New Melody Monkey Resource

By: Helenka Bednar

 

Melody Monkey's Marvellous Music Box has had a makeover this season. The music resource has had a new box design, a new finger puppet added, and a brand new song book compiled. The song book contains twenty new songs and rhymes, with five new stories. The updated resource will be available for all those working with young children to help them run music-making sessions.

The Melody Monkey box was created as a music resource for use with children in their early years, by Music4U - Youth Music's Action Zone in the Humber region. The box contains instruments, puppets, songs, games and two CDs, to help practitioners lead music-making sessions with groups of young children. Owners of the existing box will also have the chance to expand their repertoire with the new songs and stories with Melody Monkey Songbook 2, (also available separately).

Each of the stories in the new book features the animal glove puppets - Melody Monkey, Crotchet Crocodile, Octave Owl, Forte Frog and Five Little Monkeys. The puppets help the children to explore concepts such as finding and using their singing voices, understanding pulse and rhythm, and finding out about the sounds of different musical instruments.

Freelance education worker Barbara Dunn, has used the box in her work. "I loved using the Melody Monkey Marvellous Music Box with young children. The instruments are just the right size, they are attractive and make a good sound. The puppets are fun to use and the songbook, with its CDs, is a treasure chest of ideas to teach basic concepts and skills."

Melody Monkey Marvellous Music Box is available from the National Centre for Early Music. The Box with Song Books 1 and 2 costs £185 + VAT plus postage and packaging. For those who already have a box, the new songbook is priced at £25 + VAT. To place an order email info(at)humber-music4u.com or ring 01904 632220.