Music and EAL/Music as a part of the ‘New Arrivals’ package
(PRIMARY)

Music is a subject into which many newly arrived children
can easily be integrated. Most children can express
themselves creatively through music and can learn to
express themselves non-verbally through it. This can boost
the self-esteem of newly-arrived children because they can
participate fully in lessons (as they can in PE and Games)
even though their English language may still be limited

for some class teachers music is an integral part of their
teaching; they may sing the register, play music when the
children are working, have a range of clapped rhythms to
indicate certain commands and a repertoire of songs and
musical games. These are all areas in which the EAL pupil
can, in time, fully participate. Class teachers do not need
special skills for such activities (useful though they
are!) – just confidence

some schools have a member of staff for whom music is a
specialism and who is allocated time with each class on,
say, a weekly basis. This should not replace a short daily
session of listening/musical games and activities/playing
with sounds, rhythms and rhymes, but should ideally be
complementary to it. A short music session, much like a
short phonics session, can be productive and useful.
Furthermore, may of the activities are similar: Phase One
of the ‘Seven Aspects’ outlined in the dfes document
‘Letters and Sounds’ (ref.00281-2007FLR-EN
www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications) specifically focuses on
a range of sounds (environmental/instrumental/voice), rhyme
and rhythm, body percussion and alliteration as pieces of
scaffolding on which to build oral blending and segmenting
– the nitty gritty of phonics

the National Curriculum for music places emphasis on
ensuring that all pupils experience and develop
understanding and appreciation of a wide range of live and
recorded music from different times and cultures. Ideally
the teacher might engage new arrivals through the
exploration of contexts and approaches relating to their
own backgrounds and experiences. This may necessitate
liaison with the music specialist (if there is one) for
information and ideas

following on from this, in class, songs might be taught to
children in the various languages of the children in the
group. The class teacher, along with the EAL support
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teacher, could research these or ask children and their
parents for material/ advice on pronunciation etc.

many schools already provide a range of opportunities to
promote and celebrate the different cultures, languages and
backgrounds of their pupils - using the creative arts
(dance, drama and music, especially singing, at primary
level).

the units of work in the music scheme of work (every school
should have one) might be adapted to meet the needs of new
arrivals (there are a number of units, grouped two-yearly:
1/2, 3/4, 5/6), covering such items as ‘Exploring Sounds’
and ‘Exploring Instruments and Symbols’. The class teacher
or music specialist will already be aware of these.

