All Aboard! for a musical journey
A child’s step, jump or a tiptoe can now been turned into musical sounds as a result of All Aboard! a new early years activity created by Music4U – the Humber Region Youth Music Action Zone.
All Aboard! is an imaginative workshop for young children between the ages of three and five and is suitable for all regardless of their abilities. It uses a system known as MIDIcreator to translate movement into musical sounds. This is used in conjunction with sensors and switches, which are embedded into brightly coloured soft play equipment, to create opportunities for young children to make music. Even the smallest movement can produce a drum roll, a trumpet fanfare and a host of other musical sounds. Each All Aboard! session can take a maximum of eight children and runs over three weeks.
All Aboard! has been supported by BBC’s Children in Need and was piloted in selected nurseries across the Humber Region with huge success. The workshops are been run by a team of community musicians who have completed the Music4U Community Music for Practitioners Training Course. One of these musicians, Sue Murray, who led workshops at the Leap Frog Day Nursery in Beverley, was impressed by the engagement of the children: “All children no matter what their music skills can take part, even those who are inhibited after just a moment of watching want to have a go.”
All Aboard! uses themes allowing for a variety of different sounds to be created along a storyline. These themes include world music, animal noises, Wild West and Christmas time.
As well as developing musical skills, All Aboard! also encourages a range of social skills in those taking part. All Aboard! can improve listening skills, help children interact socially, develop self awareness, vocabulary and confidence to try new activities, help maintain concentration and attention, and encourage turn taking. Delma Tomlin, Director of Music4U, hoped that now that the All Aboard! package was available for all nurseries in the Humber Region that many more young people would enjoy being creative with technology. She added: “The workshops are tremendous fun and the children really enjoy pressing the sensors, switches and pads to create some wonderful sounds. By working with the children for three sessions we are able to achieve some excellent results.”
To make a booking and to find out more about costs, nurseries and parent/childminding groups in the Humber Region can contact Music4U on 01904 632220 or email info(at)humber-music4u.com. There is also information about All Aboard! at www.humber-music4u.com.
Editors Notes:
This project is organised by Music4U - The Humber Region Youth Music Action Zone. More information is available at http://www.humber-music4u.com/
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