In the last month we have explored a lot with improvising and mixed meter songs.  You can improvise (create on the spot) new verses to any song.  Create new verses to help you get through your day.  The head teacher at the Montessori school I teach at directs her students by singing to them all the time.  Her soft singing is so awesome to listen to!  (Much better than loud fussing).

We have improvised with Jim Along Josie a lot!  It is an easy song to change the words too.  It is also an easy song to play on the guitar or ukulele.  Enjoy jumping along with Pete Seegers version at home.  Add your own verses if you haven't already done so!

Here is a link to the play along version of Jim Along Josie we used in class.  You can preview and purchase it on Amazon or iTunes.

http://www.amazon.com/Jim-Along-Josie/dp/B0014N9FRG

Mixed meter is also a lot of fun to play with.  I have two music degrees and reading mixed meter music would always stress me out.  It wasn't until playing with mixed meter as a music together teacher that I became comfortable with it!  

Dance To Your Daddy is a mixed meter song.  It is in triple meter for a few phrases and then has a duple beat stuck in there.  When we danced with the song we bounced on the duple beat.  When we rolled balls with the song we felt the rhythm by 

roll (2,3)

roll (2,3)

roll (2,3)

bounce, bounce (or bounce pass) 

catch (2, 3)

Try this again at home.  When you can get your body to move with the beat and feel it the music becomes easy to understand and enjoy.

Rocketship is also a mixed meter song

Improvise

As you came into class this week we were listening to a recording of Simple Gifts by Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss.  It is on the Album Classic Yo-Yo.  The best price for the whole album is on Amazon.

You can listen to Air and Simple Gifts played at President Obama's Inauguration by clicking the video below.

Maestro John Williams arranged a piece based on Aaron Copeland's arrangement of the old Shaker Tune "Simple Gifts" as "Variations on a Shaker Melody". Yo-Yo Ma performs along with Itzhak Perlman on violin, Gabriela Montero on piano and Anthony McGill on clarinet.

In class we talked about simple improvisation.  If you have been following this blog for any amount of time, or involved in my classes for more than one session, you may notice this is a common topic!  Improvisation is important for young children.  As parents we have to be ready to improvise with more than just the songs we are singing with our children.  Improvising (creating something in the moment) new verses to the familiar songs you are learning in class can help with your day.  You can make up verses to songs about cleaning up, going potty, going to sleep, eating food, something you see while you are learning to wait patiently!  We improvised with the songs Rocket Ship, Hey Lolly, Lolly, and a little bit with Ran Tin Tinnah this week.  Pick your favorite song and see if you can make up a new verse to help you get through your day.

We also sang I've Been Workin' on the Railroad this week and I promised I would add more specific musical terms here for what we did.  Your children are playing with huge musical concepts in class (odd meter, mixed meter, form, many tonalities, elongation, diminution, accelerando, ritardando, and many more).  Being exposed to these large musical concepts through play at a young age will help them understand them as they get older.
In this song we had 3 main sections A, B, C.  We played the egg shakers differently in each section.
A - tapped on the floor.
B - shook back and forth in the air
C - tapped together.
We repeated the B section 3 times.  Each time we got faster.  The musical term for this is accelerando.
Between sections we did a choo-choo whistle sound.  We slurred our voices between the same pitches we use when we clean up.  These are also the first pitches you can expect to hear from your infant/young child.
We also held two notes for a really long time.  This would be indicated in music by a fermata.

These are all great musical terms and ideas you can explore with older kids, and discuss with your children as they get older and want to understand more about what they already know how to do!

Some fun guidelines for being involved in class.

Turn your cell phone off in class or you may be asked to improvise based on your ringtone.




Sing and play along with your kids.  It's really a lot of fun!



 You will learn so much about how your child learns by being involved in the Music Together class with them. Together we will get the chance to learn by being still, by moving, by using lots of repetition, by singing, dancing, and having a hands on experience. You are with them and involved every step of the way in this class and that is the most valuable part for both of you! Music Together has made me a much better parent, musician, and teacher! This TED talk takes a look at how we all learn differently. Watch for how your child learns. My job is to help you watch for that too and point out the amazing things (s)he is doing.

