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Early Childhood Music Weekend
by Jane Newberry (from BKA Spring 2004 Newsletter)

After waking at crack of dawn and travelling from deepest Surrey for two hours, I felt rather smug arriving on time in Stetchworth, Cambridgeshire, for the Early Childhood Workshop (8-9 November 2003). I was warmly welcomed by Celia Waterhouse and the smugness soon wore off as I realised that people had travelled from much further a field than me, from faraway Dorset and even by plane from Ireland!

We gathered on the upper floor of The Old School House Day Nursery and after a bit of trial and error with the windows and the heating, we were reasonably comfortable.

Our tutor for the weekend was Helga Dietrich Helga is a real professional. Calm and composed, her lilting broken English reveals a broad and deep knowledge of her subject. Those who felt they could sit back were shaken awake by singing exercises within the first few moments of the day. Helga galvanised a ramshackle choir and we were soon singing with gusto. I felt a bit of a Wally not knowing any solfa, but I muddled through.

As Helga led us through the morning, we began to realise the importance of pulse and the difference between pulse and rhythm. We were shown in practical terms how to instil the beat consciousness through a circle dance and by making musical sentences. Childs play? – It wasn’t as easy as it sounds, especially for the less well co-ordinated like me! I can tell you I had that “All around the buttercup” tune buzzing round my head all weekend.

Helga showed a lot of useful video material both from her own classes in Hungary and from Canada. I found reassurance in seeing other people doing very similar activities to mine in my own classes of mothers and toddlers. It was great to have a professional justification for spending ten years playing and having fun!

I gained lots of ideas, some of which I have already put into practise. Helga showed us the props and puppets she uses to make her classes come alive. I particularly liked the mat which could become peopled with animals, insects and flowers. This became the vehicle for a circle song and gave participants a chance to offer rhythmic answers in turn.

During our sandwich breaks it was useful to chat with other parents/teachers and swap ideas. Everyone seemed very motivated and full of creative thinking, which was impressive given the rather arctic conditions in the kitchen!

Remembrance Sunday dawned on day two but not for us the two minutes silence…we were off again, singing in four part rounds; what a great sound!

We covered a lot of ground, again using video material to show the theory in action. Helga showed a video clip of a class run by Katalin Forrai which gave an interesting insight into how much can be achieved by children who have followed a structured programme of musical development in the nursery.

Towards the end of the day on Sunday, Helga reminded us how useful puppets are to gain the flagging attention of the weary. In the gentle question/answer song “Starlight, Starbright, What do you wish tonight?, some evocative and poignant answers emerged..., Oh the power of music in the right hands.

In all it was a great weekend. Could anything be added? Perhaps an opportunity to share with the whole course all those wonderful original thoughts bubbling up in the kitchen at coffee times. I feel we were very privileged to share the wisdom of Helga Dietrich. Thank you, BKA, for making it happen.