Let It Shine

I couldn't resist posting this great video I came across of "This Little Light of Mine" being sung at the University of New Hampshire's commencement.  How great is it to think that the gift of music you are giving your children now is something they will be able to continue to enjoy for the rest of their lives!



We listened to a jazzy version of "This Little Light of Mine" in class.  It was recorded by the Chris Barber Jazz Band if you are looking for the recording to use at home.

When we sang Los Fandangos in class we first put the clapping rhythm in our hands and then in our feet.  The ability to put a beat or rhythm below your mid-line is called the cephalocaudal trend.

Here is some more information about how rhythm develops.  

We are all born with ability to move and, if nurtured in a proper developmental environment, that movement will change from our own rhythm to one that matches the music we hear and we are making.  We can first express rhythms with our voice, then we learn to put that rhythm in the top half our bodies, and lastly we learn to express it in the lower half of our bodies.  This is called the cephalocaudal trend. 

"The cephalocaudal trend is the prenatal growth from conception to 5 months when the head grows more than the body. It is also the trend of infants learning to use their upper limbs before their lower limbs."


Some people never develop the ability to keep the beat in their feet.  Whether you can keep a beat in your feet or not you will help your child develop this ability simply by moving your feet to the music.  Even if your dance ins't "correct" you are still showing your child that it is OK and good to dance and move.  So turn up the music and dance this week at home!

supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Our play along from this week was from Mary Poppins.  Enjoy playing along and dancing to this great upbeat song at home this week.




REMEMBER
Sing lullabies to your child!  The sound of your voice is a comfort to them.  Studies have even shown when someone who is close to a child (parent, grandparent, sibling, nanny, etc) sings them a lullaby their body releases a hormone that helps them calm down and fall asleep.
For more benefits of singing lullabies with your child check out this article:
The Effects of Lullabies on Children 
from the International Journal of Business and Social Science.

Here are my favorite reasons to sing lullabies from the article.

"2. When babies are afraid of sudden movements and sudden voices their blood pressure and heartbeats rise
immediately. Lullaby draws this high blood pressure suffered by children into a normal level and this is
achieved in a very short time.
3. Lullabies provide for a healthier period of growing up

A child that grows up by listening to the lullabies of its mother will have a much healthier kind of
communication with her.
6. While the baby communicates with the mother through lullabies its mind becomes active. Because as long as
the mother keeps speaking or singing the related perception centres in the brain of the child remain
stimulated. And this contributes to a faster comprehension of the desired information the baby is supposed to
perceive.
7. Some expressions taking place in lullabies transfer children lots of subjects about life.
8. Lullabies take the tension present on the child and thus ease the baby’s falling asleep."

Boil 'Em Cabbage

At Journey Montessori this week we listened to a song called Boil 'Em Cabbage Down.

We listened to a version played by Harry House.  You can find it on iTunes.  This was our listening activity.  After listening to the music the students told me what instruments and sounds they heard.  Then we did an instrument play along to the song.

Here is a little history about the music from wikipedia and Mark O'Connor.

"Boil Them Cabbage Down"  is an American folk song.^[1]  The song has roots reaching all the way to the African slaves that were brought to the southern part of the United States

This simple tune is often used in Old Time Music circles to teach young folks how to play the fiddle, banjo, mountain dulcimer and/or guitar. The following is the basic tune with the lyrics of the chorus. These tabs assumes you have a diatonically fretted instrument tuned to one of the 1-5-8 open tunings like G-D-G or D-A-D such as you might find on a mountain dulcimer or a stick dulcimer.

2 2 2 2 3 3

Boil them cab-bage down, down.

2 2 2 2 1 1

Turn them hoe-cakes 'round, 'round.

2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3

The on-ly song that I can sing is

2 2 1 1 0

Boil them cab-bage down.

The word "hoecakes" refers to small cornmeal cakes that were fried in the fire on the blade of a hoe. A breakfast of hoecakes and cabbage soup testifies to the humble origins of this song.

Variations of this song can be found in Mark O'Connor's violin book 1.  They coincide with the Suzuki methods Twinkle variations.  

Here are some great versions of the song to enjoy at home.

Fall Music Together!

Wow, it's Fall!  Summer flew by in my house and we are ready for cooler weather and Fall activities.  I'm excited to see familiar faces and new ones this Fall in Music Together class.

This weeks song from outside of your collection is from the Disney movie The Princess and The Frog.  "When We're Human" is a fantastic jazzy song that captures the spirit of New Orleans.  I hope you enjoy listening to your Music Together CD at home and in the car this week.  Also enjoy singing, dancing, and playing instruments to the music you love with your children.
I will do my best to post any songs we use from outside the Music Together collection here so you can enjoy them at home too.

Also, check back or scroll to older posts for early childhood musical development information and ways to enjoy music with your children.
Here is a great article about how music lessons early in life are linked to lasting brain benefits!
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/08/21/music-lessons-linked-to-lasting-brain-benefits/