| National Curriculum Requirements
| The Tobin Music System
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Performing Skills
Pupils should be taught how to:
a) use their voices expressively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes;
b) play tuned and untuned instruments;
c) rehearse and perform with others (for example, starting and finishing
together, keeping to a steady pulse).
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Tiny Steps contains thirteen songs for infant children, building up the
children's' range and voice control. There are also lessons on early
aural training and games to help foster the ability to "sing in tune"
and pitch notes correctly.
Music shorthand teaches the children to play drums and other untuned
instruments; the children are encouraged to play pitched percussion
instruments at every point.
Throughout the system the children are encouraged to play in harmony in groups.
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Composing Skills
Pupils should be taught how to:
a) create musical patterns;
b) explore, choose and organise sounds and musical ideas.
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Throughout the programme children are making musical patterns; first with
the rhythm shapes and then with both the rhythm shapes and pitch.
At every point they are encouraged to 'see the pattern in music'.
With the use of the 'Magic circle' the children find how to organise the
sounds to form harmony.
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Appraising Skills
Pupils should be taught how to:
a) explore and express their ideas and feelings about music using movement,
dance and expressive and musical language;
b) make improvements to their own work.
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There are many musical activity games throughout the scheme that promote
movement and the use of musical language.
The system allows children to explore music within a given structure; they
become astute at deciding what sounds successful.
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Listening and applying knowledge and understanding
Pupils should be taught:
a) to listen with concentration and to internalise and recall sounds
with increasing aural memory;
b) how the combined musical elements of pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo,
timbre, texture and silence can be organised and used expressively within
simple structures (for example, beginning, middle, end).
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The Musicolour CD and Teacher's Manuals have several aural training features
throughout the programme. For the youngest children they listen to different
sounds made by various animals to learn about pitch. Other games show concords
and discords.
Another game uses a 'totem pole' where the children have to
identify the second note by either saying the letter name or number.
They are also taught to recognise the 'tonic sol fa' names.
All this is more than amply covered by the very fact that even the youngest
children can compose their own music and rhythms.
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Breadth of study
During the key stage, pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through:
a) a range of musical activities that integrate performing, composing and appraising;
b) responding to a range of musical and non musical starting points;
c) working on their own, in groups of different sizes and as a class;
d) a range of live and recorded music from different times and cultures.
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The books and the Musicolour CD Rom all promote a thorough understanding of
musical concepts to aid composing, performing and appraising.
Children get the opportunity to perform and compose individually and also as
a whole class. This helps them to have a deeper understanding of pitch,
rhythm and harmony than is thought possible.
The children acquire a very good understanding of the systems that western
music is built upon; whether it be classical, rock, pop or fusion music,
this system is relevant to it all.
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