What is your ‘why’ for using instruments in early childhood music sessions?

Описание: In many EYFS and KS1 settings, instruments are a familiar and welcome part of music time — shakers, drums, bells, xylophones — often used to add energy, variety, or excitement.

But beneath that familiarity sits a quieter question:

What are we hoping children are learning when they pick an instrument up?

Because instruments don’t just make sound.They shape how children listen, regulate their bodies, join in (or choose not to), and experience shared space, shared time, and shared responsibility.

In this video, I reflect on why that question matters so much in early childhood — a stage of heightened musical sensitivity, where children are naturally responsive to rhythm, pitch, dynamics, and repetition long before they can name them.

Instrumental experiences support far more than musical outcomes. They can play a role in:
• coordination and motor control
• attention, memory, and pattern recognition
• emotional expression without words
• understanding how sound relates to movement, effort, and intention

Together, these experiences support language development, emotional regulation, and social connection — not as separate goals, but as deeply intertwined processes.

Of course, not all musical experiences are trying to do the same job.
Sometimes instruments are there for sheer delight — to explore sound, release energy, or enjoy being loud together. One-off workshops or enrichment sessions may quite rightly centre spontaneity rather than structure.

And that matters.

But in settings where children return week after week, instruments can also become familiar tools through which children learn how to listen, wait, respond, and play with others.

Different moments call for different approaches. The value lies in noticing which is which.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing a short series exploring how developmentally appropriate, inclusive instrumental work can support children’s musical thinking, regulation, and sense of belonging — without losing the playful, joyful elements that make music such a powerful part of early childhood.

For now, I’ll leave you with the question I started with:
What is your ‘why’ for using instruments in early childhood group music sessions?

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