FAQ About the Extra Special Summer Classes and Why Our Students Should Be a Part of It All!

This Summer, we will be holding some pretty special Summer Classes that all of our students should attend!

During our regular half hour lessons, we learn to play music games, do ear training, practice rhythms, go over musical symbols, learn new scales and arpeggios, review old songs, learn new songs, compose.....We cover so much!  

But to help everyone really grasp these important concepts, we are going to spend time this summer practicing music theory concepts, rhythms and beats, and composing in fun, exciting ways.  And the best part...We are going to do it together with our friends!

FAQ # 1  Will there still be regular music lessons?

Yes!  Rachel and I will still be teaching our regular lessons throughout the summer.  These classes are in addition to our regular lessons.

#2 What will the classes cover?

In June, we will be teaching the class Mind Craft, which will focus on playing music theory, ear training, note reading and rhythm games to help us really remember all of those important concepts.  Everyone could use practice reading notes!

In July, we will be Dancing with the Stars!  This class will focus on exploring music with our whole bodies as we do choreographed dances to current pop songs as well as a few classical pieces.  We will learn a new dance routine at each class.  This will help our students grasp rhythm and beat which is extremely important for musicians!!

In August, we will be Musical Ninja Warriors as we train ourselves to compose and create original songs and lyrics.  Every creative musician needs to explore creating new sounds and combinations of tones and rhythms.  

#3 When will these classes be held?

Every Wednesday morning from 10 am to 12 pm in June, July and August.

#4 What is the tuition?

Well, the more classes that you sign up for the more you save!

1 session is $80 per student

Choose any 2 sessions and it is $155 per student

Choose all 3 sessions and the tuition is $230 per student.

Remember this is for 2 hours of musical instruction every week!

#5 Can we invite our friends and family?

Yes, definitely!  These classes are intended for students up to about 12 years old. No prior musical experience necessary.  Please tell your friends and family about these classes!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Ms. Tonya

Carnival of the Animals: FREE Printable

FREE 33 Page Printable

Wise Owl Factory and Strings, Keys, and Melodies has teamed up to provide this printable to supplement music listening and appreciation with Carnival of the Animals.  

This printable includes:

14 teacher cards/posters 

14 coloring pages for children to color 

featuring each animal in the Carnival of the Animals!

Carolyn has done a fantastic job and I can't wait to use these posters and coloring pages in my own Music and Movement Classes!

I believe children learn best while moving and having fun!  Each teacher card has a movement activity idea using dancing ribbons or rhythm sticks.  Your children will have fun while listening to this classical music!

There is also a Spanish version available!

You can find many versions of Carnival of the Animals on YouTube.     

Children love moving and dancing to these pieces.  

Free Carnival of the Animals PDF
Free Spanish version of Carnival of the Animals PDF

Enjoy!

Music and Movement - Carnival of the Animals

 

This semester I have been introducing my students to Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens.  But we don't just sit and listen! 

 We get up and move!

 

Today I am writing at GoDandelion.com

Music and Movement:  Fun with Carnival of the Animals

 

Enjoy!

All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in a Children's Song

All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in a Children's Song

Today, I have listed 10 skills that children can learn through a children's song.  There are certainly more than 10 but I thought this was a great place to start.  I actually wrote this post for Dandelion Magazine's Blog over at GoDandelion.com and hope you will go there to read the list of skills and song ideas. 

10 Skills Learned Through Children's Songs

Thank you for reading!

Fun Way to Practice Listening Skills

Fun Way to Practice Listening Skills

 

Today's post has some great ideas on practicing listening skills by following the cuckoo bird throughout a few fun symphony pieces.  I write a few times a month for Dandelion Magazine's Blog at www.godandelion.com .  

 

 Dandelion Magazine is a local magazine for families with special needs.  Please head over there and read "Follow the Cuckoo! A Fun Way to Practice Listening Skills."

Thank you!

 

 

Babies and Music



Babies and Music

Scientists say that hearing begins at 19-20 weeks gestation.  That means babies can hear talking, singing, and musical instruments before they are even born!  Singing songs lays groundwork for language growth, reading, speaking and self-expression.  The best advantage is the potential of music to convey feelings of love, delight and security to baby and the ability to bond the family together. For more advantages of music read The Benefits of Music.

Nursery rhymes and lullabies are used in every corner of the world to teach, calm and soothe babies.  The repetition, rhyming words and stories in these songs teach babies language skills, cultural history and beginning math.  To learn more about how to use nursery rhymes and children’s songs read Teach Your Child Using Nursery Rhymes and Children’s Songs.

