Here is a list of the kind of skills an experience music leader working with children has:

 

 

Confidence – to sing out in front of children and adults

Songwriting – making up words and tunes and remembering them, writing them down

Improvising – making up little songs and tunes in the moment, repeating them, validating them

Melodic and harmonic skills – feeling where a tune is going as I sing, finding notes to fit with chords, and chords to fit with notes, and chord sequences to express the mood

Instrumental skills:

  • able to play my instrument while singing and paying attention to what’s happening around me – only 20% attention needed on my playing
  • knowledge of chords
  • ability to find a melody on the instrument
  • repertoire of melodies and chords

Aural skills to hear tunes and repeat them

Repertoire to draw on:

  • of songs
  • of activities and games
  • of puppets and props

Producing printed sheets of song words with clipart

Documenting with photos and video

Writing up what I see as significant

Empathy and intuition to tune in to children’s moods, feelings and experiences

Trust of my instincts and intuition to voice things that don’t seem to make sense

Flexibility:

  • to go with children’s ideas
  • to stop doing something if it isn’t working
  • to abandon any pre-conceived plan
  • to go into new territory

Willingness to have times when nothing seems to be happening, out of which can come something new

Sense of humour

Kindness and understanding