Malin had an assortment of African percussion instruments and throughout this experience, he taught us their names and allowed us to have a turn at joining him. Malin also sang some traditional African songs and encouraged us to join in with him singing. Some of the children were very excited to have a turn with the instruments; others needed a teacher to help them to gather the courage to stand up in front of everyone! When they weren't having a turn at the instruments, many of the children engaged in spontaneous dancing, demonstrating and developing their concept of rhythm.
Some of our babies, who were sitting in high chairs, so they could see they show, used the tray of the chairs as their drums, making movements that replicated those of Malin. Malin drew the children's attention to the different sounds that the drums made, and when he hit the drums with different hand movements, or in different areas on the top of the drum, he noted the different sounds that were created as well.
At the end of the experience, all the children had their faces painted in some tribal colours and they were able to explore the instruments for quite a while afterwards. The children did not want to say goodbye to Malin or his drums!
After this experience, the preschool children decided to make their own musical instruments. We collected milk bottles, decorated them, and filled them with a variety of pasta, rice and pulses. The children decided what was put into their shaker and how much was put in as well. We then experimented with the different sounds that the shakers made. The children discussed pitch and tone in very simple terms, and then experimented with different tempos and rhythms as they made music with their shakers. We had to use our listening skills in these various activities to be able to note the differences in the sounds made. The children were very proud of their musical creations, and will continue to use them in musical experiences for quite a while.
How this experience links to EYLF outcomes:
2.2: Children respond to diversity with respect.
3.2: Children take increasing responsibility for their own health and physical wellbeing.
4.1: Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination, and reflexivity.
4.3: Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another.
5.3: Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media.