Listening and creating real music helps baby figure out his place in space and time, organize his movements and gain control of his body. 

Newborns:  Sing lullabies to your newborn baby.  She will not care what you sound like but she will be soothed and comforted by your voice and the vibration you make while she lies on your chest.

Lullaby ideas:    Rock a Bye Baby

                        Hush Little Baby

                        Jesus Loves Me

                        You are My Sunshine

                        Angels Watching Over Me

                        Amazing Grace

Ready to Play:  One of the best ways to engage little ones is through songs and finger plays.  You are teaching them about their bodies and the world round them.

            Finger play ideas:   This Little Piggy

                                            1, 2, 3, 4, 5, I Caught a Fish Alive

            Peek-a-Boo – not technically a song but you do sing-song when you say “Peek-a-Boo” and that is teaching pitch and timing!

Ready to Sing:  These little ones are ready to join in the fun.  There are great songs to help teach and develop gross motor skills and body coordination.  This is also a great time to make music using big fat rhythm sticks, rattles and bells!

            Movement song ideas:  Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes –even if they can’t stand yet, you can place their hands on the correct body parts!

                                                  If You’re Happy and You Know It

                                                BINGO – substitute your child’s name and he will soon be spelling his own name!

Music comes so naturally to babies.  Lullabies can calm and soothe.  Songs and finger plays can teach and entertain.  And singing together will show love and create wonderful memories.

Title picture created using artwork by Trina Clark at www.digiscrapkits.com

Finger Play Fun Day: In a Cabin in the Woods

Finger Play Fun Day:  In a Cabin in the Woods





 

Finger Play Fun Day

Today is Finger Play Fun Day!

The finger play for today is In a Cabin in the Woods.  There are many variations to this song but I shared the version I know!

The song has hand motions for each phrase.  Each time you repeat the verse you stop singing the words for one phrase at a time but keep doing the motions.  By the end you will "sing" the whole song silently while only using motions.

This activity teaches children listening skills, sequencing, motor skills and timing.



Trouble seeing the video?  Click here.


In a Cabin in the Woods
Author unknown

In a cabin in the woods,
Little old man by the window stood.
Saw a rabbit hopping by,
Knocking at his door.
"Help me! Help me!  Help me!, he cried.
"Or the hunter will shoot me dead."
Come, o come and stay with me,
Safely, you will be.

Wise Owl Factory has shared  a wonderful set of worksheets to go along with "In a Cabin in the Woods".  Download the Free In a Cabin in the Woods PDF.

Be sure to read the Free Power Point Story of In a Cabin in the Woods too!

Be sure to check out Carolyn's reviews of these books to go along with today's theme!  Wise Owl Factory

Up North at the Cabin



Henry Builds a Cabin



Watch Me Grow  Rabbit

Keep singing and making music!

Water & Music

Water & Music

This summer we have played a lot with water while the weather is hot.  Besides cooling us off, water is a natural source of music!  It makes the prettiest sounds when it splashes and trickles.


Water Music
One of my favorite pieces of music is Water Music by George Frideric Handel.   Handel wrote Water Music in 1717 for 50 musicians to play for King George I and guests while floating down the River Thames.  It is a lovely piece.  I like to watch it performed by the English Baroque Festival as performers dressed in the style of the day dance in Baroque style.

Water Wall
A fun way to experiment with water and sound is to make a water wall.

Water Wall

We made holes in a bunch of plastic containers and bottles and zip tied them to an old piece of frame we had left over.  We also used funnels and swimming noodles to make curves.  It took some time to line up the holes and containers so that the water would drip into the bottom container instead of onto the ground.

We loved how the water flowed through one container into another.  And it made the most beautiful sounds!





This is my favorite part of the the water wall.  We put a bunch of holes in the lid of a plastic jar and it would flow into another container. 
This activity taught about the sounds water made plus a lot of engineering principles!

Water Xylophone
A great way to play with water is to make a water xylophone.  Fill a bunch of glasses with varying amounts of water.  We put food coloring in ours to make it pretty.

Take a metal spoon and tap on the glasses.  The different levels of water will make the glasses have a different tone.  You can keep them all mixed up or you can put them in order from highest to lowest.  The girls made up all kinds of songs with the xylophone.  It is a really interesting and absorbing experiment.

Relaxation

There is nothing as relaxing as the sound of water. 





Just imagine the ocean's waves crashing on the beach or a mountain stream trickling through the forest.  It is natural music made by water!

Enjoy!



