Sounds Useful is the title of a suite of music programs for the BBC microcomputer, designed for primary school use. The programs aim to allow the computer to be used as an instrumental resource in conjunction with other musical instruments. This article describes the programs, their purpose and how they came to be developed. It also looks at aspects of the development of music software in general and challenges in particular the view that the quality of sound produced by standard microcomputers is insufficient for creative use in primary schools.

This article explores ways in which the elements of north Indian classical music may be taught in a western context. It examines traditional methods of teaching in India and points out the difficulties of transferring such methods into Western music education. The basic materials of Indian music are examined, with a view to using them to heighten awareness of music in general, but not necessarily to produce solo performers. The article suggests ways in which Indian music can be explored without compromising its inherent complexity, sense of form and aesthetic beauty; while, at the same time, making it more accessible to a wide range of people.

Recent publications, such as Music from 5 to 16 (D.E.S., 1985a) and the National Criteria for Music for GCSE (D.E.S., 1985b) reflect the now established view that composition should be a normal part of the music curriculum for all children. There is still some work to be done infurthering our understanding of children's compositions. Much of the material published so far (e.g. Loane, 1984) has concentrated on children of secondary school age. The present article offers some reflections prompted by work with younger children.

Research into children's singing has gradually gained momentum since the beginning of this century. These studies have principally concentrated on the identification of children's ‘comfortable’ singing ranges, and the identification and treatment of children who sing out-of-tune, usually termed ‘uncertain singers’ or ‘poor pitch singers’ (p.p.s.). Several investigators have commented that out-of-tune singing appears in different forms (for reviews, see Phillips 1984; Welch 1979a, b, 1985b). The aim of the present article is to discuss these findings and to suggest that children's singing has an underlying developmental process.

A musical development sequence is proposed based on the psycho-logical concepts of mastery, imitation, imaginative play and meta-cognition, drawing on the work of Moog, Piaget and the observations of British writers. An interpretation of over seven hundred children's compositions is undertaken yielding an eight-mode spiral of development that may have consequences for music teaching; for overall music curriculum planning, for appropriate responses to individuals, for generating progression in a session or project.

This article is a revised version of a talk given by the author before an international symposium on music education in Hortos, Greece, in 1985. It considers the current state of modern music, suggesting that there have been some important changes in direction since the avant-garde styles of the 1950s and 1960s; and it reflects on some of the implications of these changes for secondary-school music teaching.

Some proposals are made for factors likely to facilitate the success of contemporary music which children hear or perform. In the original talk these points were illustrated with recorded examples, indicated here by numbers in the text. The role of children as contemporary composers themselves is also discussed in terms of the method and motivation by which creative work may be encouraged.

The educational writers on whom the author bases much of his argument are clearly acknowledged throughout the text. Otherwise, opinions derive from experience of teaching and writing music for children in England and in France.