Students at Strings, Keys, and Melodies Complete the Sentence, "This Year I..."

A few weeks ago, I had my students think about what they had accomplished this year in their music classes.  I gave them a paper with the words "This year I..." written on it along with a stick figure.  Each of them took the time to think about what they had learned and accomplished this past year.  Then they colored the stick figure to make it look like themselves.

I taped the pictures on my front door.  The students and I love reading what everyone wrote and looking at their self portraits.  I wanted to share this with parents and readers so that you can enjoy what they came up with too!  

I am very proud of my students.  We really worked hard this year and made a lot of great music!

Performance of Love

Yesterday, we had a new experience!

We took our students to a convalescent hospital and shared our music!

Some of the little students were shy with all of the different sights and smells.  But I was really proud of all of the students for being friendly and loving with all the people.  Plus, they did a fantastic job with all of their songs.

Just like our other performances, we combined all of our violin, piano, voice and Music and Movement students.

The Music and Movement students started the morning doing a ribbon dance to Leroy Anderson's The Syncopated Clock.

This was followed by our piano, voice and violin students performing their songs individually and in groups.

We ended the time by passing out rhythm instruments to the patients and singing a variety of folk songs together.

This was the highlight of the morning.  The patients all shook their shakers and bells and sang along with us.  I love seeing people smile and sing as they remember songs from long ago!  

One lady even cried when we were done, saying she was so happy that we came to visit with them.

Another lady got as many hugs as she could from all the little ones!  

I think sharing our music is an important lesson to learn.  

Why keep all the joy of making music to ourselves when we can share with those who truly appreciate it?  

To all my students:  You all did an awesome job!  Thank you!

Singing Emotions: A Simple Singing Game

A simple singing game

When we talk, we use the tone and the mood of how we say the words to convey our feelings.  

Sometimes we use the same exact words but we change their meaning by changing our tone.

When we answer the question, "How are you?"

We may answer "I'm fine."  

If we say it with a smile on our face and in a pleasant way, it will mean we are happy.

If we say it sarcastically or angrily it will convey that something is wrong and we are really feeling the opposite of fine.

Singing is just like speaking.  We can change the emotions of the words by changing the emotions and moods of our singing voice.

Pick a song everyone knows such as Jingle Bells; Row, Row, Row Your Boat; or Happy Birthday

Have everyone sing the song using different moods.

I have a die I found from an old game that has emotions on it and I have my students roll to see how we are going to sing the song.

Emotion ideas:  

Happy - it is your birthday and you have a pile of presents to open

Sad - your pet has just run away from home

Laughing - everyone loves to laugh their way through a song!

Goofy - sing as silly as possible

Angry - you are really mad because someone has just kicked your dog!

Scared - you are afraid of the monster under your bed

In love - you are very much in love and feel wonderful

Gross or weird - this is another popular one, especially with the boys!

The whole point of this exercise is to show that it doesn't matter what words you are singing but you can control the mood of a song by thinking of that mood and making your voice match your ideas and thoughts.


                          

ABC's of Music Practice

26 Ideas to help practicing at home!

Happy New Year!  

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season.

I am looking forward to a new year of blogging with more fun and creative music ideas.

A lot of parents have been asking me how to get their child to practice their instruments at home.  It is important to have the right expectations especially when dealing with children in the 3-8 year old range.  At this age we need to keep music fun and interesting in order for their love of music to grow and grow.

So to help with music at home, I have come up with 

ABC’s of Music Practice

Appreciate all efforts to sing and play

Believe everyone has some musical ability

Consistency-practice everyday!

Delight in accomplishments – no matter how small

Enjoy yourself and music

Find favorite songs and artists, listen to them and copy what you hear and like

Get the new assignments from your teacher

Have a set practice check list:  Posture, warm-ups, old songs, new songs, and listen everyday

Ignore the moaning-children will moan but don’t listen to it and keep going

Juggling too many after school activities will slow down progress

Kick start your day by practicing before breakfast!

Listen to good examples on CD’s, YouTube and live concerts

Muscles- build music muscles by playing and singing scales, arpeggios and chords

No quitting!  All desirable goals take time and hard work!

Orchestra and opera- listen and dream about playing in the orchestra and singing in an opera

Posture- are you sitting correctly at the piano, holding your violin correctly, 

standing tall for singing?

Qualify for a prize – fill out your practice charts and get a prize!

Relax –don’t hold tension in your shoulders, back or knees

Share your gift of music with others – play at recitals, for the family and at nursing homes

Time – play or sing each song at least 3 times before moving on to the next song.  Practice time for 3-6 year olds will only be 5-15 minutes per instrument.  Older 

children will be able to play longer.

Unite with other musicians- play in recitals and group classes

View lessons – as parents it is important to watch your child’s lessons, at least once 

in a while, so that you can help them at home

Warm-ups are important exercises to build strength in muscles

eXpect mood swings, waning interest, tired days from your children and lighten 

the load for the day but don’t quit!  Good days are just around the corner

You and your children can do it!

