Recently, on the We Teach forum, I read over a post titled: Water play, music play and children: a natural combination. My kids love water and music so naturally, I clicked over.

I then asked the author (Alec Duncan) if I could repost a portion of his article here on our site; he agreed. Scroll down to watch the video!

Water play, music play and children: a natural combination

My first exposure to water and music wasn’t working in child care – it was watching the great percussionist Trilok Gurtu dipping gongs, bells, cymbals and sea-shell rattles into a bucket of water during a John McLaughlin Trio concert many years ago.  The unearthly tones he produced delighted me – shimmering waves of ever-changing tones that swooped up and down in pitch.

I have a very broad definition of music.  To me, music is sound organised in time.  All sounds can be music, and with water play we can explore:

• rhythm
• pattern
• tempo
• pitch
• timbre (tone)

These are the building blocks of all music, and water offers a unique playground for exploring them.  It also offers a fantastic way to explore the science of sound in a way that is meaningful and understandable for young children.

We aren’t going to be creating songs (although singing may happen); we aren’t going to be creating performances (although that may happen too).  Instead this is about exploration and learning through the joy of free play.  It’s going to be loud, it’s going to be wet and it’s going to be fun.  Get your water play clothes on (budgie smugglers optional) and let’s get playing!

Here’s a video of just a few of the sounds you can make with water.  It’s by no means exhaustive: there a many other options, but think of it as a library of possibilities which you can offer to children.  Watch it now – the rest of this post won’t make any sense otherwise.

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Click over to finish this article at Child's Play Music!