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Music charity EMI Music Sound Foundation is running a Pounds Sterling 200,000 project throughout 2008 to train primary teachers in teaching music. EMI will also provide primary schools with funding to buy resources such as instruments, songbooks and composition software.

Folk songs are a rich resource for teaching music. The lyrics and tunes cover all styles and moods and such songs' accessibility is what has allowed them to last so long. Singing is an important activity in primary schools because it promotes confidence, is a disciplined team activity, forces children to listen to one another, helps with reading and is fun. The Lincolnshire Poacher and The Water is Wide are presented with notes and performance hints.

Issues are presented concerning the use of music to break down communication barriers between students who speak different languages. The playing of Javanese percussion instruments is discussed.

Meadow Vale primary school in Bracknell Forest, England, has worked hard to give all teachers the confidence to work on creative music projects with pupils. Music is now a key element in classroom activity. At Sheringham primary in Norfolk, England, the music co-ordinator assists teachers less experienced in music, while at Claremont infant school in Manchester, England, emphasis is placed on the way in which music can foster other skills, such as listening, counting and cooperation.

The UK government has been very misguided in reducing the status of music in the curriculum for primary schools, according to conductor Sir Simon Rattle. Music in schools has now become one of his main concerns, and he has been appointed to the Dept for Education and Employment's National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education. He feels that music should be a central part of what children are taught, but recognizes that teachers are under great pressure and will probably not focus on music unless they are forced to do so.

Music for Change, a Kent-based organization founded in 1997, promotes cultural awareness, understanding and respect using music as a vehicle for change, as well as a way of integrating subjects across the curriculum. The charity works closely with a team of artists and performers from India, Africa and the Caribbean to offer tailor-made workshops to schools in the UK.

Research suggests that certain parts of the brain adapt themselves to support the individual's musical skills and that childhood music training is related to one's cognitive, motor, and emotional development.

An overview of the cross-curricular Phi-Factor project being run by Year 8 girls at Rochester Grammar School, a specialist maths and music college in Kent. The project, which is based around the mathematical concept of the Fibonacci sequence, aims to show the students how mathematical concepts can be applied in the real world and the links between maths and music.

An analysis of the natural history of the sea horse and how their future is under threat because of their alleged aphrodisiac effects. A number of lesson ideas based around sea horses are given for subjects such as art, music and science.

Composer Gavin Bryars has worked with a group of GCSE students to help create his latest work, From Egil's Saga. Bryars used the work of 10th-century Icelandic bard Egil Skallagrimsson as the inspiration for his work and has involved a number of different groups of people, including students, in the creation of the final performance piece.

An overview of a music therapy programme operated in schools in Cambridgeshire through a scheme operated by the county council via the Cambridgeshire Instrumental Music Agency. The scheme allows schools to buy the services of music therapists for three hrs/week at a cost of about UKPd1,000/term.

An overview of Intake High School Arts College in Bramley, Leeds, England, and how it is using ICT to teach music.

An analysis of how music can be used to help children with learning difficulties, with particular attention paid to the work of the Speech, Language and Hearing Centre in Camden, London, England. Advice is provided for how music can be used at home and at schools. Tips include, making up songs with children, playing games that involve music, using music at story time to represent characters or moods, and bringing children to special musical performances for children.

An overview of the work being done by Pitti Martinez in the Pitt Music Workshops in Bogota, Colombia, to teach children about music. Martinez contends that learning about music is an integral part of a child's social development and that music helps build language and listening skills and group work.

The National Association of Music Educators believes that music education should be accessible to all, since music is a unique experience which helps people to develop as human beings. As part of its efforts, the organisation is working together with the Schools Music Association to embed ICT in music, particularly at KS3.

The Children's Music Workshop in Leicestershire, UK, is running a project to encourage primary school children to use their imaginations and to write songs based on the theme of the changing local landscape. The project is being run in partnership with the National Forest Company over a two-year period, which will end with a performance in summer 2005 involving up to 300 schoolchildren.

