Pre-school percussion band helps children express their spiritual and physical feelings towards music. Through various music activities, they can gain knowledge, skills, and experience which continue to develop throughout the years. The fact that children feel happy when beating a musical instrument or anything around them make it even more important to have a percussion band in pre-school.

The 3 things to remember when organising a percussion band:

• The children must learn to start playing together
• The children must learn to stop playing together
• The children play musical instruments according to the tune, learn to recognise a loud, a soft or a medium sound.

When planning an activity, you must consider the children’s physical development, their age level, and their maturity. Movements, imaginations and creativities should be included.

The objective of having a percussion band in pre-school:

• Cultivate an interest in rhythm and be able to follow the rhythm
• Develop a co-ordination of harmonious and gentle movement
• Cultivate power of concentration and careful attention
• Produce creative ideas in various moods
• Experience the joy of responding in a group to musical stimulus
• Develop social relationships necessary for group appreciation of music.
• Listen and appreciate music
• Develop a good memory for various sounds and rhythms

Suitable percussion instruments for children:
Tambourine, triangle, clapper/castanet, ritomica, woodblock, sleigh bell, rhythm stick, maracas, drum

How to conduct percussion band activities:

1. Play in a bright and lively tune
2. Demonstrate body movements according to music
3. Let children imitate, all movement must be according to music
4. Use improvised instruments before giving them the real percussion instruments
5. Introduce percussion instruments and demonstrate how to play them
6. Take turns to play and do a number of rhythm training
7. All children play a new ryhthm together, then divide into groups
8. Rhythm should be simple and suitable
9. Musical accompaniment for the percussion instruments can be recorded or sung or played on a pianica, recorder and so on