Will’s Harbour Music

At the harbour, Will hears a rope tapping against a mast. A gull calls above the quiet water. Back at school, he and Anna choose instruments for a short piece of music that might remind listeners of their walk.

Will makes a steady tap on a wooden block. Anna answers with the rain stick. They like the two sounds together, but Will keeps tapping while she turns it. By the end, neither can hear where the other person’s idea begins.

Ms Hart asks them to listen without playing. In the pause, Will remembers how the rope tapped, stopped and tapped again. The harbour had gaps as well as sounds. He suggests that their music could leave some too.

They agree on a short pattern for the block, followed by space for Anna’s answer. On a large sheet, Will draws a few square marks and Anna adds a long curved line. Their shapes record the order without using ordinary words.

At their next rehearsal, Anna enters before the final tap. She thought the last square was the beginning of her turn. They spread the marks farther apart and add a clear space before her curved line. Both can follow it now.

Will wonders whether the ending needs a loud crash. Anna tries a soft drum tap instead. They compare the two endings, then choose the quiet one. It leaves them thinking about boats resting on the water, rather than a storm arriving.

They play for a small group with the picture score in view. One listener imagines a train; another hears a boat. Will points to the empty spaces on the sheet and asks what those parts made them notice.

“I could hear the next sound coming,” someone says. Will had expected everyone to picture the harbour. Now he is interested in the different journeys their music can start. He and Anna leave the score open for another pair to try.