Sea Sounds - Young Child

In our class today we spent some time listening to sea sounds. During our next lesson we will compose a piece of music together about the sea. Remember to bring in something which makes a sound which reminds you of the sea in some way.

For those of you are interested, we listened to an extract of sea interludes by Benjamin Britten.



There are four interludes in total a quick search on you tube will bring up the others.

What a Fab Week

After such a long summer break I was wondering how I was going to feel about starting all my music-making up again.

Funny enough when people ask me if I work I hesitate a little. I often just don't think of what I do as a job. "It's not a proper job!" Surely I can't call having so much fun a job.

My Dad always taught me that we can't expect to enjoy our work - we do it because we have to! Well I think I've finally proved him wrong and I am sure he would be overjoyed to know that.

I can honestly say that I have thoroughly enjoyed the last two weeks. Seeing old friends making new ones and once again realising the immense joy music brings, and not just to the children. I am sure all the participants in the Virginia Reel in Village this week would agree that it was such excellent fun, even if I did mess up the steps.

Most of you should have your packs by now I will email all Village people a copy of the home book in the next few days.

Just have a look through your resources this week, listen to the CD and come prepared to just be yourself next week in class.

Kate

Why Foundational Music Classes?

As a piano teacher I get a lot of enquiries from parents of children aged between 4 and 7. Most people are interested to hear that I do not give individual lessons to children under 7. Surely younger is better? Music research certainly suggests that it is key to begin music tuition before the age of 7. So what are my thoughts on all of this?

Over the years I have noticed two things. Children who come before the age of about 7 simply are not ready for one on one tuition. If anything I have seen more children put off by the formality of individual lessons. Their curiosity about music is flourishing but they are rarely have the maturity needed for regular practise and study.

On the flip side of this however I have noticed that children who do not take up music lessons until the age of 7 have often missed out on crucial foundational music skills. Tuneful singing is crucial to becoming a good musician and our singing skills need to be honed in the Early Years. Our concepts of rhythm and beat also need to be developed through dance and movement in our formative years.

At Musikate we believe that good foundations make good musicians. Children who have a rich early development in crucial skills such as singing and beat find studying an instrument so much easier.

Our Foundational classes are suitable for children between 4.5 and 7 years. Currently our classes are all full but we have an ongoing waiting list and as soon as we have enough children we start a new class.

If you would like your child to take one of our foundational classes please contact us as soon as possible so that they can be included in the next course.

Check out the Young Child pages on our website for more information.

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.

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!

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.

Young Child Week 25

Reviewing material previously learned and working with new material access different areas of the brain. With this in mind, we make it a point to review favourite songs and singing games each and every week, as well as work with novel material.

New this week were the terms staccato and legato, referring to the articulation or detached and sustained qualities of sound. Staccato refers to sounds that are separated and detached. The children found that the word staccato lends itself to this type of sound if you separate it as follows: stac-ca-to! Legato refers to sounds that are smoothly connected. Try saying legato as smoothly as possible.

Continue to sing favorite songs together this week—using your stac-ca-to and legato articulation, naturally!

Have fun at home learning to play Mouse Mousie. We all had a go at doing this in class and got on extremely well. Notice how your child approaches the task; do they rely on their aural memory, or do they follow the written music. Both approaches are valid. Be sure to stick a mouse sticker on your sheet for every day you practice.

Young Child week 23

Finally got round to posting the homework reminder.

You have another week on this because of the bank holiday, so be sure to get your glockenspiels out and practice all the songs you have learnt so far.

This week we learned new note 'f'. F is located in the first space of the staff.

Use your notes chips and Act page 4b to review the notes 'c' 'a' and 'f'. Then use a crayon to draw the notes in the correct spaces.

Can you put the stringed instrument cards in the correct order from smallest to largest? Do you remember the names of all the instruments?

Be sure to bring your activity sheet back to class next week

Young Child

We had a great class this week. It is great to see the way the children's skills are developing in singing and in the playing of the glockenspiel.

Everyone really enjoyed working together in groups to make our musical picture of the Elephant playing in the river and it was lovely to see the children's creative ideas as they used the percussion instruments in effective ways.

Please take some time to practise your melody cards over the Easter break. Can you put them in the right order to make the Bell Horses tune? Be sure to add the star sticker to your favourite card.

Look back through the rest of the Home tasks we have had to do this semester and see if you can play through the other exercises.

See you all back again after the Easter holidays.

Young Child week 20

Wow what a lesson we had this week!! - Probably one of my most challenging to date. There was certainly a lot of energy in that room.

One of the best ways to prepare for next week is to try to get the glockenspiel out a few times. The melodies are progressing so that this week you have brought home the complete music for Lucy Locket.

