Music Playtime is a complete, topic-based music scheme for teachers of Early Years & Reception (age 3-5) and Key Stage 1 (age 5-7) children - choose either plan, or both.

Music Playtime fulfils the timetabled curriculum music requirements of the National Plan for Music Education 2022, including :

• ALL the MUSIC requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (2021) and Development Matters: Non-Statutory Curriculum Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage (2021)
  
  ALL the timetabled MUSIC CURRICULUM requirements of the 2021 Key Stage 1 Model Music Curriculum and the National Plan for Music Education (2022)

Music Playtime also supports:

• Early & First Level, Scotland
• Foundation Wales
• Early Years & Foundation Key Stage 1 Northern Ireland

Lancashire Music Service recommends Music Playtime - Music Playtime was commissioned by the Lancashire Music Service to cater specifically for young children. It’s endorsed by music and education experts alike, including nursery teachers, Key Stage 1 teachers, and two former OFSTED inspectors. Music Playtime is ideal for non-specialists - you'll learn exactly what to do in music, why it's important and how to do it, with friendly advice, videos, audios, and help with planning. If you are a music specialist or school music lead, you'll find fantastic ideas that you may not have tried before.

Please note that, in compliance with the 2022 National Plan for Music, primary schools will additionally need to make arrangements for a school choir, music ensembles, and the chance for children to enjoy a live music performance at least once a year. These do not fall within the remit of any published music scheme.

Music Playtime is great for parents, grandparents, childminders, and carers who want to enable children to engage with music because the activities are specially selected to work with groups of any size and they are do-able by everyone. With Music Playtime, there's no need for any child to miss out on music. Music Playtime is about active music - playing, singing, creating music, listening, movement and beginning to relate sounds to symbols. You'll have fun too!

Music Playtime is unique - it’s a complete music scheme combined with video-based CPD (continuing professional development)! It's packed full of playful music activities that were tried, tested and approved by local children, teachers and teaching assistants, and demonstrated in over 100 videos.

Here's a 'taster' video from the Key Stage 1 unit:

How to Subscribe to Music Playtime

Individuals and individual schools enjoy a free two-week trial or, once you've signed up, you can click and skip to subscribe straight away. When your free trial ends, you may choose to subscribe to Early Years/Reception OR Key Stage 1 OR both at a discount price. Subscription payments are set to recur every year but you can cancel any time before the next payment is due with no further obligation, and your subscription will still run for a full year.

Music Playtime costs less than comparable music schemes and resources, and all the staff in your school or nursery can use the same login! The videos provide CPD too, which also saves you money!

If you work in a Lancashire school, you get Music Playtime free - it's pre-paid by the Lancashire Music Service so please contact us for details. Non-Lancashire teachers - to check whether your local music service is a Music Playtime affiliate, please contact them directly.

If you are a music service or academy trust enquiring about discounts for your schools and nurseries, please use the Multi-subscription enquiry form on the Homepage.

How Can Music Playtime Help Me?

Music Playtime helps you to become more confident when teaching music, with clear explanations and demonstrations. I'm specifically qualified to teach music to this age range, with years of experience as a class teacher, and my work as a university tutor in music education means that I understand what sort of support you need as a busy teacher or musically-interested parent:

• do-able, enjoyable activities
• all in one place
• clear demonstrations and friendly advice
• makes planning and record keeping easy
• Ofsted-proof - based on sound practice and endorsed by leading experts

The sample lesson plans for Key Stage 1 show you how simple it is for you to make your own plans using Music Playtime because the activities are categorised (eg singing, creative work) and the elements of music covered by each task are given (eg tempo, dynamics). There's also a template for keeping records easily. You don't have to read music notation because you can learn the songs from the singalong tracks and you truly don't need a great singing voice - the important thing is to just do it, and many of the activities don't require you to sing anyway.

Singing is back!

Every topic has lots of songs and everyone is back to singing now but Covid has not yet gone away and, just supposing you need to be extra-careful, the charts below show the Topics 1-5 activities that are safest for EYFS and for KS1 - and there are 10 more topics to go! Although the charts generally omit the Songs and Chants sections, the Music Playtime songs are ideal for outdoors and for use in the hall - being so child-friendly, they don't depend on videos or backing tracks for success, and there are additional, non-singing activities based on the songs. To print out the charts, please log in first to download them from the start of Topic 5: Maestro & the Christmas Tree for Early Years and from Topic 5: Maestro & the Christmas Tree for KS1. (Easiest to use a desktop or laptop unless your phone has a pdf reader.)

COVID-safe Activities for EYFS

COVID-safe Activities for KS1

What is Music Education? A personal note...

Music is - and can only be - based on the elements of music, expressed through musical activities and experiences. Government documents about how to teach music may vary in detail from time to time but the essential nature of music does not. Music has always been about singing, physical movement, making sounds on instruments or objects, listening, making up music, and sharing music by performing.

Music Playtime covers all the essential ingredients of music education, helping you to teach successfully and your children to learn joyfully.