The work of John Cage, the composer famous for his experimental compositions, can be enjoying and inspiring for music students. Cage was well known for trying to create different ways of making sounds and of getting people to listen. The recent John Cage Uncaged weekend at the London Barbican Centre provided schools with an opportunity to enjoy Cage's work and to come up with their own musical ideas.

Pupils' enjoyment of music is influenced by two main factors, namely their perceptions of themselves as musicians and the relevance of classroom work to their own musical experience. Teachers are advised to base music lessons on children's own tastes and experiences. Many children who feel that they cannot sing are happy to sing along to their own CDs.

Children with special needs can obtain major benefits from learning to play a musical instrument, although strong teacher and parental support is vital. Melody, a charitable organisation set up by Rosie Cross, a music teacher, helps to promote the teaching of musical instruments to children with disabilities. The charity is set to make a series of notes and recordings available for teachers via its website.

Last-minute ideas for music and drama activities for the final weeks of term are presented, with the aim of instilling some festive goodwill into children and teachers.

There is a wide range of music broadcast via the radio which can be used to inspire and excite pupils, giving them opportunities for singing, listening, composing and performing. A range of resources and materials are available to help to develop children's music skills and to generate interest in the subject.

Mabel Pritchard school for children with severe learning difficulties in Oxford is using music to help both its teachers and its pupils to relax and enjoy themselves. The school is using Beat That, a music programme designed specifically for use in special schools and devised by Bobbie Stormont and Hilary Wainer. The main aim of the programme is to enable all special school staff to make music with their pupils, regardless of their musical background.

Turnfurlong Junior School in Buckinghamshirestarted a jazz band in 1991, which comprises pupils from the school. Since its inception, the band has won many competitions, as well as raising funds for homeless charities.

The Cornerhouse arts centre in Manchester has joined forces with North Trafford college to introduce the Live Project month-long course, which aims to provide pupils with an insight into the career opportunities offered by the music industry. Local band 'Kid Conspiracy' is participating in the project, explaining what happens in a recording studio and inviting pupils to attend rehearsals and become members of their technical crew for a live performance.

The South Bank Centre in London is home to an extravaganza of schools music for one week at the start of July. The Music for Youth National Festival allows schools and colleges to take parts in workshops and performances covering a broad range of musical styles. Among the performing groups was the Great Sankey High School Swing Band from Warrington, Cheshire. The school's music department includes three full-time and 10 peripatetic teachers catering for over 260 pupils.

There a many products available on the market for music recording in school. While very few audio-cassette recorders come with an external microphone socket, there are devices that make it possible to use a microphone with tapedecks that do not have a microphone socket. One such gadget is the BT26 adaptor from B-tech, which is a microphone socket that plugs into a standard audio input socket. M-Audio's Audio Buddy is an adaptor that can also be used to connect to a computer. Companies such as Sharp, Sony and Panasonic sell portable MiniDisc recorders with microphone sockets.

Over 7,500 students visited Music Live's Education Day at the Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre in 2001. The music trade show will open its doors to schools and colleges on 08 November 2002. It provides students with a chance to get their hands on new instruments, to talk to technicians and musicians, to attend workshops and to win prizes. Every genre of music will be represented. A charity auction of musical equipment and memorabilia will be promoted by eBay, Internet company, and the Prince's Trust.

The Music Plus Plus project at Kettlefields school near Newmarket, UK, was a week-long project which looked at the patterns and links within maths, music and Islamic art. Headteacher Sarah Humphreys wants children to be creative and to make connections between science, the arts and the world around them.

Beech Hill primary school in Wigan, UK, has managed to integrate issues to do with sustainable development into its music lessons. Themes for music-making include 'Beautiful World, Polluted World'.

Using handchimes and handbells is an effective and enjoyable way of introducing primary schoolchildren to music-making. Advice is provided on how teachers can use the handbell family in different classroom activities.