See if you can sing the notes along to the music and then try to master the whole thing on the glockenspiel.

The clever thing about all this is that the children are building their musical knowledge without even realising it. All the preparation work we did last term learning songs moving and playing percussion has been the foundation that has enabled them to play along to the music today.

A couple of you remarked this week at how staggered you are at what your child has learnt.

Try to find a way to showcase your tune this week - perhaps you could play for your teacher or a relative.

See you all next week!

Young Child Weeek 18

What a fun packed lesson we had this week!

We have been working on Italian terms and dynamics. Have a look at the yellow and green cards in your child's Games' Bag and see if you can order them correctly.

PP = pianissimo (or very quiet in English)
P = piano (quiet or soft)
F = forte (loud)
FF = fortissimo (very loud); certainly the favourtie!!!

We will add some others next week.

Try to get out your child's music bag a couple of times this week. It really helps to get them in the habit of doing some music at home as this will prepare them for regular practise if they decide to go on to individual instrumental lessons later on.

This week use your note chips to copy the melody card on to your staff chart. (Please ask me next weel for more chips if you need them!) Sing the melody and play it on the glockenspiel, making sure you use both hands.

There is a new melody to look at on your card! Can you guess what it is? You will need to practise this one as we will be playing it in class next week.

Why not have a look at the Classics for Kids website this week, there are some good podcasts to download!

what a perfect setting....

for our Imagine That class this week. Last week we were preparing for our imaginery walk in the snow by making some snow boots to bring to class and hey presto the snow turned up right on cue. Unfortunately this meant that some of you didn't make it to class.

We would still like to see your snow boots though so please bring them to class next week. Also this week we are making books about the weather - the home book has lots of ideas to help you.

Young Child this week as you all mostly missed the class please keep up with your glockenspiel practice and we will see you next week for our last session.

Imagine That and Young Child

Sorry haven't been keeping the diary up to date this week. This is what you should have remembered to do at home this week.

Imagine That: Make some Snow Boots to wear in class; lots of ideas in your home activity book Act 13. A couple of old cereal boxes work well.

Young Child: Practising your glockenspiel at home this week. You can try the 'ding dong ding dong' in Hear the Doorbell Ringing. You can also practise the different styles of playing to accompany Dr Foster.

Mallets - Young Child 13

This week you were sent home with a pait of Mallets. Don't worry the glockenspeil's will come soon! It is very important that you learn to hold the mallets correctly before you are let loose on the glock. So have a go at the rhyme that we learnt in class and see if you can show someone else how to hold them too.

If you missed the session this week, listen to track 21 on your Home Cd and use the rhythm sticks instead. The words are in your Songbook on page 13.

Happy bouncing.

The Photographic Evidence and an Invitation

You will notice that Cathy has been in class snapping pictures again this week. She really does take some excellent shots many of which you can see on the website and this blog.

I love looking at the photos. For me it really shows how engaged the children are in the classes. Sometimes it's difficult to gauge the children's reactions when you are the teacher as you are so consumed by the job in hand. The photographs snap moments in time and allow reflection and give me great job satisfaction.

For parents who have not been present in a part of the class it will also give great insight. Sometimes I marvel at the chaos that ensues when parents and siblings return into the Young Child class. It's certainly a challenge for me to keep it all together. One parent who stayed to watch a session recently commented on how engaged the children were right up until the parents came in.

So for those of you who wish. I really would like to invite you to sit in and watch a session (though you will have to take it in turns). You may well be amazed at what your child is getting out of the session.

For the rest of you, have a look at Cathy's website and look at the evidence for yourselves.

Young Child Week 8

We had great fun in class today with the homemade percussion instruments. Some very unique creations which the children all delighted in telling us about. We used the instruments in our stormy weather composition.

Did you parents notice how well the children sang goodbye today? You may not have realised it, but everyone sang so beautifully in tune. This really excited me as not all of us were singing in tune 8 weeks ago. It proves that we can all learn pitch.

This week at home have fun with your green rhythm cards. Clap and say the patterns on each one. You could also try playing the patterns with your rhythm sticks. Can you remember how many beats on each card? I wonder if you could teach someone else in your family to play the cards.

If you missed the class this week or fancy some additional patterns to play have a look at these.

http://www.kodaly.org.au/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=19&Itemid=74

Scroll down the page to rhythm set 1 and download. You will notice that these patterns have note heads on - other than that they are the same as the ones we have been using in class. Each line has 4 beats. Remember it's 'ta' and 'ti-ti'.

Also in class this week we listened to some bird song. See what birds you can hear this week and draw your favourite to bring back to class.