Our Wednesday classes are coming to an end this week.
Try to think of your favourite activities so that we can do them in class this week.
Saturday 27 June 2009
Monday 22 June 2009
Peter and the Wolf
We had a great time in class this week listening to the story of Peter and the Wolf.
During the course we have come to appreciate the many different instruments found in the orchestra and the children can identify many of these by sound and name.
You may have noticed how quickly the children have learnt to read notes on the stave. All the children can now read, sing and play a pentatonic (five note) scale.
Today we also looked briefly at the instrument they will be studying in Semester 3; a dulcimer. This is a two stringed instrument which is played by plucking the strings.
Next week we will be preparing for our Semester Finale. We plan to showcase a few things from this semester.
During the course we have come to appreciate the many different instruments found in the orchestra and the children can identify many of these by sound and name.
You may have noticed how quickly the children have learnt to read notes on the stave. All the children can now read, sing and play a pentatonic (five note) scale.
Today we also looked briefly at the instrument they will be studying in Semester 3; a dulcimer. This is a two stringed instrument which is played by plucking the strings.
Next week we will be preparing for our Semester Finale. We plan to showcase a few things from this semester.
I wrote a letter this morning.....
Wow we were all very industrious in our Imagine That class today! As we sang our letter writing song we sealed up our own hand drawn cards to send to our adult helpers. Posting them caused great excitement! I hope you all enjoyed receiving the letters too.
We have been visiting shops all around the town the last few weeks. During our visits to the different shops we have been tapping, rolling and snipping out rhythms.
This week at home you may want to write a letter together and post it. You could also look at some stamps and make a little stamp collection book together. Have a look in your home activity booklet for more ideas.
We have been visiting shops all around the town the last few weeks. During our visits to the different shops we have been tapping, rolling and snipping out rhythms.
This week at home you may want to write a letter together and post it. You could also look at some stamps and make a little stamp collection book together. Have a look in your home activity booklet for more ideas.
The Rhythm of my Day Week 6
The Rhythm of my Day Week 6
In class this week we continued our pursuit of Stop and Go games. Your Home Activity sheet this week encourages you to play more Stop and Go games at home. Inhibitory control is the beginning of understanding self control.
You may notice that we often play with sounds. Singing certain songs to la, ba or do, may feel silly but is a great way to encourage emerging language skills. Singing nonsense syllables in songs assists children with auditory discrimination of different sounds. By using nonsense sounds that incorporate vowels you are giving your child an opportunity to develop her pre-language skills because she can imitate these sounds.
Inspiration
“ The greatest gift that you can give yourself is a little bit of your own attention.”
A J D’Angelo
In class this week we continued our pursuit of Stop and Go games. Your Home Activity sheet this week encourages you to play more Stop and Go games at home. Inhibitory control is the beginning of understanding self control.
You may notice that we often play with sounds. Singing certain songs to la, ba or do, may feel silly but is a great way to encourage emerging language skills. Singing nonsense syllables in songs assists children with auditory discrimination of different sounds. By using nonsense sounds that incorporate vowels you are giving your child an opportunity to develop her pre-language skills because she can imitate these sounds.
Inspiration
“ The greatest gift that you can give yourself is a little bit of your own attention.”
A J D’Angelo
Sunday 21 June 2009
Peter and the Wolf
In our Young Child class over the last few weeks we have been learning about Peter and the Wolf, the musical story by Sergei Prokofiev.
Classics for Kids is an excellent website for finding out about different composers and their music. Why not have a listen to the show on Peter and the Wolf.
http://www.classicsforkids.com/teachers/lessonplans_prokofiev.asp
Classics for Kids is an excellent website for finding out about different composers and their music. Why not have a listen to the show on Peter and the Wolf.
http://www.classicsforkids.com/teachers/lessonplans_prokofiev.asp
Saturday 20 June 2009
Cathy's Photos
Some lovely photos now on Cathy's website - see link at the side. Make sure you check them out. If you need reminding of the password let me know.
Cathy has been at all the classes over the last few weeks.
Cathy has been at all the classes over the last few weeks.
Tuesday 9 June 2009
Our Time Week 13
Fiddle Dee Dee Week 13
As we near the end of the semester, renew your child’s excitement about Kindermusik through revisiting “old favourites”–favourite activities, favourite sounds on the CDs, favourite songs to sing, or favourite dances. Flipping through your Home Activity Book will remind you of many of these. And you might even come across some ideas you have yet to try! Also, review the Kindermusik Foundations of Learning™ statements to remind yourself of the many benefits of our classes.
