Nursery Rhythm Kit: Review

Key information

• Title: Nursery Rhythm Kit
• What it is: Selection of 15 percussion instruments in a bamboo storage basket. Also included is a set of 30 Music Cards with hints and ideas for 25 musical play sessions and a ‘What it’s called and where it’s from’ card with background on each of the instruments in the kit
• Suppliers: Drums for Schools / Sound Children
• Available from: http://www.drumsforschools.com/nursery-rhythm-p-1415.html / http://www.soundchildren.com/pi/1415/music-kits-nursery-rhythm-kit.html
• Price information: RRP: £181.43 / Web: £154.22 / Edu: £127+£7 delivery+VAT

There was big excitement at MUSIC:ED with the delivery of Drums for Schools’ and Sound Children’s Nursery Rhythm Kit. The large, square bamboo basket was a pleasure to unpack; so much so that we were tapping, banging, scraping and shaking our way through the contents within seconds of lifting the lid!

Fifteen wooden and/or metal instruments cover the basics of world percussion – from the guiro (played all over the world but used particularly in South American music) to the kokiriko (originally from Japan and Korea) – with two copies of most instruments included as follows:

• 2 animal clackers
• 2 horio shakers
• 2 frog scrapers
• 2 tiktoks
• 2 agogos
• 2 one-bar chimes
• 1 cow bell
• 1 (small) djembe
• 1 shaman drum

There is also a book of 30 music cards with ideas for leading Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) music sessions as well as guides to ‘What’s in the basket’ and ‘Where it comes from’. The book, written by Anna Ryder of Sound Children, is not specifically related to the kit – a slight disappointment as it would have been nice to see ideas for using the actual instruments provided – but this is a small niggle given that it is bursting with creatively presented musical activities for children at EYFS.

We decided to trial the Nursery Rhythm Kit during Black History Month (which takes place during October in the UK). We took the kit to four different nursery settings and used it with groups of 12 to 15 two- to three- and three- to four-year-olds in music sessions of up to 30 minutes in length. The teacher (a peripatetic EYFS music specialist) introduced the instruments in sets of three over a number of sessions, allowing the groups to familiarise themselves with the look and sound of each instrument as individual children were invited to handle and play them in turn. This was combined with simple repeating word rhythms (using examples of fruit and vegetables from Africa and the Caribbean) which all of the children were able to join in with – first by clapping and then on claves (provided separately).

Once all the instruments had been introduced, an entire session was devoted to the Nursery Rhythm Kit which was placed in the middle of a circle of children, all of whom were invited to choose an instrument. The teacher used the shaman drum to lead the group while the children familiarised themselves with their instruments by chanting and playing the fruit and vegetable word rhythms they had learned during the previous sessions. The teacher then introduced a simple song from Nigeria which highlighted different children by name as everyone played along to a steady pulse. By the end of the session, children were enjoying holding and playing their instruments, chanting and singing in time, experimenting with pulse and rhythm, working as a group and following a leader. In some groups, the teacher was able to take this one step further by inviting a child who was able to keep a steady pulse to the front to lead the rest of the group using the shaman drum.  Children were excited to be singled out in this way and took pride in wielding the big beater and banging the biggest instrument of the lot in front of their friends!

Feedback from both children and staff was overwhelmingly positive and the Nursery Rhythm Kit was a resounding success. The teacher had a few concerns when she first saw the kit: that the younger children might find it hard to manipulate the larger instruments; that the nature of the materials used and slightly ‘homespun’ feel might result in the odd splinter (not an issue); that some of the instruments (eg the frog scraper) were not as well made as other examples on the market; and – most concerning of all – that the basket used to store the instruments might not be suitable for peripatetic use. This last was the only issue of ongoing concern: the teacher found it difficult to carry the kit with the rest of her equipment (guitar, stand, CD player, props etc) and ended up making two journeys to and from her car to each nursery and from room to room within each nursery. While this would not pose a problem in settings which purchased the kit for use in situ, it was a significant problem for a peripatetic music specialist – one which could be solved with the simple addition of a clasp, hinges and handles to the bamboo basket, preferably made of leather to ensure sturdiness, longevity and ease of carrying.

Overall, the kit is good value at £127.00 for educational use (£181.43 otherwise with a discount for online purchase) and would make an excellent addition to a set of musical resources for children at EYFS, whether that be in a nursery or children’s centre, a child’s home or – with appropriate improvements to the bamboo basket – for use by a peripatetic music teacher or EYFS music provider. Due to the nature of some of the instruments (the tiktoks and agogos have their beaters attached to them with cord), children using the kit should be supervised at all times.