So what do you do at Hullabaloo?

Themes:
Each week at Hullabaloo, I choose a theme, such as farm animals, shapes, numbers and counting, transport, food and drink, holidays, colours etc. This enables me to talk to the children about the topic, show them pictures and props, look at books and of course to sing songs and play music associated with the theme.
With the older classes, I also teach “music skills" each term, such as dynamics, tempo, pitch or rhythm. I call this the "theory section" and it is an opportunity to try to introduce the children to the basic elements of understanding and reading music. It is only for a short time each week, but there is always a handout or booklet which summarises what we have covered during this section. Each child gets their own Hullabaloo theory folder to keep their collection of handouts in. The baby classes get a folder too, but instead of theory, their handouts contain the lyrics from a new song we have learned that week.

Structure:
My classes follow a similar structure every week, as it is important for children to be able to recognise a routine in order to help them to settle into the classes and to understand concepts such as taking turns, giving instruments back or having to sit quietly at certain times. I like the classes to be informal and relaxed, so that I can respond to the questions, behaviour, and abilities of the children in each class, and so that the children can move around and express themselves freely (within reason!). Children learn best through repetition so I use plenty of old favourites, along with new songs that soon become favourites. Every week we play at least two percussion instruments and play with at least one "prop" (parachute, scarves, streamers, pom poms, hoops, balls , beanbags etc.). I also like to expose the children to different music styles from around the world so I often use pieces of music other than songs and nursery rhymes in my programmes.

Throughout the programme I use a balance of the following:

Movement or action songs which develop gross motor skills, agility, balance and co-ordination.

Playing instruments. I use a variety of percussion instruments, and each child has their own to play. We generally all play the same one at once. This enables us to focus and to learn to play the instrument properly. Playing instruments teaches careful listening skills and develops fine motor skills as children feel the rhythm and beat of the music and try to play in time, which in turn aids counting and mathematical development. Playing also introduces the idea of particpating as part of a group at a basic level and children learn to share and swap their instruments and to take turns at using them.

Live and recorded music. It is very good for children to hear music from a variety of sources, whether it is from a CD, the voice alone or from live instruments. Listening in this way helps the chidlren to develop their own sense of pitch by either matching a tune, creating the tune by themselves, or singing the tune over the top of a different sound (this one is the hardest!!). I always use recorded music in my classes, along with songs without any accompaniment and of course my guitar.

Nursery rhymes involve lots of repetitive sounds and words (twinkle twinkle, row row row etc) and they are good for introducing the idea of rhyming words. They are great for language development and for learning basic phrasing, which is vital for both playing music and speech development.

Lap songs, finger plays and counting songs. These are quieter songs which develop fine motor skills, are fun for babies (lots of bouncing and tickling) and introduce numbers and counting to the older children.

Props and games.
I have a wide variety of props that we play with like hoops, streamers pom-poms, beanbags, scarves, bubbles, parachute etc. I tend to use these with action songs or music that is good for self-expression, dancing and movement. These are meant to be great fun, but they also help to develop hand – eye co-ordination. I also devise games like “transport lotto” and play listening exercises with the children like “guess the animal noise”.