Fun with Music Series - 5 Classic Musical Games

5 Classic Musical Games

Welcome to our Fun with Music Series.

I have had a great time writing this series through the month of July with Angelique Felix at angeliquefelix.com. 

We have written posts all month long to help you play with music.

Today I am going to remind you of 5 classic musical games that children love to play.

Children love to play simple games that they know the rules to and can easily play.  But they also love a little twist to spice things up a bit. 

1.  London Bridge

Children love forming a bridge and going under each others arms.  The twist:  in this version the bridge keeps getting lower at each new verse so the ones going under have to crawl and wiggle their way under the bridge.  Watch the video to see a variation to the classic London Bridge.

Trouble seeing the video?  Click here.



2.    Musical Chairs

For this game you need to set up chairs in a circle for everyone minus one.  Play some fun music as the children walk around the circle of chairs.  When you stop the music all the children need to sit down in a chair.  Since there is not enough chairs, one child will be left standing.  Now for the twist- ask the child a question.  This question can be about music theory or any subject you are studying.  If the child answers the question correctly than she can go back into the game!

3.  Freeze Dance

This game is similar to Musical Chairs since the children have to listen for the music to start and stop.  Play some great dance music and have the children dance or hop around.  Stop the music without warning.  The children have to stop dancing when the music stops.  The twist:  call out different type dances for the children such as Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Hip-Hop, Break Dance.

4.  The Farmer in the Dell

Stand in a large circle holding hands.  Begin singing the song:

The farmer in the dell,

The farmer in the dell,

Hi-ho the dairy-o,

The farmer in the dell.

Pick a child to be the farmer and she gets to stand in the middle of the circle.  Then sing:

The farmer picks a wife,

The farmer picks a wife,

Hi-ho the dairy-o,

The farmer picks a wife.

The child/farmer gets to choose someone to be the wife.  Then the wife and farmer stand together in the circle.

The rest of the verses are:

The wife picks a child.

The child picks a nurse.

The nurse picks a dog.

The dog picks a cat.

The cat picks a rat.

The rat picks the cheese.

The cheese stands alone.

Each child picked gets to pick the next child.

The twist:  Use the animals from a different story such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear.

The order of animals for Brown Bear:

Brown Bear,

Red Bird,

Yellow Duck,

Blue Horse,

Green Frog,

Purple Cat,

White Dog,

Black Sheep,

Gold Fish,

Teacher

Children

5.  Ring Around the Rosie

Hold hands and walk in a circle while singing this song.  Then everyone falls to the ground when you get to that part in the song.  Children love holding hands with their friends and being a part of the circle!

In case you don't know the words:

Ring around the rosie,

A pocket full of posies,

Ashes, Ashes,

We all fall down.

The twist:  Think of different movements to do in place of falling down.

Ideas:  Jump up

Skip around

Hop on one foot

Clap our hands

Give a hug

Benefits of playing classic musical games:

Children get to socialize with friends.

Children learn to be part of a group.

Children learn to work together and act out a story especially in The Farmer and the Dell and London Bridge.

Games are a great way to be active and get moving.

Everyone has fun!

Visit the other Fun with Music articles!

Introduction

Sing with Your Child

Classical Music and Creative Art Project

Kid-Made Instruments and the Great Outdoors.

The title picture was created using artwork by Trina Clark at www.digiscrapkits.com



Finger Play Fun Day- "Take Care of Yourself!"

Take Care of Yourself!

Welcome to Finger Play Fun Day!

In honor of the athletes in the Olympics, I have written a song about taking care of yourself! 

It is a simple song about eating your veggies, running,  jumping,  biking and playing and reading everyday!    All activities we should be doing everyday!



Trouble seeing the video?  Click here.

Take Care of Yourself!

Sing to the tune of Skip to My Lou
Written by Tonya Dirksen

Take, take, take care of yourself
Take, take, take care of yourself
Take, take, take care of yourself
Take care of yourself everyday.

Eat your veggies everyday
Eat your veggies everyday
Eat your veggies everyday
Take care of yourself everyday.

Run and jump and bike and play
Run and jump and bike and play
Run and jump and bike and play
Take care of yourself everyday.

Read a book or 2 or 3
Read a book or 2 or 3
Read a book or 2 or 3
Take care of yourself everyday.

Take, take, take care of yourself
Take, take, take care of yourself
Take, take, take care of yourself
Take care of yourself everyday



Carolyn at Wise Owl Factory has written a post all about the Olympics.  Be sure to check out her book reviews and printables.  She always provides awesome printables that children enjoy doing!

