This July, we've been unwinding with some songs about Summertime at Bangers & Smash!
Photo by Redaviqui Davilli on Unsplash
Starting each session with a nursery rhyme about a little crab, we've hooked our thumbs together and made our middle, ring and little fingers into the crab's legs and our index fingers into his eyes on stalks. The children have enjoyed making the crab play hide and seek as well as discussing what might happen if he nipped them with his claws. They've also been pondering why children have to go to school when crabs get to play in rock pools all day long!
Kitty has brought in a selection of straw hats and the children have taken it in turns to stand at the front and sing The Sun Has Got His Hat On while shaking a set of bells. Over time, some children have developed the confidence to punch the bells in the air at the end of the song with a big 'hey!'
Next, Kitty has asked the children to describe the sound the bells make:
jingle
ting a ling
ding ding
What is making the sound?
'There's a little ball inside and it's hitting the metal'
'I can see the little ball!'
'I can hear the little ball!'
Kitty has then introduced a selection of instruments which are either made of metal or have metal parts and asked the children to listen to and describe the sounds they make:
a bicycle horn (beep beep)
some cymbals (crash)
a handbell (ding a ling)
a triangle (ting ting)
a tambourine (jingle)
Are the sounds long or short? What happens if you hold the metal part of the instrument? Does the sound change?
In the final week, Kitty has added some everyday objects and asked the children whether we could also make music with them:
a set of keys
two spoons
Most children have answered no until Kitty has begun to tap the spoons together, whereupon they've found themselves moving their bodies to the rhythm – watch out for impromptu music sessions during mealtimes!
Having laid all the metal instruments and objects on the floor, Kitty has then invited the children to come and choose an instrument by singing a gentle repeating line using the third, fifth and sixth notes of a major scale:
5 5 3 5 5 3 5 5 3 6 5 5 3
'Come and choose, come and choose, come and choose an instrument.'
This has given the children a great opportunity to learn about turn-taking. Not everyone has ended up with their first choice and they've had to work out the best way to get over this hurdle – perhaps by playing one instrument for a while and then swapping with a friend, perhaps by accepting that the instrument they had their eye on is sadly no longer available!
This has also allowed us to think about the way we handle instruments – how we choose them, how we hold and play them, how we know when to play and when to keep quiet and – last but not least – how we put them away! During our Tidy Up song, the children place their instruments back in Kitty's basket and the child who can do this the most gently gets a special mention at the end.
Finally, we've danced with a partner to DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince's Summertime and joined in with the chorus:
'Summer, Summer, Summertime... time to sit back and unwind!'
What a great way to end the academic year at Bangers and Smash – Kitty and the team wish you all a happy Summer holiday and look forward to seeing you again in September!