Our 2024 year four classes who only started with us last year are now year fives, and these year five classes include another influx of new students.

Therefore, we have been reviewing and have only just re-introduced ta and ti-ti (one and two sounds on a beat) after really making sure that the children can hear this clearly, and can perform the beat and the rhythm simultaneously. Our year twos and year fives are tracking at about the same place!

Similarly with the melodic concepts, we needed to review ‘high and low’ starting with an octave, and slowly reducing the intervals. If the children can’t hear the difference between two notes at a minor third, they won’t successfully learn to sight sing and transcribe what they hear.

What I’ve realised, is that if we move too quickly, the students who would probably blossom under any type of music instruction do fine, but there are some who need a lot more reinforcement. The challenge is to keep things interesting for those students for whom music comes easily while meeting the needs of those who need a lot more time to develop their aural skills.

This may seem like very slow progress, as of course, year five students are capable of understanding how to read more complex music than one or two sounds on a beat, but my experience working with adults has renewed my commitment that it’s more important for the students to be able to clearly define what is happening on each beat, and to be able to accurately read, write and perform the rhythms before we move on. What I’m noticing in the adults classes, as I bring new beginners in to join the adults who have been learning for a couple of years, is that although they know more complex rhythms and melodies, many still struggle to accurately transcribe songs and sight read, because their foundation skills are poor. If the twelve year olds students leave primary school singing in tune, with a strong sense of where they are in the bar, can accurately and quickly read and transcribe simple rhythms and melodies, I think they will flourish within a non Kodaly setting at secondary school, or when they take advantage of New Zealand’s excellent itinerant instrumental lessons available for free at secondary school. Meanwhile, the students who start with us as five year olds, will have more sophisticated skills. It’s the foundation skills that need developing, and it’s harder to be an absolute beginner, once a person reaches adulthood.

The children who have been with us since they were five and six years old are really flourishing and it’s lovely to see improvements each week.

The 2025 influx of five year olds are benefiting from the fact I now have a couple of years experience under my belt. We are developing a strong growth mindset and beautiful class culture, with lovely in tune singing. Each influx of children seems to get better and better so I think it is likely that my teaching for this age group is improving!

Nikki Berry March ’25