The 'World Beaters Goes to School' project, funded by Youth Music, helps children and staff gain confidence in working with traditional instruments.
Staff members from six nurseries and three primary schools are also working with World Beaters musicians to learn basic music skills teaching so that musical enjoyment continues once the project ends.
Ann Tanner, headteacher at Whitley Park School, says, 'World Beaters come in and work with us and help us to develop our skills and will leave that with us. It is very exciting and has made a big difference to music in our school.'
The nursery children are concentrating on South African music and dance, which will culminate in a carnival. They are learning different rhythms and holding a steady beat. 'The children are developing good listening skills.
It is helping their physical development and reading and speech, plus promoting co-operation and music enjoyment,' says Ms Tanner.
Children and staff at Blagrave Nursery School are focusing on the Middle East during their five-week project. Weekly musician visits include talking about Middle East cultures and lifestyles, investigating the countries on maps and the internet, learning Turkish and Arabic words and tasting traditional foods.
Children are experiencing local rhythms through songs and musical stories and have learned how to play doumbeks, a drum held under the arm. 'The Egyptian rhythms are very different from European rhythms. It is giving us a real flavour of the Middle East. Children are singing and dancing in the garden and throughout the nursery and copying the rhythms they have learned,' says headteacher Vivienne Simpson.
'We spoke to World Beaters before the sessions so that we could integrate the work into our planning. The whole school community is learning together and parents are being invited to a music workshop.'
* For further information go to www.worldbeaters.co.uk
