Introduction
This project proposes a 6-week early years community music programme for children aged 3-4 in a reception setting. Our programme, titled ‘Move, Make, Music’, centres around play-based, child-led music-making through singing, movement, and simple creative activities like collaborative songwriting. Our sessions aim to provide children with an accessible and engaging environment where they can explore music creatively while developing confidence, communication and social interaction skills.
Our project draws upon key principles of community music practice, particularly participation, accessibility, and facilitation (Higgins, 2012). Instead of focusing on technical ability or musical performance, we will focus on music as a shared social experience and a tool for expression and interaction. Our activities are informed by early years music theories and approaches, such as Dalcroze, Kodály, and Orff, alongside wider concepts of music, movement, repetition, and play-based learning.
This proposal outlines the aims of our project, the needs of our target group, session structures and activities, evaluation methods, evidence-gathering strategies, and a delivery plan.
Aims & objectives
The overall aim of Move, Make, Music is to provide an inclusive and engaging community music project for children ages 3-4 within a reception setting. We aim to encourage creativity, communication, and social interaction through play-based musical activities, whilst introducing children to fundamental music concepts such as rhythm, pulse, singing, and movement. Our sessions are designed to prioritise participation and exploration over technical ability and, in turn, allow children to develop confidence and self- expression in a safe and supportive environment.
Our project also aims to support broader developmental skills important in early years learning, such as listening, turn-taking, cooperation, and imaginative play. Activities will be child-led where appropriate, enabling active participation in the children’s musical learning and creative decision-making.
The main objectives of our project are:
- To encourage children to actively participate in group music-making activities.
- To develop confidence in vocal, physical and creative expression through music and movement.
- To support communication and social interaction through turn-taking, imitation, and collaborative play.
- To enable children to contribute towards the creation of a group song by the end of the project.
Target Group
Our target group is children aged 3-4 within a reception setting. At this age, children continue to develop communication, social, and motor skills whilst also learning how best to interact with others in group environments. Young children usually learn best through play, movement, and exploration, making music an effective way to encourage participation, creativity, and interaction. (Piaget, 1952)
Children in early years settings can have varying levels of confidence, communication skills, and attention spans. Meaning our sessions need to be flexible, engaging, and accessible to all participants. Therefore, our activities will include short, varied tasks that involve singing, movement, rhythm games, and sensory play. We will also use repetition, as repeated songs and activities can help children feel more comfortable and build familiarity with their learning environment. (Ockelford, 2008)
Piaget (1952) suggests that young children learn by actively exploring and interacting with their surroundings rather than just receiving information. This supports our use of child-led, play-based activities within the project, allowing children to explore music in their own way whilst being guided by us (the facilitators). Our project is also influenced by practitioners such as Dalcroze, Kodály and Orff, who emphasise the importance of movement, singing, creativity, and play within musical learning
We have designed this project to be inclusive and accessible to children of all abilities and levels of musical experience, ensuring every child can participate and contribute in the sessions.
Rationale
Move, Make, Music is based on the idea that music can give young children opportunities to communicate effectively, express themselves creatively, and interact with others in a safe and supportive environment. Community music focuses on participation, accessibility, and shared experiences, rather than technical skill or performance outcomes (Higgins, 2012). Because of this, we have designed this project to ensure that every child can participate, regardless of prior musical experience or ability.
As Piaget (1952) suggests, children actively learn through engaging with their surroundings. This supports our use of child-led activities throughout the project, where children are encouraged to explore sounds, movement, and musical ideas in their own way whilst still being guided by us. Allowing children to make choices and participate creatively will help our sessions feel more engaging, inclusive, and enjoyable for everyone.
Play-based learning is also an important part of early years music-making. Within our project, many activities involve games, storytelling, movement, and imitation, helping children participate naturally without pressure or fear of getting things wrong. This links to community music values, where participation and enjoyment are prioritised over skill or ability. Higgins (2012) describes community music as an active relationship between facilitator and participants, highlighting the importance of creating supportive, accessible music spaces.
Dalcroze (1921) believed that children primarily develop musical understanding through physical experience with rhythm and music, in addition to listening. Hence, the inclusion of movement-based activities such as action songs, body percussion, and rhythm games in our project. These activities will help children understand pulse and rhythm whilst also keeping them engaged and active during our sessions.
Additionally, Kodály’s belief that children learn music most effectively through active participation and enjoyable experiences also influences our project (Kodály, 1974). Because of this, we use singing, repetition, and musical games throughout our sessions. We will use singing regularly, alongside repeated songs and call-and-response activities. Repetition can also help children feel more confident and familiar with activities whilst also supporting memory, listening skills, and participation.
Similarly, Orff’s approach to music education emphasises creativity, imagination, and learning through play (Orff, 1963). This can be seen in the project through activities that encourage experimentation with percussion, vocals, sounds, and collaborative music-making. Rather than expecting children to achieve technically advanced musical outcomes, we are focusing on creativity, exploration, and participation as valuable musical experiences.