TO REITERATE:
Elements of music might constitute an important part of
work done with new arrivals, especially clapping and
rhythms, the use of a range of simple percussion
instruments and singing (chants, poems, folk songs). Such
activities are possible 1:1, in pairs, small groups and
whole class sessions and could be adapted as appropriate.
Furthermore, such activities complement the activities
which promote language acquisition and in which each
primary year group is involved on a daily basis
Basic Music Activities for the non-specialist
 special equipment is not needed, although a ball and a
small drum or tambour would be useful; most schools have a
range of tuned and untuned percussion instruments and the
non-specialist can easily become familiar with the
different types
 ‘Simon Says’ is a good starting point; it’s fun, it’s
straightforward and can be played by two people or thirty
people. Other similar games exist: Don’t Clap This One
Back’ involves clapping rhythms for the child/ren to copy.
But the rhythm of the title is taboo! If you clap it back
you are either ‘out’ or you foreit a life (or have to do a
forfeit…..name three fruits/count to twenty etc)
 from here you can progress by using voice rhythms and
patterns – your name, the child’s or children’s names,
countries, colours, fruits, vegetables, parts of the body
etc – all the usual EAL beginner vocabulary and topics, but
useful for the whole class and at a variety of levels
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 these can be extended and developed by varying your voice,
the tempo (speed) at which you speak or clap, changes in
volume (dynamics), style and pitch (high and low) etc.
Poetry is a fantastic resource and it is possible to
‘orchestrate’ a poem – think choral speaking – so that
children are suing their voices as instruments. Simple role
play also provides opportunities for learning and fun
 in order to get the children to sing, gradually introduce
simple note patterns (2 to 3 notes); if you really lack
confidence on the singing front use familiar tunes
(twinkle, hot cross buns, frère Jacques etc) and change the
words to suit your topic: I am clapping, I am clapping / So
are you, so are you / wiggle all your fingers, wiggle all
your fingers / Now just two, now just two
 the younger the child, the greater the likelihood that they
will immediately join in singing with you – even before
they have heard the tune! Most children in the Primary
years will sing, with encouragement, although the cool boys
in Year 6 may well need a bit of persuasion. A small
keyboard (again, most schools will have a few) is extremely
useful here – it does the music-making for you
 chime bars or a glockenspiel/xylophone can be useful in a
number of ways, not only for providing the opportunity to
play tunes but to introduce adjectives (low/high,
big/small) and comparatives (louder/quieter,
taller/shorter). In fact any instrument (and you don’t need
to be able to play it properly) can be used to explore
mathematical vocabulary and concepts as well as musical
ones (guitar/violin/the inside of a piano/trombone…..)
 the next stage would include some action songs. The most
obvious ones are counting songs like Ten Green Bottles, but
innumerable collections exist – libraries are a good source
and the books are free. The organisation Sing for Pleasure
(http://www.singforpleasure.org.uk/) is a fantastic
resource and produces small booklets with a range of games,
chants, rounds and action songs, as well as more
challenging repertoire for the music specialist
 the internet is a good source of material too; Panie Janie
(Google it and you will find it) is the Polish Frère
Jacques. Once I had taught it to a Year 4 pupil (and she
had fallen about laughing at my attempts to speak Polish)
she in turn taught it to the children in Y3 (who already
knew the tune of course), who sang it (in Polish, and
subsequently French, as there were two French children in
the class) as a round in three parts
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 rounds are very useful; the words are often repetitive, the
tunes are simple and they are challenging and fun to sing,
although difficult to do 1:1 ( Flying a Round-88 Rounds
and Partner Songs A&C Black )
Most children know how
rounds work – even if they find them difficult to get
right. To get them used to singing in parts (rather than in
unison – altogether) ‘echo’ songs and chants are wonderful;
many African chants are call-and-response songs, are
relatively simple to sing and sound great
 game-songs can be used to teach colours/shapes/body
parts/topic vocabulary etc); another excellent resource is
the sing up website (http://www.singup.education.co.uk/).
In January 2007 Howard Goodall was appointed as England’s
first ever National Ambassador of Singing, leading a 4-year
£40 million government programme to improve the provision
of group singing for all primary-age children. The Sing Up
website, set up to support this venture, has a ‘Song Bank’
featuring songs and printable music, as well as recorded
music it is possible to download (and burn on to CDs).
There are folk and traditional songs too
 many many music schemes exist and most primary schools will
have material worth a look and a CD/cassette player that
can be borrowed. Compilation CDs (loads of cheap ones
available in supermarkets, and teachers will have their
favourites) offer a range of short pieces and extracts that
might be played to elicit vocabulary
(fast/slow/high/low/exciting/boring/happy/sad etc) – but
any music (especially popular music – the songs from High
School Musical/Mamma Mia for example) is a potential
resource
 And a fantastic singing voice, while useful, is not vital;
songs can be taught using a CD if a teacher lacks
confidence in this area, and it is usually possible to
engender enthusiasm in children of this age group if you
are enthusiastic yourself
 but if you really feel you can’t sing – look at the
enclosed sheet (SingUp/can’t sing?) for some encouragement
– and to see the many ways in which it is ‘good’ for you
(and all children). This sheet also outlines the Singing
Playgrounds project in Birmingham, which has been very
successful
 I have just scratched the surface of musical possibilities
here; hopefully the non-specialist will find something,
however small, to add to his/her teaching repertoire
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