The community brass band set up by Fred Longworth school in Tyldesley, UK, provides students with social skills as well as extra music tuition. The band aims to bridge the divide between school bands and adults bands, and its members include secondary and primary school children and adults.

The UK music industry and education authorities are concerned that musically gifted children frequently fail to pursue music lessons, particularly after moving to secondary schools. Interest in playing an instrument falls drastically after the age of ten, although children can express themselves most fluently though music after this age. Research suggests children become less motivated and less sure of their own musical skills while becoming more conscious of the effort required to play. Some children perceive effort as an investment while others perceive it as a risk and fear humiliation through failure.

American musicologist Craig Woodson has undertaken a range of educational projects designed to make children aware that music-making can be inexpensive and enjoyable. He has patented around 140 different home-made instruments, but for his forthcoming project in the UK will use his 'drumpet,' which is a percussion, woodwind and string instrument in one. In May 1998, almost 3,000 children will come together to perform as a 'drumpet' orchestra at the Festival Hall in London, England, with the Kronos Quartet.

Many UK primary schools are experiencing difficulties with the teaching of music, according to a survey of 692 primary schools undertaken by Times Educational Supplement. It is common for parents to have to pay for instrumental tuition, with more than one-third of schools making no reduction for less wealthy parents. Music is frequently taught during the lunch break or after school, rather than during ordinary lesson time. Many music lessons are taught by non-specialist teachers who cannot read music or play an instrument themselves.

Music is a very important part of the curriculum at Wardle High School in Rochdale, England. Each year group in the school has a brass band, and the school also has two wind bands, two swing bands, a choir and an orchestra. There is a strong belief among the staff that children who gain experience in playing an instrument will go on to perform well academically. This view is backed up by the school's strong performance in GCSE examinations.

Non-specialist music teachers for British primary schools often feel overwhelmed and underskilled because of the national curriculum requirements. However, they usually do know about pitch, styles and timber without being aware of it and are also unaware of how easy composition is to teach because students are motivated. The National Festival of Music for Youth organizers are planning a conference for primary music teachers to improve the self-confidence of non-specialist teachers.

A number of rock musicians have offered their help in promoting music education in UK elementary schools. Jeff Rich, drummer of Status Quo, is one such musician. Rich not only performs his music before schoolchildren, he also relates his personal background and the realities of a career in the music business. Despite proposed budget cuts, UK schools should promote music education since the music industry is one of the UK's most profitable industries.

The National Festival of Music for Youth (NFMY) has helped raise the standard of music in British Schools and has given schools an incentive to aim higher in music. The NFMY is based on the belief that music and arts curriculum cannot be successful within classrooms, and has encouraged staff development in this area. Several schools have become popular by winning awards in this festival.

Some believe that the new national curriculum for music education has encouraged various other forms of music, while others feel that the new curriculum may affect the nation's music. The new curriculum for music has substituted classical music with all types of music, as the importance of other contemporary forms of music has been recognized. The curriculum emphasizes that every form of music is distinct in its own way.

The inclusion of dance classes in physical education courses and music in primary school curricula are part of UK's national curriculum development. Dance instructors believe that dance lessons discourage barriers by making children feel good about themselves. Furthermore, classroom teachers and subject co-ordinators are charged with encouraging primary school students and expert practitioners to learn and teach music.

Students at the Royal Marine School of Music are extremely talented musically but they have to live up to a constant threat of terrorrism. Eleven bandsmen were killed and 21 were injured when the IRA attacked the school in 1990. Because of this, vigilance is high and the school is tightly guarded with marines. Even with this accepted risk, the school remains to be a prestigious institution as attested to by young musicians still lining-up for the three-day discriminating auditions.

The article discusses the important aspects of music, which encourages autistic children to interact with one another. It impacts many skills like eye and hand coordination besides listening and motivation.

The author describes a music composing project 'A Day in the Life of a Raindrop' where students of Years 5 or 6 compose a musical soundscape to accompany the different stages in the life of Ronnie the Raindrop.