Here is another Olympic song displayed as a PowerPoint Storybook.  Do the motions of the actions in each verse as you sing this song!

Olympic Song Power Point

Be sure to check the Olympic books we have in Our Music Store. 



Through Time Olympics

Read a review from Wise Owl Factory on Through Time Olympics.



Canoeing The Great Outdoors

Be sure to read the review by Wise Owl Factory for Canoeing The Great Outdoors!
If you buy any book or resource through Our Music Store we will earn a few pennies!

Visit Finger Play Fun Day for a list of past finger plays!

Dance of the Butterfly

This Spring we watched our caterpillars grow, change into chrysalis and emerge as butterflies.  It is such an awesome transformation to watch.

Tiny Caterpillars Just Arrived

Growing Bigger!

All Wrapped Up!

Butterfly!

This year, Amanda caught one of our butterflies as it was emerging!  It is so cool, we wanted to share it with you.  Enjoy!

Video of Emerging Butterfly!

Dance of the Butterfly

What you need:

Dancing ribbons You can make your own!  Follow the directions in this past post.

Music such as Spring by Vivaldi

As the music is playing make your ribbons dance like a butterfly.  You can also do other spring motions such as a newly hatched bird and a spring breeze.  The ribbons are perfect for dancing to spring!

High and Low Sounds: Melt Like a Snowman, Grow Like a Flower

Children learn with their whole bodies.  There are a bunch of fun music and movement activities to teach children to hear and identify high and low sounds.

You will need a piano or other instrument that you can play high and low notes on.  Before you begin the games be sure  the children know what high, medium and low sounds are. 

Play a high note and have the children put their hands on their heads.

Play a medium note and have them put their hands on their tummies.

Play a low note and have them touch their toes.

Then go faster and start mixing up the order.  See if they can tell if you are playing high, medium or low notes.

Once they have gotten that down you can play Melt Like a Snowman.

Melt Like a  Snowman

The children stand up straight and tall.  Then start playing high notes and slowly walk your fingers down the keyboard.  As the notes go down the children start melting very slowly like a snowman melting in the sun.  They have to learn to melt slowly.  Don’t go too fast!  My students have fun melting across the floor.

Grow Like a Flower

Once you get to the bottom of the keyboard and your children have melted across the floor, it is time to Grow Like a Flower.

Start at the low notes and start walking up the keyboard.  As you play your children can grow from a tiny seed in the ground, sprout and burst into a flower.

These activities help children identify high and low sounds with high and low body positions.  They are perfect for teachers to use in a classroom setting and simple enough for parents with no musical background to do at home.

Readers' Theater and a Little Math

We have been thinking a lot about caterpillars and butterflies at our house.  We have been watching caterpillars turn into chrysalis and are waiting for them to emerge as butterflies. 

While waiting I decided to do a Readers’ Theater with the girls using the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

First I downloaded masks from Masketeers.com. Ian Nicholls from Masketeers.com let me try out his downloadable masks.  There are tons of animal masks to choose from and can be used in so many different ways. 

 The masks come in two versions:  already colored and black and white coloring book style.  I printed out the caterpillar and the butterfly in the coloring book style.

The girls colored them and cut them out.  Instead of making them into masks, we glued popsicle sticks to the back of each one and made puppets.

The girls loved the butterflies on the sticks because they could make them fly and flap their wings.

Then while I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the girls acted out the story.

We used colored buttons to represent all the fruit and food the caterpillar eats during the week.  We put the buttons in a graph.  At the end I had the girls count how much fruit and food the caterpillar had eaten through.

When we were done with the story the girls had fun running around the yard making their butterflies fly and land on flowers.

Dancing - One Body Part at a Time!

Dance to the music using one body part at a time!

Play some fun dance music.

Music Ideas:

Jazz

Pop

Hip Hop

Children’s music such as The Wiggles

Listen to the rhythm.

Now begin dancing to the music.

As your child is dancing call out a body part and have her move only that body part while dancing to the music!

Idea list of body parts:

Finger

Hand

Knee

Face

Shoulder

Leg

Toe

Arm

Head

While everyone is having a lot of fun, this exercise will strengthen so many learning skills! 

Cause and effect

Cognitive/thinking skills

Emotional expression

Fine and gross motor development

Problem solving

Self-awareness/body image

Social interaction

The Purpose of a "Hello Song"

What is the purpose of a "greeting" or "hello" song?

