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Music Madness

"What did you enjoy most today? I liked it when we put the balloons on the parachute. What did you enjoy least? Nothing!"

Feedback from a little girl at Loughton today where I had been invited to facilitate two music workshops.

I love working with children, they are so full of life and energy. If you want an honest opinion ask a child, they will definitely let you know if they didn't enjoy it. So to hear a resounding "nothing" and to see a big smiling face in front of me was quite simply, the best.

I really can not think of a better thing to do for a living. Today I made drums which sounded like the sea; went on an imaginary picnic and danced with balloons to Tchaikovsky.

Fantastic!

Make an Ocean Drum

If you missed our Summer classes then why not try some musical summer craft together at home. In class we made some ocean drums - when you rock these gently back and forth it sounds a bit like the sea.

I found this idea to vamp up the humble paper plate version on another blog it's not so eco friendly though :(

Materials: Rice, beans or coloured beads perhaps; Ocean Stickers; Strong craft glue

Ask your child to place the stickers inside one of the plates. This will be the bottom of your wave drum. Place rice/beans inside the plate and secure the top plate using strong craft glue. Let dry.

A new experience

Today was a bit of a first for me. Vicky was at the end of her last summer class and invited me along to take part with her daughter Hettie.

Athough I have been teaching Kindermusik for 7 years now I have only once taken part in a class as a parent. When I was first interested in teaching I took my daughter Ellie to visit Jan's classes in Burgess Hill. Since then I have had no opportuntiy to see things from the other side.

What a fantastic experience today was. I had totally underestimated how totally absorbed you can become in a class and how focused you are forced to be on your child. It was truely lovely, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I think it has made me even more enthusiatic about Kindermusik. It is a rare opportunity these days to step back from the rush and simply enjoy our children for who they are.

So thankyou Vicky and Hettie for giving me a rich and wonderful experience today.

A Summer of Music

We’ve been having a great summer. Our holiday sessions for 4 – 6 year olds were fantastic fun. The children spent 3 mornings doing music related craft and making lots of music. We looked specifically at stringed instruments and different types of dance. The children practiced bowing techniques, learnt about the treble and bass clefs, strummed a guitar and ukulele, danced and clapped 2/4 and 3 / 4 rhythms and generally had a great time. They got to take home the t shirts they had painted, and their own hand made ocean drum and elastic band guitar. I am always amazed how well these little ones respond to pitch – it really shows me that given the right start anyone can sing. Even the more hesitant ones were singing out solo phrases by the last day. I always incorporate Kodaly pitch training into these classes which helps develop a good ear and accurate pitching.

On Tuesday next week I am in Epping doing some holiday workshops for Epping County Council. The event is called Music Madness and there are two sessions one for 3 – 5 yrs and one for 5 – 7 yrs. I am looking forward to working at this new venue.

Next Friday is our singers workshop for children from 7 years old up. I keep these sessions small so that the children can really benefit from the tuition. Again we will be focusing on Kodaly singing training exploring part singing and engaging in some challenging rhythm activities. I run these sessions throughout the year. Friday’s session is now full, but let us know if you want to be included in the next one.

On to Autumn which is fast approaching. Some of our Autumn sessions are already beginning to fill up, so please get back your registration forms a.s.a.p.. our current schedule can be found here http://www.musikate.co.uk/timetable_dates_venues.htm

Our Young Child class is restarting in September too after a 2 year break. The young child class is an excellent way for children to grasp foundational music skills before starting formal music lessons. We use Kodaly singing training and Suzuki ear training. See more about the course here http://www.musikate.co.uk/kindermusik_ABC.htm

Please let us know if we can answer any of your questions we are always happy to talk and give advice. We are passionate about music and believe it to be crucial to development.