This week we focused on high and low. We experience the concept of high and low with our bodies and this in turn helps us to understand the difference in musical pitch. At home this week why not try some high and low dances of your own. Put on some music and explore ways to move your body to the music. Make gliding sounds with your voices sliding from high to low and low to high. In music we call this movement a glissando.
If you have any tuned instruments at home why not see if you can find some high and low sounds on them.
Above all have fun!
As we near the end of the semester, renew your child’s excitement about Kindermusik through revisiting “old favourites”–favourite activities, favourite sounds on the CDs, favourite songs to sing, or favourite dances. Flipping through your Home Activity Book will remind you of many of these. And you might even come across some ideas you have yet to try! Also, review the Kindermusik Foundations of Learning™ statements to remind yourself of the many benefits of our classes.
This week we focused on high and low. We experience the concept of high and low with our bodies and this in turn helps us to understand the difference in musical pitch. At home this week why not try some high and low dances of your own. Put on some music and explore ways to move your body to the music. Make gliding sounds with your voices sliding from high to low and low to high. In music we call this movement a glissando.
If you have any tuned instruments at home why not see if you can find some high and low sounds on them.
Above all have fun!
Village week 5
In some of our activities this week we experienced the physical and musical sensation of stopping and going. By participating in activities that move and stop, Baby is developing the awareness of inhibitory control. Inhibitory control is one’s ability to stop his body on a given cue. “Stop” and “Go” are reinforced in class with the use of sign language.
You may have noticed that we do a lot of bouncing games in Village classes. In Allee Galloo our bouncing stimulates the vestibular system. The Vestibular system is our centre of balance situated in the inner ear. This intricate system needs constant stimulation for baby to learn to coordinate movement and balance. Bouncing also increases muscle tone as baby has to adjust his posture to stay upright while being bounced. At the end of the rhyme the surprising lift into the air or fall backwards on the whee, Provides immediate feedback to the vestibular system so that baby just has to smile or giggle.
“Baby, I lie and gaze on thee
All other things forgot –
In dreams the things of earth pass by,
But awake I heed them not.
I hear thy soft breath come and go,
Thy breath so lately given,
And watch the blue unconscious eyes
Whose light is pure from heaven.” Anon 1860
Monday 8 June 2009
Young Child Lesson 27
As the semester nears the end, we are busy, busy, busy integrating all the information and concepts that have been presented this year: auditory discrimination (among woodwind instruments), note reading (the new note g’), musical concept (staccato/legato singing and dancing), choreographed movement (as in “Hop, Old Squirrel”), and more!
The Young Child student is just the right age to use the information she has learned to create her own music using her own ideas. Can your young child create metaphors such as “The grasshopper is a bouncy ball” and portray this sound on her glockenspiel? Encourage this type of exploration to solidify concepts and to maintain excitement about the instrument. Balance the exploration with careful study of today’s song “Go to Sleep.”
I look forward to another Kindermusik day with your child next week!
The Young Child student is just the right age to use the information she has learned to create her own music using her own ideas. Can your young child create metaphors such as “The grasshopper is a bouncy ball” and portray this sound on her glockenspiel? Encourage this type of exploration to solidify concepts and to maintain excitement about the instrument. Balance the exploration with careful study of today’s song “Go to Sleep.”
I look forward to another Kindermusik day with your child next week!
Imagine That 8th June
What a lovely class we had today. We visited the “post office” and the “cobbler’s shop.” We are moving through our pretend city visiting the many people who work there. Your new book, Down Our Street, continues this theme with a rhythmic rhyme that is lots of fun to say! Family Activity #12 invites you and your child to create another city building or shop. As you create, you might like to extend the rhythmic rhyme from Down Our Street to include your homemade building, whether it is a toy shop, a book store, or even a restaurant!
We also started to look at notated rhythm this week. Our Blue Jelly patterns may seem like a fun and silly game, but the children are all beginning to read crochet and quaver notes. If you can find some matchsticks or lolly sticks have a go at making your own blue jelly rhythms.
As we near the end of the semester, I’d be more than happy to hear from you about your child’s favourite activities, what you like the most about Kindermusik, or any concerns you might have about the class. Please feel free to drop me a line.
We also started to look at notated rhythm this week. Our Blue Jelly patterns may seem like a fun and silly game, but the children are all beginning to read crochet and quaver notes. If you can find some matchsticks or lolly sticks have a go at making your own blue jelly rhythms.
As we near the end of the semester, I’d be more than happy to hear from you about your child’s favourite activities, what you like the most about Kindermusik, or any concerns you might have about the class. Please feel free to drop me a line.
