Archive Videos of Music Classes with Children
There are over 200 videos on the Len Tyler Music School Facebook page. The following are a few examples. To see more go to https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/ and click on the video section.
Many thanks to all the teachers, parents and children for agreeing to take part in these videos and agreeing to share the content.
Warm up for parents
In this example the notes of the pentatone (La-So-Mi-Re-Do) are used in various combinations, firstly as an echo exercise, and then as a piece of two part work. This sort of warm up takes about one minute at most and is so well worth doing as it sets up the class, improves parents singing and boosts their confidence.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/1369917379791885/
Parents and toddlers learn about the musical rest
In this video parents and toddlers use teddies and sing Pease Pudding Hot. The actions are used to highlight the crotchet rest (Sh) that occurs in the song. This is all a matter of teaching this musical element at the unconscious level. By establishing this in the early years classes it can be brought to consciousness later such that the child will be able to read and write it with a full depth of understanding.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/1511432245640397/
Canon singing for Parents (with little ones)
Singing in canon is one of the best ways to make good sounds while siinging. Canons help to improve tuning and balance as well as being good fun. Here a group of parents with toddlers and babies sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in canon to produce a very pleasing result with the well known song.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/2152264128397866/
Using a giant scrunchie for parents and toddlers
In this example a giant scrunchie is used. Parents and toddlers rock back and forth in time to the song which is then repeated in canon. Canon singing is one of the best ways to improve singing. Including canon singing in parent and toddler groups improves the singing of all the adults which in turn leads to a better musical experience for the children.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/178817336354518/
Parents and toddlers learn about pulse, sound and silence while playing xylophones
In this clip parents with toddlers learn about creating silence at the end of the song. Getting little ones to stop when they are having so much fun is not the easiest thing to do, but with all adults actively joining in this group is successful. They are also working on pulse in this fun activity. Notice that those waiting for their turn practice on imaginary xylophones. Instruments used here are the soprano metalaphone and the alto xylophone.
https://www.facebook.com/briantylercohen/videos/2974990042589016/
Aural dictation for very little ones
Here children a parent and toddler group undertake aural dictation skills using a known song. Having worked on Ta (crotchet) and paired quavers (Titi) for many months by playing games, patting the Ta or Titi pulse and marching or running in time to know songs. These children understand the difference between Ta and Titi. This sort of activity could be a first step for any children starting to learn about aural dictation.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/418511705590277/
Canon singing for parents and toddlers - a real challenge
This is an example of a beautiful minor melody that works well in canon. Firsts sung in unison and then in canon to produce mainly the interval of the third. This sort of sound is typical of the Viennese times of Mozart. Second time through the canon is started in a different place to create a significant challenge with the canon producing major and minor seconds. This is definitely not Mozart but is more indicative of twentieth century music. Hearing and becoming used to such sounds will help these children access and understand contemporary music.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/1299835176800106/
Solo Singing for preschoolers
In this example red and blue teddies are used to help preschoolers sing solo. By just using the falling minor third (So and Mi or fifth and third degrees of the scale) the children find it easy to pitch match. This is one of the most powerful techniques in helping children to get on pitch and avoids a child being labelled as a “droner” or “tone deaf”.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/1202797693170522/
Learning about dynamics - Primary
Here some year R children learn about forte, piano and crescendo using a know song (Squirrel sits up in his tree) with a squirrel puppet.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/1086424955057101/
Rhythm Reading using Rhythm Solfa (French Time Names)
Here some year 2 children read basic rhythmic work including different groups of semiquavers (Ti-tiki and Tiki-ti). This is the rhythm of a known song which the children are not aware of to begin with, but do cotton on to during the repeat.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/433833243854509/
Pitch Work for Preschoolers
In this example preschool children use a graphic of “I I me oh my” to begin the journey of learning pitch sounds starting with the falling minor third (So-Mi). This is the easiest interval of all so is the logical place to start. Children will use this interval without any training when chanting or even just saying “Mummy” with a falling sound.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/1181207388662886/
Keyboard Percussion 1 – Primary
Here Year R children play the rhythm of a known song on a xylophone with notes removed. The remaining notes (C & G – Do and So) create an easy accompaniment for the simple three note (Mi Re Do) song Molly Dolly.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/515425798966244/
Keyboard Percussion 2 - Primary
The following is an example of primary children working with the pitch notes of the pentatone (La So Mi Re Do) and applying them to melodic work on keyboard percussion. Keyboard percussion instruments here are from closest to the camera, bass metalaphone, soprano xylophone, alto xylophone and alto metalaphone. Also note that the music is written on a three line stave such that the children fully understand all that they see. Stave learning starts with a single line, then two lines and finally progresses to the full five line stave.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/415758732529416/
Reading basic music – lower primary
Here a group of children sing a known song reading the rhythmic elements (Ta/Titi = Crotchet/Paired Quavers). This is a good stepping stone to full music reading and gives the children a firmer understanding of the rhythmic content of the song.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/955015521282075/
Learning the notes Mi Re Do – lower primary
Here the children learn the notes Mi Re Do using the characters Mikhail, Raymond and Dodo. Not that clear in this video but the board has two mountains and a valley where these characters live. In each case there is a drawing of the character’s face in the character’s colour. Mi = Yellow, Re = Orange and Do = Red. The full set of characters are Dodo, Raymond, Mikhail, Father, Sophie, Lara and Tina, all very useful for teaching young children.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/1160125867437705/
Two part warm up for Year 3 Children
In this video year 3 children sing a two part warm up exercise using the major (Do) scale paired up with a rhythmic pattern containing Tim-ki (Dotted quaver – semiquaver), one of the elements to be focused on later in the lesson.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/1420829551367334/
Flash Card Reading (in compound time) – Primary
Here a group of primary children are reading from flash cards in compound (6/8 time). Notice that as this exercise progresses the flash cards are shown for shorter time lengths and taken away sooner. This makes the children internalise and remember the content. This sort of activity helps to expand music memory and can be done with any sort of flash cards.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/924574007659560/
Singing from Stick Notation – Primary
In this example a class of eight year olds sing from stick notation. Stick notation is one of the most powerful tools in music education. There is no visual “up and down” clues as there is with staff notation so the entire of the pitch work has to come from within the child. Reading music in this way enhances and supports the reading of music from the full stave.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/924736144310013/
Singing the La Scale in multi canon
In this example a group of upper primary sing the natural minor (La) scale in multi canon as a warm up exercises. The coloured blobs on the floor represent the notes they are singing. Starting with La, (furthest from the camera) please note that the blobs representing Ti, and Do are closer together to shoe the semitone.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/241419929891032/
Spanish Phrygian key structure – Upper Primary/Lower Secondary
Here children from upper primary and lower secondary explore the harmonic sounds of the Spanish Phrygian key structure by singing the scale as a three part canon. Singing any scale in a three part canon will give a good feeling for the harmonic sounds that the key will produce.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/265293334364134/
SEN children (primary) work with xylophones and scarves
Here a small SEN group use two altos xylophones with notes removed to work on the pulse of the song Cobbler Cobbler. They respond to the coloured scarves turning the sound on and off as required. This activity is ideal for developing the inner hearing, the ability to hear and think music in your head without actually having the sounds made. This activity is suitable for mainstream children as well as SEN children.
https://www.facebook.com/LenTylerMusicSchool/videos/1574310889352532/