Ockelford (2008) claims that repeated musical patterns can help children make sense of music. Repetition can also create a sense of familiarity and routine, helping children feel more comfortable and secure within sessions. Because of this, we will use repeated hello and goodbye songs and familiar musical games to create consistency and structure.
In addition to musical development, we also aim to support communication, social interaction, and confidence. Activities involving turn-taking, imitation, and collaborative play will be used within our project to encourage children to interact with one another and participate in the group. The music will also create shared experiences, which help children build relationships and confidence within social situations, which is particularly important for ensuring early childhood development.
Finally, our role as facilitators is central to the project. In community music practice, the facilitator guides, encourages, and supports participation. Hence, our sessions are designed to remain flexible and responsive to the group’s needs, allowing activities to adapt based on the children’s engagement and responses. This reflects the child-led nature of early years learning and the inclusive values within community music practice.
Project Structure
Our sessions will take place once a week and last around 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the group’s needs and engagement. The programme is structured to gradually build children’s confidence, familiarity and participation through repeated routines and increasingly creative activities.
Each session will follow a consistent structure including a hello song, warm-up activity, main musical activity, creative task and goodbye song. Repetition and routine are especially important within early years settings, as they help children feel more comfortable and familiar with activities (Ockelford, 2008). Although each session follows a similar format, activities will remain flexible and child-led where appropriate so that sessions can respond naturally to the children’s interests, energy levels and engagement.
Over the six weeks, children will gradually be introduced to different musical concepts such as pulse, rhythm, singing, movement, listening and collaborative music-making. Activities are designed not only to support musical development, but also communication, confidence, creativity and social interaction. By the end of the programme, children will work together to contribute towards a simple group song and take part in an informal sharing activity celebrating participation and creativity.
A full scheme of work outlining weekly session focuses, activities and intended outcomes can be found in Appendix A.
Session plan
Our sessions within Move, Make, Music follow a consistent structure: a hello song, a warm-up activity, a main musical task, a creative exploration activity, and a goodbye song. Maintaining this familiar routine is particularly important within early years settings, as repetition and predictability can help children feel comfortable and confident within their learning environment. (Ockelford, 2008)
Activities within the sessions are designed to encourage participation through movement, singing, rhythm games, and collaborative play. For example, movement-based activities and body percussion exercises are influenced by Dalcroze’s approach to music education, which emphasised the importance of physical engagement in musical learning (Dalcroze, 1921). Similarly, singing games and repeated musical activities reflect Kodály’s emphasis on repetition and participation within early years music-making. (Kodály, 1974)
Our sessions are also designed to stay flexible and child-led where appropriate, allowing us as facilitators to adapt activities depending on children’s responses, engagement, and energy levels. This reflects early years learning principles and broader community music values surrounding accessibility and participation (Higgins, 2012).
A full detailed session plan for Week 3: Movement & Music can be found in Appendix B.
Outcomes
The intended outcomes of Move, Make, Music are both musical and social, reflecting the developmental benefits of community music practice within early years settings. We prioritise participation, creativity, confidence, and interaction through shared musical experiences.
One of our main musical outcomes of the project is for children to develop a basic understanding of pulse, rhythm, singing, and musical interaction through play-based activities. Through repeating songs, movement games, and instrument exploration, the children will begin to engage with musical concepts in an accessible and enjoyable way. By the end of our 6 weeks, children will also contribute towards the creation of a collaborative group song, providing a tangible outcome that reflects their participation and creativity throughout the project.
Alongside musical development, our project aims to support several social and emotional outcomes. In our group-making activities, children will have opportunities to build confidence in vocal, physical, and creative expression, whilst also developing listening, turn-taking, and communication skills. Activities involving movement, imitation, and collaborative play encourage interaction between participants and help to create a shared experience within the group.
Our project also aims to create a positive and inclusive environment where children feel comfortable participating without fear of making mistakes. Community music approaches often prioritise accessibility and enjoyment, allowing participants to engage in ways that feel natural and supportive (Higgins, 2012). For young children, this can help encourage self-expression, creativity, and social confidence within both musical and wider learning environments.
The success of these outcomes will be measured through facilitator observation, reflection, staff feedback and simple evaluation methods designed for earlier participants. Evidence of participation, confidence, and interaction throughout sessions will help assess the overall impact of the project.
Evidencing
Evidence will be collected throughout the project to demonstrate participation, engagement, and the overall impact of the sessions. The evidence gathered will directly relate to the project aims, particularly in relation to confidence, communication, creativity, and participation within groups and music-making activities.
Facilitator observation notes will be completed after each session to record children’s engagement, interaction, and responses to activities. Photo, video, and audio documentation may be collected throughout the programme, with appropriate parental permission and safeguarding procedures in place. These recordings can help demonstrate participation and movement, collaborative music-making, and the development of the group song created during the project.
