The Plan Included Broad Learning Activities and Culminates in a Performance

This plan, shared byAntoinettePardoe, Music Coordinator at Hilton Primary School in Derby, encapsulates an eight week program on pBuzz and will be used throughout Hilton’s KS1cohort this academic year. This will lead to all KS1 pupils having an authentic learning experience on a brass instrument before entering KS2.

The plan included broad learning activities and culminates in a performance.

Antoinette has used materials from WMG Education and then taken these and made them her own, she also has included links to other, external, resources within the plan.

Team Work Warm-ups – 1 to start each session in any order you like.
1 / Crocodile Claps / Teacher leads the children opening hands one up above the head, the other straight out in front. Snap like a crocodile. Repeat faster/ slower/ stop wide open. Can children copy without making a mistake – as a team?

2 / Tapping / Altogether: teacher leads the children in tapping the body 8 times to the head/ 8 times to the shoulders/ 8 times to the knees/ 8 times to the feet – repeat 4/ 2/ 1 time.
3 / Pass the clap / Reinforce left and right hand. Teacher to start placing left then right hand on the floor. The child to the right does the same passing the taps around the full circle. Repeat in opposite direction. Adapt to stamping/ jumping/ singing a note/ playing the PBuzz.
4 / Singing / Simple songs/ nursery rhymes to reinforce duration of a note/ pace/ rhythm.


5 / Rhythm Sticks /
6 / Name/ Colour/ Favourite Food (anything you can think of!) Circle Game / Name
6 / Pulse/ Duration/ Rhythm Ideas /
PBuzz Skills – to follow warm-up
1 / Left/ Right / Ensure holding the PBuzz correctly. The hands symbols on the instrument indicate with which hand to hold the PBuzz. Reinforce left and right hand – Simon Says: put your right hand on your head/ wave your left hand etc.
2 / Posture / Open PBuzz slider out fully. Raise PBuzz to head NOT head down to PBuzz. Hold out at a right angle to the body.
Head/ chin up = looking directly across to a children on the opposite side of a circle. Blow out a candle without dropping head.
3 / Buzzing / Lips make the sound in any brass instrument. Reinforce that the PBuzz is an empty tube – look though mouth piece and PBuzz. Lips must be relaxed ‘like a disappointed horse!’ Buzzing lips/ buzzing into the mouth piece/ buzzing to make a sound through the PBuzz.
4 / Call and Response / Sing/ clap/ play the PBuzz and children copy. Create listening environment/ response to a conductor. Stand in a rainbow shape with teacher at the front facing the children so that they can watch and copy and see one another. Work to play/ clap/ sing at the same time. Teacher to lead extending to a child to lead or 2 groups of children taking turns to play facing one another.
5 / Marking the Rests / Practice call and response: lead by teacher/ extending to the children leading.
Teacher: play play shhh
Children: play play shhh
Repeat with the same or different pattern combinations.
6 / Sliding / Practise sliding the slider and adjusting the tension of lips (tighter for higher notes and more relaxed for low notes) to help make the notes.
7 / Play and March / Marching extending to playing one note for each step – best in the playground.
8 / James Brown Performance Piece / Play along to the backing track.

Link to PBuzz online resources: