🎼Musical Ways Into Teaching Staff Notation

Teaching children how to read music (without teaching children how to read music) 

‘The notes in the space spell FACE’ has its place…

… but this 90 minute online session helps practitioners working with 4-11 year olds to guide their students into reading staff musical notation through an actively musical approach.  

The overall aim of the session is to support music educators in their understanding of the development of musicianship skills in children leading to notational comprehension. 

By the end of the session, you'll be able to: 

• understand more about the concept of pulse as a feeling
• structure musical learning through a Sound Before Symbol approach
• improve children's skills in rhythm and pitch through vocal work
• have a greater awareness of the links between language acquisition and musical literacy skills
• know where to go to learn more about a Kodály-based approach to teaching musicianship and notations

BOOK BEFORE 2 June 2025 and get 33% discount -  use code EARLYBIRD.

We welcome practitioners from schools, music hubs, all creative organisations working with children and young people as well as private tutors who may manage their own music teaching business. 

This fun online session is fully interactive - cameras on with engagements on text chat, vocal inputs from delegates, emoticons, quizzes and an appreciation of teachers' own valid experiences. There will be an opportunity to stay online at the end for a chat with the facilitator Louisa Roberts about your own context. All delegates who attend and participate will receive helpful follow up links and resources from Being Musical. 

Facilitator: Louisa Roberts 

"My experience as a primary school teacher has taught me the skills of teaching children how to read and to develop a love of reading books. In music, being able to read notations can enhance children's opportunities as they develop in their skills as performers and composers - however my belief is that learning to read formal musical notation should never be a barrier to full participation and enjoyment of music. Everyone is capable of participating and enjoying music regardless of whether or not they can read musical notation. 

I have devised this session to help music educators to develop an understanding of the processes of learning notational literacy through a Sound Before Symbol approach and the whys, whens and hows of using notations to support learning instrumental, vocal and compositional skills. 

I look forward to meeting you and hearing about your musical work with children and young people." 

If you'd like to know more about Being Musical and our offerings, please click here. 

This session is included at no cost for current Mentees of Being Musical. 

25% discount for ISM and Music Mark members - please contact your organisation for a booking code.  

If you are not sponsored by an employer and the cost is a barrier, please email louisa@beingmusical.co.uk to pay what you can afford.