Music Together May 12

We did a lot of vocal play last class!  A great example of vocal play is the dog sounds we do with the Sad Little Puppy song in class.  Making animal sounds and sliding your voice from low to high without singing one specific pitch is a great way to help your children develop their singing voices.

The National Association for Music Education gives music teachers guidelines and ideas for how to use vocal play.  The ideas listed below are not only great for teachers but also wonderful things you can do at home with the songs in your Music Together songs collection.

http://www.menc.org/v/general_music/early-childhood-singing-activities-part-1/

Young children thrive in a playful, relaxed, joyful environment with music activities designed to elicit exploration, cooperation, and success, says MENC member Wendy L. Sims. “Singing is the most intimate way for children to make music and to express themselves through music.”

Here are her suggestions for developing singing skill.

Encourage chanting, rhythmic speaking, vocal exploration, and improvisation. Some children make up songs spontaneously, while others need models and planned opportunities.

• Play question-and-answer games
• Converse in song
• Use poems, chants, and finger plays with strong rhythmic feeling
   

Allow children to develop their ability to sing at their own speed—it takes time, experience, and maturation. Never label children as poor singers or tell them not to sing with a group.

Pitch singing activities in the appropriate pitch range for young children—generally middle C or D up five notes to G or A.

Offer opportunities for children to match pitch, although accuracy is not to be expected from all.

• Use echo games using short pitch patterns and songs requiring short repetitive reponses
• Descending patterns may be the easiest.

Vocal Awareness and Exploration

Use vocal play to help children find their singing voices.

• Gliding their voices from high to low like a siren.
• Hooting like an owl.
• Following a wavy chalk line as it rises, falls, or stays the same.
   

Help children develop confidence in singing alone or with a group.

• Invite but never force them to participate.
• Those who don’t initially participate often join in next time or sing the song at a different time and place.
• Singing games, keeping eyes closed, or providing the voice of a puppet help timid singers participate.
   

Our play along song was Strummin' Song sung by Annette Funicello.  The song was written by the Sherman Brothers and I highly recommend their music.  They did soundtracks for Disney movies like Winnie the Pooh, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book and other fantastic movies!

Our dance was Ten Little Indians from the album Polka Parade.
You can click the link below to buy the MP3.














Here is a different version of Ten Little Indians you can enjoy at home.  It's not the polka dance we did in class but its a fun jazz version of the song.

When Are Kids Too Old For Music Together?

I found the following Facebook conversation about older children in Music Together classes not seeming as engaged as younger ones.  




At what age do you guys notice kids getting less into class? My 3 year old loves the music, but is starting to be a little too wild and not-as-into it as previous sessions. Do kids age out???


Great question about Music Together. Sorry it took me a little bit to get back to you. I asked one of our Teacher Trainers o address your question, and here is what she said:

The playful, non-formal approach used in Music Together classes is developmentally appropriate through the age of four or five; children don't really "age out" until they're ready for formal instruction. But it is common for children around the age of three to suddenly appear less interested in Music Together class. Paradoxically, this can be a critical time for them to keep attending!

One reason for a shift in attention is that the older child has new abilities for and interest in social connection, and often begins attending more to the community aspect of class. Another important thing that is happening is that the child is on the cusp of basic music competence.

Younger children are happy to wiggle, jump, sing or chant without any notion or concern about doing things "correctly." The closer a child gets to being able to sing in tune and move with accurate rhythm, however, the more he notices the ways his musical expression doesn't quite match that of the adults in class. Because he notices for the first time that he's a little off, he may feel less inclined to put himself in the spotlight and step back a little in class.

It's important for you as a parent to realize that this is a crucial time when your child is mentally "putting it all together." Keeping him in class will help him integrate his musical and his social development. There are a few ways you can help him at this delicate time: offer him some affirmation by mentioning the musical growth you've noticed in him, and also play the CD frequently at home. This will reinforce the sound of in-tune singing, and give him the opportunity to practice in the privacy of his home. Once your child has passed through this stage, he will likely become an enthusiastic participant once again, as he enjoys his new-found music competence.

Journey Montessori April 28

We continued working on high and low sounds this week.  The students performed rhythm patterns in either a silly high voice or a silly low voice.  Listen for high and low sounds around your house or when you are out and about and create your own silly high and low sounds this week!  This is great vocal practice.

After playing around with high and low we listened to all of the pieces from "The Carnival of The Animals" that we had been listening to over the past couple of months.  This students job was to identify the animal the music was about and any instruments they heard.  They were very quick at identifying what animal the music was about.  We had fun moving around like lions, hens and roosters, fish in the aquarium, fossil bones, kangaroos, turtles, birds, and elephants.  Below are some of the pieces from "The Carnival of the Animals" that we did not get to in class.  Enjoy listening to them and identifying the animal and what instruments are playing at home.

