Looking for the perfect beat

It's 9.15am, and the mixed Year 5 and 6 class at Bannockburn Primary School in southeast London returns to its room after assembly. Traffic noise from Plumstead High Street seeps through the closed windows of this archetypal, red-brick Victorian school.

But there's nothing archetypal about the way these kids are about to start their day: a bongo-type drum sits in front of the whiteboard and teacher Phillip Davis has asked the pupils to stay standing and find some space.

As Davis wedges the drum between his knees and pounds out an urgent beat, Sally, Anna, Jack, David and Moteleola line up at the front and lead the class in a series of actions. Brain gym has begun.

This is a familiar, and clearly enjoyable, exercise that their teacher uses to shake away physical restlessness after long periods of inactivity. It's also designed to energise the brain in preparation for work.

As the drum rhythm rises and falls and changes the tempo, the team at the front introduce actions that hone hand and eye co-ordination as well as giving limbs a good shake-out. This is tailored, purposeful exercise.

Music is a vital subject in its own right in the curriculum, of course, but the aim here is for music to complement other learning rather than to teach musicality. And after introducing brain gym to his class last year, Davis has gradually lessened his control on the exercise. He gives the odd word of guidance, but, in essence, the kids are running the show themselves.

Minutes later, knees are back under desks, books are out and the more formal lesson begins... calmly.

"Brain gym freshens the mind," Sally tells me later. "He uses it when he thinks we're getting a bit bored and about to turn off," explains Jack.

Later, Davis uses music again, to stimulate his pupils' creativity as they continue with their work on 'personification'. He projects five photographs on the board at the front of the class for four minutes each, while relaxing music plays on a stereo in the corner.

The pictures are of urban landscapes: angular towers and bridges, tall buildings with regimented rows of identical windows. The pupils' task is to imagine the shapes are human, and write about the personal qualities they might possess. As the music washes over the classroom, words cascade onto the pages of exercise books. A few heads look up with thoughtful expressions, seeking inspiration in the next picture.

Rules? There are no rules

"Put yourself in the picture," suggests Davis. "Listen to the sounds. Once you've got an idea, go with it. Think of the emotions that might be there."

His reassuring presence in the room, flitting from table to table, prompting, prodding and encouraging creativity, complements the music. Davis nurtures an atmosphere where the kids feel confident and safe in their experimentation with words.

After 20 minutes, some pupils have written two or three A4 pages. Others have written less, but invention and creativity are evident in every book.

The fruits are shared. Some read their writing out loud. Davis recites the work of others.

"A see-saw for giants. What if they fall?" "A glint of light, a glint of hope." "A see-saw sits still in a forbidden park." "My life has its ups and downs."

Afterwards, Adeboye, Aaron and Anna tell me how the music helps them to write: "It gives you ideas. It helps paint a picture for you. It makes you see into the picture more easily."

Davis uses music for a variety of ends. He plays lively, timed pieces to focus pupils' minds during a clear-up at the end of a lesson. And he chooses a slower passage for a communal calm-down.

"It makes lessons a much richer experience; more dynamic and more unpredictable," he says. "It doesn't automatically make them brilliant students. But it does maximise their potential for learning."

And that, after all, is every teacher's aim.

Phillip Davis' teaching methods, and use of music, illustrate principles of accelerated learning techniques, promoted by the Alite educational organisation. Read more at www.alite.co.uk

Words: Steve McCormack Pictures: David Rees

Music at the heart of every school

The recently launched Music Manifesto is designed to improve music teaching for pupils of all ages. Visit www.musicmanifesto.co.uk and showcase your own contributions or be inspired by others.

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This content was published in September 2004 and may not reflect current policy