Charlotte Symphony Lollipops Concerts

I highly recommend attending the Charlotte Symphony Lollipops concerts with your children.  Lollipops concerts are full orchestra concerts for kids.  It's the perfect way to teach them about the orchestra, without having to worry about them being a little wiggly or having to go out for a potty break.  We have taken our kids since they were tiny.  The hour before the concert they can play the instruments, do drum circles, make instruments, color, and explore!

https://www.charlottesymphony.org/SeasonCalendar-S.asp?s=Lollipops

ADVENTURES IN OUTER SPACE

Saturday, November 16, 2013 11:00 am Knight Theater

TUBBY THE TUBA

Saturday, February 01, 2014 11:00 am Knight Theater

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

Saturday, April 05, 2014 11:00 am Knight Theater

Lili's Book Reviews

Check out this book review by Lili Levinowitz, co-founder of Music Together.

http://www.musictogether.com/nurtureshock

"Just as parental responses to attempts at speaking are critical for the development of language, similar responses to music behaviors may support children’s music development. Sometimes, however, parents may find it difficult to identify music behaviors in infants or older preverbal children; many adults are not aware of what early music-making sounds or looks like, since children cannot yet sing a whole song."

I love my job, helping to identify and enrich early childhood musical ability! Check out Music Together if you haven't before.
Lili's book reviews are interesting for fellow educators and interested parents.

Register your child for class @
musictogetherofcharlotte.com

Ready For Fall!

If you haven't registered yet for Fall Music Together classes you still can.  They start the second week in September and there are still a few spots open.  Music Together always puts together great collections of songs and I'm excited about all the new songs for Fall.
http://musictogetherofcharlotte.com/classes.htm

It's always fun to add in an extra song for the play along or dance.  Maybe we will try the Baby Elephant walk this year.  It has a nice steady tempo to work on putting the beat in your feet to.

Improvise With Crawdad

This Summer we have worked on simple improvisation by looking at the pictures in the Music Together book and picking our favorite thing(s) to sing about.  Last week we looked at the picture for Crawdad.  I love making up fun rhyming verses about the pictures, but I feel like it is a lot easier to make up one word repetitive verses in class.  Repeating your favorite thing over and over is easier to sing and easier for others to follow along with.  It is also easier for the kids.  

At home however, I encourage you to come up with fun rhyming verses!  It can be about a Music Together song, something your child drew, or a part of your daily routine.

Here are my made up rhyming verses for Crawdad.  Try them at home.  Feel free to add your creative verses in the comments below the post for others!

Crawling like a turtle really slow honey 

Crawling like a turtle really slow babe

Crawling like a turtle really slow, I've got no place I've got to go

Honey oh baby mine

Jumping like a frog up and down honey

Jumping like a frog up and down babe

Jumping like a frog up and down, we'll jump right up then sit back down 

Honey oh baby mine

Hopping like a bunny up and down honey

Hopping like a bunny up and down babe

Hopping like a bunny up and down , we'll hop hop hop all over this town

Honey oh baby mine

See the sun up in the sky honey

See the sun up in the sky babe

See the sun up in the sky, wear sunscreen or you will fry 

Honey oh baby mine

I'm a tree blowin in the breeze honey

I'm a tree blowin in the breeze babe

I'm a tree blowin in the breeze, I'm full of pollen that'll make you sneeze

Honey oh baby mine

I'm gonna get my bucket full honey

I'm gonna get my bucket full babe

I'm gonna get my bucket full, while you use that line and hold that pole 

Honey oh baby mine

I've caught something on the line honey

I've caught something on the line babe

I've caught something on the line, I'll hold on tight and make it mine

Honey oh baby mine

Fell in water oh no honey 

Fell in the water oh no babe

Fell in the water oh no, It's really wet in the crawdad hole

Honey oh baby mine