Donkeys



Cuckoo


Swan


Pianists



Finale


Tomorrow from 10:00 - 12:00 is the Charlotte Symphony Lollipops concert where they will be performing the Carnival of The Animals!  This is a great opportunity to see the symphony with your young children.  I hope you can attend!  If you miss out on this performance look back for next years Lollipops season that starts in the Fall.

Check out the Music Together Post below.  There is a great video of the Julie Andrews and Gene Kelly playing a rhythm game.  It's a fun game to try at home.  Also listen to the Boston Pops patriotic sing along.  How many of the patriotic songs that they play do you know and sing with your children at home?

Music Together April 27 and 28

We discussed audiation this week along with the songs "All Around The Kitchen," and "Listen to Me Play The Drum."  "Audiation is the process of mentally hearing and comprehending music, even when no physical sound is present.  It is a cognitive process by which the brain gives meaning to musical sounds."  An example of using audiation is when you sing the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" and stop saying one more body part each time you sing it.  Even though you are not singing that part, your brain is still hearing the music for it and keeping the rhythm of the song so you come in correctly when you begin singing again.
Music Together LLC posted a wonderful video on their Facebook page.  Julie Andrews and Gene Kelly play a rhythm game in the video where they tap the rhythm of a song and you have to guess what song it is.  Enjoy the video below and then try that game with your favorite songs at home this week.



Our dance this week was the Chicken Dance!  Below is the video for the version we used so you can dance along at home.



Our play along was Yankee Doodle performed by the Cincinnati Pops.  If you want the actual song used as a play along in class you can get the mp3 with this link.
       
If you do not normally sing patriotic songs a home think about adding them to the list of music you sing and play with your children.  Some of the standard American patriotic songs are included in the video below done by the Boston Pops.  Enjoy singing along to My Country Tis of Thee, America, Yankee Doodle, This Land is Your Land, You're A Grand Old Flag, and God Bless America.  After the sing along listen to Stars and Stripes Forever.  It's also a great way to get ready for the 4th of July!

Journey Montessori April 14

The Montessori students have been working on 4 and 8 beat rhythm patterns.  The students are all continuing to do a great job creating their own 4 beat rhythm patterns vocally (with animal, and other sounds).  Some of the students are now creating their own 4 beat pattern with body percussion as well.  

In our last few classes we added high and low sounds to our rhythm patterns, as a class.  I sang them a pattern and they had to tell me which sound they heard, high or low, and how many times they heard it.  We then added this repeated pattern as a ostinato (A continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm) along with a train song we have been singing.  The students helped me graph the ostinato on paper using simple long or short lines as symbols.  Reading the long and short lines for the ostinato is a beginning step to reading music.  The short lines can become quarter notes and the longer ones half notes.

_ _ _ _                _ _ _ _         ___

  

               _ _ _ _                _ _ 

Music Together Dance and Play Along

We worked on a simple start to doing some musical improvisation in our last class.  


Musical Improvisation is the creative activity of immediate ("in the moment") musical composition.  


We improvised with several songs by simply having you or your child come up with a movement or animal to change the verse.  In "Jumpin' Josie" you changed the song by changing the movement.  For "Hop Ol' Squirrel" the song was changed by selecting something different from the picture.  Improvising for "Train to the City" was a little more involved because you had to tell me how you were traveling and where you were going.  


These are great activities to try at home.  Change your favorite song to help out with your child's bedtime routine, or getting out the door in the morning.  If you (the adult) improvise with songs then your child will learn to too.  It is just fine for the adults in class to come up with ideas for songs too!

Here is a link to Dan Zanes "All Around The Kitchen" so you can enjoy it at home!
(Click the title above for the full version or the video below for a shorter version.)



Our Play Along song was "Old McDonald" sung by Ella Fitzgerald.  It came from the CD Jazz For Kids.  The whole CD is great and highly recommended.
     

Journey Montessori April 7

Today we talked about high and low sounds in a variety of songs.  We started using icons to identify when the music was high or low.  Using icons such as simple lines is a first step to reading real notation.  As you listen to music with your children ask them if they can identify high sounds, low sounds, and what instruments they hear playing.  The children are getting very good at identifying key instruments and musical components.

Our Carnival of the Animals piece for today was the Fossils!  We heard instruments from the string family, the clarinet from the woodwind family, and the piano and xylophone from the percussion family.  Watch the video below with your child so they can see all of these instruments playing.  We also heard the familiar tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" hidden in the middle of the piece (listen for the piano to play it around 1:19)!