Good Practice Case Study

Fleetville Junior School

School No: 420

BOING!

Year 5 pupils at Fleetville Junior School have been using basketballs to create music and dance compositions.

Music with basketballs!

Following a BOING! music workshop provided by Hertfordshire Music Service Primary Music Consultant, Nicky Macer, the idea of using basketballs and other objects to create music has been enthusiastically developed and extended into a unit of work by the school's music leader, Elaine Bridle.

BOING! takes as its starting point the work of the performing group STOMP. Children learn that objects other than conventional instruments can be used to make and organise sound patterns, which are structures around units of 8 beats. They are taught patterns which build up into a Rondo structure (a musical form where a 'A section' is a kind of chorus to which more and more new 'verses' are added, i.e. ABACADAEA. ) The analogy of a club sandwich with bread and various fillings is used to help the children's understanding. The children are also challenged to make up their own section, taking into account the musical elements of dynamics and timbre. The result is a whole calss performance piece in which everyone works as a team and plays an important individual role.

At Fleetville Junior, all of the year 5 pupils participate, and take advantage of the summer weather to work outside. The sound of the balls echoing off nearby walls is very impressive! The work combines elements of dance and physical education and iss enjoyed equally by boys and girls.

There is something in BOING! to appeal to visual, aural and kinaesthethic learning preferences, and it makes a valuable contribution to the development of listening, concentration, co-ordination and memory skills.

After completing the class performance, children work in groups to compose and present their own work.

The next step is to introduce 'instruments' other than basketballs. Hockey sticks and brooms are used to explore new sound and movement combinations.

This way or that way	Clicking Sticks
Jumping a ladder of broomsticks	The cleanest playground in St Albans!

This project is part of the rich, varied and inclusive music provision at Fleetville Junior school. Elaine has succeeded in putting together a unit of work which provides a holistic musical experience, and the children quickly learn that making music together is fun and rewarding.