Music is essentially about making music and creating music, and using instruments and voices are of course integral to this. A range of technologies also offer a myriad of opportunities for children make and create music in their own time, and there is scope to bring this into formal learning at all levels of education.
The tools used for making and creating music vary greatly depending upon factors such as availability, choice and purpose. The term ‘instruments’ can also be very broadly interpreted to mean, for example, the use of body percussion, drumsticks on chairs, in fact anything we have available. Ultimately, giving children regular access to a wide range of instruments and opportunities to develop their musical skills within a worthwhile framework is very important.
Task
Take a good look around your school and make a list of all of the instruments available for use (it is possible that the music coordinator in the school may have already started a list that you can add to). Note that sometimes there are instruments stashed away in other classrooms away from the main instruments that you could also have access to!
