18/06/2026
One of the most exciting stages in the early Stringbabies journey was watching the children move from reading rhythms with note shapes to composing their own little melodies on a one‑line stave. Every lesson began with our familiar Hello Song and ended with the Goodbye Song (which quietly introduced the major 3rd and tonic triad). And of all the pieces we used, Kippers and Custard was the runaway favourite!
As the children grew more confident, something unexpected happened. I had originally made the note shapes in bright primary colours, but the students identified very readily with simple black‑and‑white shapes.
From there, it was a natural step to move from one line to two lines, and then to a three‑line stave, where we introduced the bass clef and even the crochet rest. (In the very first books I tried to cram the rest and three new note values onto one page — a decision I later reversed when I re‑edited the material!)
These early discoveries shaped the Stringbabies approach more than I could have imagined at the time. It was all about following the children’s responses and letting their learning lead the way.