Zero in on strengths and weaknesses-Point out where your child is great (good rhythm, good listening skills)!  Some songs require extra practice before they are mastered so just gently encourage playing it one more time!

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Print PDF Version

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!

Fall and Christmas Recitals for Strings, Keys, and Melodies

 

Music is meant to be shared!

I have always believed that music is meant to be shared and it is an important idea to teach our students. Studies have shown that sharing music actually uses the brain in a different way then music created and played alone! Plus it is just a great thing to share with our family, friends and community.

Our programs and recitals will include all of our voice, piano, violin and Music and Movement students!

Our first Fall program will be at a Senior home. Music is a wonderful thing to share with older people because that is the last region in their brains to be touched. Stroke victims that can't talk anymore can often still sing! The seniors are eager to sing with us so we will include some folk songs and rhythm instruments so they can join along. We are going to play and sing at:

Sunrise at Laguna Creek

6727 Laguna Park Dr

Elk Grove, 95758

Saturday, November 3

1:30-2:30 (arrive at 1:15 for tuning)

This program will be mainly for the seniors and as a place for the children to practice playing in front of people. So we ask that only one or two adults accompany the students. The whole extended family can come to our Christmas recital!

Our Christmas Recital will be a great time to invite the whole family and friends! It will be held at:

Valley Hi-North Laguna Library, Community Room

7400 Imagination Parkway

Sacramento, 95823

Saturday, December 1

3:30-4:30 (arrive at 3:15 for tuning)

We are getting the details finalized for 3 more recitals and programs in the Spring for February 3, April 6, and Year End Recital on June 1. I will get you those details as soon as I can!

Thank you for supporting your children in their study of music. Creating music with others for others to enjoy is an important part of their education!

 

 

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

Another Fun Listening Game!




Where am I?  A Fun Listening Game

I am always looking for new listening games in the hope that some of it will rub off on my girls and they will clean up their toys the first time I ask them!  :)  Not really, but I do think listening is an extremely important skill for learning music and for life in general and it is always important for children to have fun while learning.

I wrote about this listening game for Dandelion Magazine, a free quarterly magazine that serves as a resource for Bay Area and Sacramento families of children with special needs.  You can read my post, Where am I? A Fun Listening Game at godandelion.com.

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

More Fun with Boomwhackers - Down Comes Johnny

Children love playing songs with boomwhackers.  These tube instruments are so easy to play that everyone sounds good.  They don't take a lot of coordination since you just hit them on the floor or in your hand.  They are always in tune so the notes sound good!   

Boomwhackers are great for rhythm and timing.

The call and response song, Down Comes Johnny,  teaches the children how to make music as a group.  They need to anticipate when it is time for them to come in and play their boomwhackers and sing their part.

The words to the song are:

Down comes Johnny,
Down comes he.
He is hiding the money and the key.
Who has the money?
(response)  I have the money.
Who has the key?
(response)  I have the key.

Watch the video to learn the song and see how to teach it to your students.  Trouble seeing the video?  Click here.




For more boomwhacker ideas be sure to check out Exploring Major Tones with Boomwhackers and More Fun with Boomwhackers: Listen for Bells.

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!



Finger Play Fun Day : 10 Little Turtles

Finger Play Fun Day:  10 Little Turtles



    Welcome to Finger Play Fun Day!

Today we are singing 10 Little Turtles.

This finger play is a great counting song that teaches counting forward 1 to 10 and backward from 10 to 1.

It also works on fine motor skills as the children hold up their fingers as they count up and back.  It seems like this should be easy to adults but it really takes a lot of coordination and finger dexterity!



Trouble viewing the video?  Click here.

10 Little Turtles
Author:  This is my version of 10 Little Indians

1 little,
2 little,
3 little turtles.
4 little,
5 little,
6 little turtles.
7 little,
8 little,
9 little turtles.
10 little turtles in the pond.

Then they swim away!

10 little,
9 little,
8 little turtles.
7 little,
6 little,
5 little turtles.
4 little,
3 little,
2 little turtles.
1 little turtle in the pond.

Today, Carolyn Wilhelm from Wise Owl Factory has written a post all about turtles.
This fun power point story has the children counting to 10 by ones and by twos!

Free 10 Little Turtles Power Point

Carolyn has also done a wonderful job reviewing a few children's turtle books.  I have put the books she has reviewed into Our Music Store under Children's Books.  And of course, you can always check them out from your local library!

Franklin's Music Lessons

 

Frogs, Toads, and Turtles

Sea Turtles

Old, Older, Oldest:  Animals That Live Long Lives

Free PDF form Wise Owl Factory

These PDF coloring pages talk about how long some animals live and is a great companion to Old, Older, Oldest.

Have fun and sing often!

Cover picutre created using art by Trina Clark at www.digiscrapkits.com

Another Fun Week of Music Camp - July 30-Aug. 4

Explore Music Camp July 30- Aug 4, 2012

We had another fantastic week of Explore Music Camp. Each day we exlored a different instrument and did fun experiments and games.

Everyone used bee finger puppets to act out the "Here is the Beehive" finger play.