Tuesday 2 June 2009
The Rhythm of my Day Week 4
This week we heard music from England, Scotland, The Virgin Islands, Jamaica, and many regions of the United States. By exposing your baby to a variety of music from many cultures, you’re helping her build a large library of musical tastes and appreciation from which to choose.
Not only is this important for her musical development, but it helps her to learn to listen more carefully and be more open to new experiences.
Baby is first exposed to rhythm in the womb. She hears her mother’s heartbeat and then, after birth, her own. African and Indian music traditions have brought syncopation and other rhythmic complexities to our ears, weaving these rhythms into current Western culture. Exposing Baby to this variety will help her develop her abilities to listen and produce these rhythms more easily.
“People and rubber bands have one thing in common; they must be stretched to be effective.” John Maxwell
See you next week!
Not only is this important for her musical development, but it helps her to learn to listen more carefully and be more open to new experiences.
Baby is first exposed to rhythm in the womb. She hears her mother’s heartbeat and then, after birth, her own. African and Indian music traditions have brought syncopation and other rhythmic complexities to our ears, weaving these rhythms into current Western culture. Exposing Baby to this variety will help her develop her abilities to listen and produce these rhythms more easily.
“People and rubber bands have one thing in common; they must be stretched to be effective.” John Maxwell
See you next week!
Fiddle Dee Dee Week 11
Studies show that there are three major factors in early learning which benefit competency in adulthood:
Rich sensory environment
Freedom to explore with few restrictions
Available parents that act as consultants
Foster excitement about Kindermusik this week by pulling out your Home Activity Book. If you haven’t already used your Hush, Little Baby picture cards, now’s a great time to remind your child of this familiar lullaby that we enjoyed over the past five weeks while looking at the pictures (pp.18-22) and singing the song. Other playful picture activities can be found on pp.26-27 and pp.30-31. How many bumblebee games can you and your child create?
Have fun playing!
Rich sensory environment
Freedom to explore with few restrictions
Available parents that act as consultants
Foster excitement about Kindermusik this week by pulling out your Home Activity Book. If you haven’t already used your Hush, Little Baby picture cards, now’s a great time to remind your child of this familiar lullaby that we enjoyed over the past five weeks while looking at the pictures (pp.18-22) and singing the song. Other playful picture activities can be found on pp.26-27 and pp.30-31. How many bumblebee games can you and your child create?
Have fun playing!
Cities Wk 11
We had great fun in class this week. The children constantly come up with new ideas and movements for the songs and activities.
This week we started to explore making big and small sounds. In music we use Italian terms to describe our playing and singing. A big or loud sound might be referred to as forte a small or quiet sound might be referred to as piano. The word crescendo refers to a sound which grows from small to big. We explored the concept of crescendo with our bodies in class.
At home this week check out activity 11 for which you will need to cut out the puzzle pieces and match them to the correct picture and drum beat. Have fun and let us know how you got on next week
This week we started to explore making big and small sounds. In music we use Italian terms to describe our playing and singing. A big or loud sound might be referred to as forte a small or quiet sound might be referred to as piano. The word crescendo refers to a sound which grows from small to big. We explored the concept of crescendo with our bodies in class.
At home this week check out activity 11 for which you will need to cut out the puzzle pieces and match them to the correct picture and drum beat. Have fun and let us know how you got on next week
Young Child Semester 2 wk 26
“Concept learning is a cyclical process. The continued use of the specific idea in varied settings will help the learning to gel and contribute to a breadth and depth of understanding.”*
The children are becoming experts at recognising the difference between staccato and legato sounds! They can move accordingly when hearing the change from staccato music to legato music; they can play both types of sounds on their glockenspiels; and they can sing both staccato and legato.
Listen to music together this week and invite your child to identify different articulation techniques—and other aspects of the music—that he hears.
*“Developing Music Concepts,” by Barbara J. Alvarez, p. 29, in Music in Prekindergarten: Planning and Teaching, Mary Palmer and Wendy L. Sims, editors.
The children are becoming experts at recognising the difference between staccato and legato sounds! They can move accordingly when hearing the change from staccato music to legato music; they can play both types of sounds on their glockenspiels; and they can sing both staccato and legato.
Listen to music together this week and invite your child to identify different articulation techniques—and other aspects of the music—that he hears.
*“Developing Music Concepts,” by Barbara J. Alvarez, p. 29, in Music in Prekindergarten: Planning and Teaching, Mary Palmer and Wendy L. Sims, editors.
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