I start each Music and Movement class with a greeting song.  Each child's name is sung as we do an action or dance move.  I change the actual song every few months but keep the essential part of singing each child's name.

Why?

A child's name is her identity.  To greet a child by name validates who she is and affirms her presence in class.  It also teaches children that the spotlight will be on them when it is their turn and then it will be someone else's turn to be in the spotlight.  It is a subtle way to teach children to share attention.

Our Favorite "Hello Songs"

Who Are You?
This is an "I-Spy" type song.  I sing something special about each child and they sing back in response.  The children love to hear me sing about them.

I see a girl whose skirt is pink,
skirt is pink,
skirt is pink.

I see a girl whose skirt is pink,
Who are you?
(child responds)  I am Rachel.


The Wreath Dance
Start out holding hands, dancing in a circle.

Come along children
Join hands and make a ring
"Abigail" your turn
Braid a wreath as we sing. (Each child crosses her arms as she is named and continues holding hands and dancing in a circle. By the end of the song everyone's arms are crossed.)


Children wait with rapt attention to hear their own name and the names of their friends.  A greeting song is a great way to make friends with your students as you welcome them to class.

Take a Nature-Sound Walk

A good listener is almost always a good speaker and communicator.  So it is important to strengthen a child’s listening skills.

There are so many sounds that we get used to hearing everyday and we eventually stop hearing them.

A fun way to practice listening and reawaken our sense of hearing is to go on a nature sound walk.

You can go for a hike on a bike trail, go to a park or zoo, or take a simple walk through your neighborhood.

As you walk, ask your child what he hears.

Can you hear:

A bird or different types of birds?

A fire truck?

The wind?

Car horns?

Music from a radio?

A train whistle?

Peacocks?

Dogs?

Cats?

Leaves crunching under your feet?

Children love being outside and a great bonus to this activity is spending time with family.  Being in the open air, experiencing nature with a valued mom, dad or other special adult is a healthy and memorable experience for a child.  And practicing listening skills is an added bonus.

Musical Twister Hopscotch!

Children learn best using their entire bodies.  This game is a fun way to learn the names and beats of musical notes.

One of my daughters received the Twister Hopscotch game for one of her birthdays.  I just knew there was some way to use it in my music classes.  A bit later I found the perfect idea at Notable Music Studio.

Preparation:

Twister Hopscotch can be bought at any large retail store such as Walmart or Target.

I used colored circle stickers on the spinner.  The colors match each of the circles from the game.  On each sticker I drew a note.
      quarter note-1 beat
      half note-2 beats
      dotted half note-3 beats
      whole note-4 beats

The rings for the hopscotch can be put together in a bunch of different ways.  I usually make a simple wiggly line with the colors all mixed up.

How to Play:

Each child takes a turn spinning the spinner and saying the name and beat of the note on the sticker.  After that he can hop to the ring matching the color on the sticker.

Whoever reaches the last circle first is the winner!

We usually play several times so everyone gets a chance to win.  It is amazing how quickly the children learn the names and beats of each note.  I'm sure there are other versions that could be played with this concept.  Let me know if you think of any!

Have fun!

Get Up and Dance!

Believe it or not, everyone can dance!

Even babies

Even if you’ve never taken a dance class and you have two left feet

Even if your feet don’t work at all and you are in wheelchair

You can dance and move to music with your child!

Dancing and moving to music allows a child to:

• Physically experience music

• Feel the rhythm, beat and vibration of music with his body

• Learn to organize his movements

• Clarify his relationship to time and space

• Gain control of his body

How to dance in a few easy steps

1. Listen to some stimulating music and start swaying back and forth.
2. Then move your arms in a waving motion or make large and small circles.
3. Next pick up your feet.  Step side to side.  Add a few kicks.  Walk in a circle.
4. For extra pizzazz add some dancing ribbons. 

Dancing ribbons are so popular with my students.  Every week they beg to use the ribbons.

The ribbons turn every song into a special event.  The handles make them extremely easy to hold.

With ribbons you can:

• Dance like a princess
• Dance the season-rain, snow, falling leaves
• Write words, waves or squiggles in the air
• Twirl
• Experiment and have fun!

To make your own ribbons you will need:

1. Shower curtain rings ($1 at The Dollar Store)
2. Ribbon, tulle, or caution tape cut into 40-60 inch long strips.
3. Tie and knot 2-3 ribbons to each shower curtain ring.  They will hang down doubled so you will have 4-6 ends hanging off the ring.

Music Ideas to Dance to:

The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky

Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky

Water Music: Menuet  by Handel

Now put on some music and get moving!