Having fun acting out "In a Cabin in the Woods".

Singing the call and response song "Who Are You?"

Making music with the guitar and maracas.

More music making with guitar, rhythm sticks and bells.

We did a fun experiment with drums, rice and beans.  We hit the drums to see the rice and beans jump and move just like sound waves. 

I got the idea and directions for this experiment from Kids Activities Blog.  Check it out for the supplies you will need.  It really is easy and the children enjoy bouncing rice and beans all over the table and floor!

We also played the Egg Sound Game.  The children shake the eggs and try to match the two eggs that have the same contents. 

To make your own game visit my past post Match the Sounds.

Rachel is explaining the parts of the violin.

The ukulele is a great instrument for little fingers!

Amanda did a great job introducing the students to strumming and playing chords on the ukulele.

Guitar is a very popular instrument.  Everyone wants to be a rock star!

This week allowed the children to try out different instruments: piano, violin, ukulele, guitar and voice.  It was a great experience for them to hold each instrument and try to make sounds with it.  We also had fun playing games and doing experiments.  I am already getting ideas for next summer's camp!

Check out our other week of music camp!

Explore Music Camp July 16 - 20, 2012

Bird Songs and Nature - Healthy for You and Your Mind!

Every weekend for the last few months,  my family and I have been visiting with wildlife in the middle of a beautiful preserve. There are so many wild flowers and trees. The whole walk/hike is serenaded by wild birds singing their signature songs. It is so pretty and so relaxing to be out in nature- even with 2 children who don't know the meaning of relax! The trails are just right for little ones and beginning hikers, even limited walkers could enjoy shortened trails. And we get to hear birds singing!

Enjoying the wildflowers

The place we have been going to is the Cosumnes River Preserve. If it is not close to where you live, then I would challenge you to find a bike trail or hiking trail near your home that gets you out into nature. We all need to get away from the noise of our neighborhoods and listen to the quiet! It is so healthy for you!

The other night, I was reading a chapter in The Power of Music by Elena Mannes that spoke about what happens to our brains when we hear birdsongs. Studies have been done to analyze brain activity when subjects listen to human song and to birdsong. She explains "the scans showed the listeners showed more emotion when they heard birdsong as compared to listening to beautfiul songs sung by a human voice. "

Walking the trail

Later she writes, "One possible explanation for the increased brain activity when subjects listened to birdsong is that they were trying to find the patterns in the birdsong: human song is more familiar."

I knew we were more relaxed and happy after an afternoon of listening to birds singing. But now, it is possible that we were also stimulating our brains while listening to the music of nature!

Looking at pretty flowers

By stimulating our brains, we are staying mentally healthy. Making new neurological pathways is always a great idea.

I want to challenge you this summer to find a place in nature for your family to enjoy. You can find an easy hike like we did, go to a quiet lake or pond in a park. Get away from the loud noises of city life and hear the birds!

Carolyn, at Wise Owl Factory has made a wonderful Nature Walk checklist and a Bird checklist.  Print them out and take them with you to add to the fun!

Free Bird Walk Pages

                        Nature Walk Take Along

I was so amazed at all the different birdsongs, I made a short video. If you can't see the video, click here.

We were amazed today to see a coyote playing with something in the grass!  We watched for about 5 minutes before he heard us and took off running.  It was awesome to see!

Coyote in the Grass

For another nature idea please read Take a Nature Sound Walk.

Finger Play Fun Day - Here is the Beehive!

This week's Finger Play is all about Bees!

Finger Play Fun Day - Here is the Beehive

We are in the middle of another week of Explore Music Camp so I had my music campers help me with this week's video!
I used felt bee finger puppets that I had made but since I didn't have enough for the children, I just drew happy faces on all their fingers. 





Trouble seeing the video?  Click here.

Here is the Beehive

Here is the beehive
But where are all the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Watch and they will come out of the hive.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Buzz, Buzz, Buzz

Here is another fun one about bees!

Five Little Bees

One little bee blew and flew.
He met a friend and that made two.

Two little bees, busy as could be
Along came another and that made three.

Three little bees, wanted one more,
Found one soon and that made four.

Four little bees, going to the hive.
Spied their little brother and that made five.

Five little bees working every hour
buzz away bess and find another flower.

Words for both finger plays can be found at Gayle's Preschool Rainbow.



Be sure to check out these wonderful Counting Bee Printables including bee finger puppets made by Wise Owl Factory. 

The Beehive PDF, Free

Count the bees in this "Here is the Beehive" Power Point Storybook!

Counting Bees Power Point, Free

Be sure to check out Carolyn's review on Bees by Kevin J. Holmes and Bumblebees by Emily K. Green at Wise Owl Factory



We have these books in Our Music Store.
Bees by Kevin J. Holmes


Bumblesbees by Emily K. Green


Learn even more about bees at Buzz About Bees where there is all kinds of information about bees such as:  "Did you know, there are about 25,000 types of bees in the world, with probably more species awaiting discovery?"  

Visit Finger Play Fun Day for more finger play fun!