Additional evidence collected throughout the project will include participant feedback responses gathered through the thumbs-up, thumbs-in-the-middle and thumbs-down system used at the end of sessions. Facilitator planning documents, session evaluations, photographs, video recordings, and recordings of musical activities completed throughout the six-week programme will also contribute to evidencing participation, engagement, and the overall impact of the project. An example of the participant feedback method used within the project can be found in Appendix C.
Evidencing evaluation
The success of Move, Make, Music will be evaluated through a combination of facilitator observation, staff feedback, child-friendly questionnaires and reflective practice. Our evaluation methods within this project are informed by guidance from organisations such as Youth Music and Arts Council England, both of which promote reflective practice, participation and inclusive approaches within community arts projects (Youth Music, 2024; Arts Council England, 2024).
As the participants are aged 3-4, much of the evaluation process will rely heavily on observation rather than written feedback. We will observe children’s engagement, confidence, participation, and interaction throughout the sessions and record these observations after each workshop. Particular attention will be given to how confidently children participate in activities, interact with others, and respond to musical tasks along the six-week programme.
Informal feedback from reception staff and teaching assistants will also contribute to the evaluation process, as they may notice changes in confidence, communication or social interaction outside of the sessions themselves. In addition, at the end of each session, children will be asked to respond to simple verbal questions using a thumbs-up, thumbs-in-the-middle or thumbs-down system whilst closing or covering their eyes. The facilitators will then be able to record and count these responses to gather quantitative data in an age-appropriate and accessible way. Allowing children to cover their eyes may also help reduce peer pressure, copying others and fear of giving the “wrong” answer.
Our project outcomes will be measured against the original aims and objectives outlined in our proposal. Evidence such as participation levels, collaborative interaction, engagement in activities, and contributions to the final group song will help determine whether the project has been successful.
Reflection will also form an important part of the evaluation process. Facilitators will reflect on which activities were most effective, how children responded to different approaches, and whether any aspects of the sessions would need to be adapted for future delivery. This reflective process will help identify both strengths and areas for improvement within the project.
Business plan/costings
To successfully deliver Move, Make, Music, careful planning and budgeting will be required to ensure sessions are engaging, safe, accessible, and suitable for the needs of early years participants. As this is a small-scale community music project, the business plan mainly focuses on staffing, resources, equipment, and general session delivery costs. Our aim is to keep the project financially realistic whilst still providing children with high-quality musical experiences.
The project would be delivered by us as lead facilitators, alongside support from a teaching assistant or member of reception staff. Having additional adult support within sessions is particularly important in early years settings, especially during movement activities and group tasks where some children may need extra guidance, encouragement, or supervision.
The resources required for the project include simple percussion instruments, scarves and ribbons for movement activities, a Bluetooth speaker, and printed planning or evaluation materials. Most of these resources are low-cost and reusable throughout the six-week programme, helping reduce long-term expenses. Ideally, the sessions would take place within an existing reception classroom or school hall, meaning venue hire costs could potentially be avoided altogether.
Additional small costs may also include safeguarding and consent documentation, printing evaluation materials, and securely storing photographs or recordings collected throughout the project. If this project were to be delivered professionally outside of a school placement, potential funding opportunities could include organisations such as Youth Music or Arts Council England, both of which support community arts and music projects for children and young people.
A full breakdown of projected costs can be found in Appendix D.
Conclusion
Overall, Move, Make, Music was designed to create an inclusive and engaging environment where children can explore music through play, movement and creativity. Planning the project highlighted the importance of flexibility, participation and accessibility within both community music and early years learning. The use of repeated routines, child-led activities and collaborative play aims to help children feel confident and comfortable within sessions. However, the project also highlighted challenges such as varying attention spans, confidence levels and support needs. This proposal demonstrates how community music can support communication, creativity, confidence and social interaction alongside musical development in early childhood.
Appendices
Bibliography
Arts Council England (2024) Quality Principles. Available at: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/quality-principles (Accessed: 2 May 2025).
Dalcroze, E.J. (1921) Rhythm, Music and Education. London: Chatto & Windus.
Higgins, L. (2012) Community Music: In Theory and in Practice. New York: Oxford University Press.
Kodály, Z. (1974) The Selected Writings of Zoltán Kodály. London: Boosey & Hawkes.
Ockelford, A. (2008) Music for Children and Young People with Complex Needs. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Orff, C. (1963) The Schulwerk: Its Origin and Aims. Mainz: Schott.
Piaget, J. (1952) The Origins of Intelligence in Children. New York: International Universities Press.
Youth Music (2024) Explore Evaluation with Take Art (Early Years). Available at: https://www.youthmusic.org.uk/news/explore-evaluation-take-art-early-years-november-2022 (Accessed: 2 May 2025).
