Feel the Beat: Exploring Music, Dance, and Cultural Diversity in Early Years
What is your favourite instrument? How can you play it? When you dance, how does it make you feel? What differences can you hear in this music? These are just some of the questions that Early Years students asked during their short ‘pop up’ unit of learning ‘Feel the Beat’.
By Jessica Deporto, Early Years Lead Teacher
Celebrating Our Diverse Community
We at Optimist International school are very proud to celebrate all our different languages, cultures and backgrounds. Through an open enquiry into music, instruments and dance, the children in Early Years celebrated our diversity and the simple joy of engaging in music through our IEC unit of learning ‘Feel the Beat’.
Exploring Musical Instruments and Their Sounds
The children classified musical instruments into different categories looking for how to play the instruments and listening to the sounds that they make. Students learned how to make the sound of a string instrument sound higher or lower pitch and enjoyed finding out about the different ways percussion instruments can be played.
Dancing Through Cultures
Teachers shared dances from their own heritage, introducing students to Vietnamese dancing, Estonian folk dances, Dutch clapping dances, Austrian paired dancing, African beats, and English Morris dancing with sticks. The children even had a lively lesson in Air Guitar, adding an extra layer of fun and creativity to the experience.
Learning Through Stamps and Passports
To encourage participation, each child received a ‘passport’ and earned a stamp for every new skill or activity they tried. This interactive element was a great incentive, motivating all students to engage in new experiences and embrace different aspects of musical learning.
Sharing Music from Home
As part of the unit, each child sent in a short video from home, performing a dance or singing their favorite song. This activity showcased a wide range of languages and musical styles, providing a special moment for students to share and celebrate their unique identities with their peers.
The Kitchen Band Parade
Towards the end of the unit, with pots, pans, and trusty wooden spoons in hand, our Early Years students paraded through the school corridors as a ‘kitchen band,’ popping into classrooms to entertain older students with their rhythms. The older children cheered, clapped, and even banged on tables in appreciation. For our youngest learners, this experience was not only a fun performance but also an opportunity to build confidence and connect with the wider school community. We were amazed by how boldly they performed for students almost twice their age or older!
A Lasting Impact and Looking Ahead
This was the first time we introduced the Feel the Beat unit of learning, and it truly brought the children together. Staff enjoyed seeing students explore a completely new aspect of the curriculum, with some children revealing hidden talents and ‘coming alive’ during the topic. We are excited to develop more ways for students to engage in dance and music in the future.
For families with children who enjoy art and music, the C. Arts Centre in Hoofddorp Centrum offers a variety of wonderful activities and classes for young children. Not only can these experiences support their Dutch language development, but they also provide an excellent way for children to express themselves through the arts.