how together children can create and work out at varying levels their own musical journey.

The ability to link sounds and letters allows there to be measurement of the progress of learning in this style and provides within the teaching environment a format to which other areas of the curriculum can be introduced, be that science, history or any topic which can be drawn from the premise of language. Lending itself more directly to drama and dance, music inspires and allows children to participate at their own level. Freenotes believe that this is a powerful tool for encouragement and empowerment and that it truly supports the concept of 'every child' mattering.

To see a group of children playing with little direction on outdoor instruments demonstrates the value of the EYFS approach to learning and the benefits that this can have within the school community. Freenotes very much support this approach to learning and know that with teachers supporting this, there can be endless possibilities to support the schools ambition for their children.

Through the pattern of music, of the attributes music can offer a child, we can see the reflected benefits within the wider curriculum and the outstanding development that it inspires and delivers for the child. The reason for teaching music is not necessarily for itself, but for overall development and the creative and intellectual development of the child. Freenotes in providing a series of instruments that facilitate this process of learning are aware of the social value of this education. Working in teams, several children can play the same instrument, and there can be that shared experience of 'how' to create a song and develop an idea through a percussion instrument that will generate a wonderful sound.

In recognising these values, we hope that teachers will continue to be inspired about music in the curriculum, and how so much can be added to the learning potential of each child. In their research, the First Street organisation have discovered that very few children sing out of tune. Social conditioning of growing children, and the fear of failing, results in children and young people shying away from music-making. This disempowers them and results in their learning and development being hindered. With the confidence built in of early learning and success in music, we will see a whole generation of kids armed with a means to engage with their world in such a positive way, and in a way which feeds their creativity and imagination. This can only enrich their learning experience as they then move on to secondary learning and their teenage years.