Since the start of the school year, the WW children have been working with Stuart, a Musician who comes every Wednesday to support the children in building knowledge about music. At the beginning, the children explored sounds through unconventional materials, such as test tubes and paper. This eventually evolved to beat exploration with the Djembe drum, which laid the foundation for collaborative song writing and beat creation based on their interest in helper trucks.
Teacher Susan: What should we sing about?
Luca: Garbage trucks
Teddy: We can sing about fire trucks.
Susan: What do garbage trucks and fire trucks do?
Clarke: They help people. They’re helper trucks.
From this conversation, the children created a tune with the Djembe drum and created the first verse for their song – Helper trucks, helper trucks (X3). The following week, a new group of children were introduced to the song and shared their ideas.
Susan: Last week, a group of children created a song about helper trucks.
Stuart: What do you think is a helper truck?
Matteo: Something that helps people.
Austen: Like a hospital truck or a police truck or a fire truck.
Teacher Stuart: Some other children came up with this… Helper trucks, helper trucks, helper trucks…
Susan: What other words could we add to the song?
Rio: Helper trucks help people. Helper trucks carry people.
Austen: Helper trucks help people when they’re sick.
Emmaline: They’re big and strong.
Austen: A trash truck and the police car is the strongest thing, even stronger than you and stronger than daddy.
As the children continue to collaboratively develop this song, it is evident that their interest in helper trucks not only stems from their fascination with motored vehicles, but also reflect our culture of a caring community. These playful experiences have served as a medium for the children to communicate with each other and connect their ideas. As the children’s song about helper trucks evolves, I wonder how the voice and expression of each child in the WW will transform the original piece. -Teacher Susan
“We can sing about fire trucks.” -Teddy
