Top 5 Instruments to teach as a non-specialist

Although ‘Wider Opps’ was originally rolled out as a Local Authority Music Service project, and now ‘WCET’ is part of the Music Education Hubs’ offer to schools in England, there’s no reason why you can’t run your own internal project, even if you’re not an instrumental specialist. Here are our top 5 suggestions for instruments to try out with your classes.

Glockenspiel

Glockenspiel available from https://normans.co.uk/

Normans Musical Instruments

A faithful staple of every primary school, the glockenspiel is so easy to play that anyone can do it! The note names are written on the bars so all you need to do is bash the right one at the right time – simple!

Recorder

Recorder available from https://normans.co.uk/

Normans Musical Instruments

Another old faithful, the recorder has the distinct advantage that most teachers probably learned to play it when they were at primary school, so it’ll soon all come rushing back to them! They do get a bit icky though, so best have a bucket of Milton to hand!

Ukulele

Ukulele available from https://normans.co.uk/

Normans Musical Instruments

Not just a posturing tool for hipsters, the ukulele is an accessible instrument that only requires knowledge of one or two chords to be able to strum along to a whole heap of music. Like any stringed instrument, it will require tuning though, which can be time-consuming. Generally the cheaper the instrument, the more tuning it requires, so don’t be too mean with your budget!

Ocarina

Ocarina available from http://www.ocarina.co.uk/

Ocarina Workshop

This brightly coloured, unusual looking instrument is actually one of the oldest in the world, although originally made of clay not plastic. The 4 hole oc is simpler and smaller than a recorder, so ideal for the tiniest of hands as a first introduction to playing an instrument.

pBuzz

pBuzz available from https://normans.co.uk/

Normans Musical Instruments

The pBuzz is a fairly new kid on the block, a plastic ‘brass’ instrument with a slide similar to a trombone, which plays five notes. The notes are marked on the slide with letter names, colours, and numbers, so once you’ve mastered a ‘buzz’ (think a raspberry with less spit) then you shouldn’t have too much trouble figuring out the rest!