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!

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!

 

 

Fun wtih Music: Classical Music and Creative Art Project

Welcome to the Fun with Music series that I am doing in collaboration with play expert, Angelique Felix at angeliquefelix.com.

Read the first week's Fun with Music post that introduces the series plus highlights a lot of music ideas for you and your family.

Read the second week's Fun with Music post that was all about Singing and Song Writing with Your Children.

Today's theme is Playing with Classical Music and Art.

This activity will get you and your child to really listen to the music.

Step 1:  Listen to Stars and Stripes Forever by John Phillip Sousa.  John Phillip Sousa is known for his American patriotic music.  Stars and Stripes Forever is known as a parade march.  When you listen do not tell your children anything about the song and do not let them see a picture representing the song.  Just listen!  We listened to this version of Stars and Stripes Forever on YouTube.

Step 2:  Ask your child what pictures come to mind while listening to this song.  Do you think of a story?  Do you see different colors?  Is it a happy song?  Is it dark and gloomy?

When I asked my daughter what she thought of the Stars and Stripes Forever, she said "parade" so I bet she recognized it from somewhere.  But then I asked her what colors it made her think of and she did not say red, white and blue.  She said red and yellow!

Step 3:  Get out the art supplies.  The supplies can be simple paper and crayons or you can get elaborate with watercolors or paints.  Then while you play the song again ask your child to draw the story and emotions of the song. 

My daughter did a wonderful picture of a parade. She drew about 11 men who looked like they were a part of a marching band except they didn’t have any instruments. Their hats were red and yellow like she said but she did add blue pants. So it is almost a patriotic picture with red and blue with a splash of yellow on their hats!

Painting with watercolors while listening to Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor

Take two!  We did this project again using a completely different song:  Bach, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

Bach wrote this piece for the church but we often associate it with something dark and scary.  But don't tell your children that!  While you listen ask them what they think when listening to this piece. 

 Is it happy or sad?

What colors does it make them think of?

Is there a story going on in the minds?

For this song, we got out the watercolors to make our pictures.  This time my girls thought the song made them think of a dark forest.  So they drew trees, a bear and a waterfall.

Composers write music to convey feelings and emotions.  Take the time to really listen to music and you will find the ups and downs in the music and the story the composer is trying to tell you.

Children learn best when they are having fun!  Teach them to listen carefully to music by having them draw or paint a picture while listening to a piece of classical music.

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.

5 Classic Musical Games

Getting Life in Balance and Calming Music

As some of you know, I was hit by a car while crossing the street in the crosswalk.  It has been a difficult 3 weeks but I am doing a lot better. 

I have written several articles on the Dandelion blog that you might be interested in.

Dandelion is a magazine for families with special needs who live in the Sacramento and San Francisco areas.  I write on their blog several times a month concerning music for the family and special needs children. 

The first article I wrote about the accident was An "I Can Do Everything" Mom Learns Her Limits.  This doesn't have anything to do with music but life as a mom who is on the go, full speed ahead, and then -bam! is on the couch after the accident.

The next one is The Calming Power of Music which is about me not being able to sleep at night without calming music.  My favorite music to relax to is Midori Bali: Reflection of a Tranquil Paradise.  It is full of nature sounds and calming instrumental music. 

How do you stay in balance?

What music helps you relax?

Write a Song With Your Child

It’s easier than you think!

Our names represent us! Children love to hear their names in a song. For more information on hello songs read The Importance of a Hello Song.  Writing a song with and about your child will help instill a positive self-worth as well as show your child how much you love her!

Write your own song to sing with your child using her name as the basis. It is easier than you think!

• Start with a popular tune such as Jingle Bells, BINGO, Mary Had a Little Lamb etc.
• Find some words that rhyme with her name
• Find some words that describe who she is or what she likes to do
• Fit the words in with the tune

Here is a song I wrote with my daughter Angel. Sing it to the tune of Jingle Bells.

Angel Joy, Angel Joy

She likes dolls and toys

She's so good at drawing and art

She reads with all her heart!

Angel Joy, Angel Joy

She loves to play outside

She has lots of sisters

And she's always by their side!

Angel was delighted to do this project with me. She was smiling the whole time and felt really important singing our finished product to Daddy.

Here is another song, written for my daughter, Shelli.  Sing it to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb.

Shelli has a great big smile,

Great big smile,

Great big smile.

Shelli has a great big smile.

She makes me laugh all day.

Shelli rides a scooter,

Scooter,

Scooter.

Shellie rides a scooter.

She rides with Daddy all day.

Shelli is a reader,

Reader,

Reader.

Shelli is a reader.

She reads books all day.

Shelli has 3 sisters,

3 sisters,

3 sisters.

Shelli has 3 sisters. 

She loves them all day.

It is important to allow your child to help you as much as possible!

Write the song together.

Sing it all the time.

You could incorporate musical instruments to make it more complete!

But most importantly: Have Fun!

If you enjoyed this article, you might like Music + Family = Love,  Teach Your Child Using Nursery Rhymes and Children's Songs,  and Game:  Match the Sounds

Teach Your Child Using Nursery Rhymes and Children's Songs

Nursery rhymes and children’s songs are treasures waiting to be opened.  They contain huge amounts of educational wealth and can not be wasted and ignored.

Enhance vocabulary and motor skills:

Singing, chanting and rhythmic play can increase a child’s vocabulary even as motor skills are strengthened.

Examples:  Ring-Around a Rosie, The Wheels on the Bus, This Old Man, This is the Way We Wash Our Clothes,

Basic school skills:

Nursery Rhymes and other children songs teach the basics of vocabulary, reading, and math while having fun!

Examples:  I Caught a Fish Alive, Five Little Piggies, 10 Little Turtles, 1, 2 Buckle My Shoe

Language and self expression:

Singing songs lays a groundwork for language growth, reading, speaking and self expression

Examples:  If You’re Happy and You Know It, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone, Three Little Kittens

Pulse and Rhythm:

Rhymes strengthen the skill to feel the pulse of language.  It is as important to engage in the physical rhythm of rhymes and songs as it is to sing on pitch.

Examples:  Five Little Monkeys, Three Blind Mice, Hot Cross Buns, Old MacDonald’s Farm

Extra Advantage:

Music has the potential to convey feelings of love, delight and security to children and has the ability to bond families together.

Examples:  Hush Little Baby, Angels Watching Over Me, I Love You-You Love Me,

If you enjoyed this article, you might enjoy Do You Hear What I Hear? , The Purpose of a Hello Songs, or Using Music to Improve Social Reading

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Do You Hear What I Hear?

Do you hear what I hear?

The other evening we were driving home with the classical station playing on the radio when I heard my 4 year old daughter say from the backseat, “That is a flute.”  “That is a cello.”  “That is a violin.”  “That is the flute again.”

She was naming the instruments as they were featured in the song.

I was delighted that she could recognize and name the different instruments.  She is actually paying attention to all the music we play at our house and studio!

You can do this at home!

There are several ways to practice hearing the instruments played in a piece.

One way is to do what my 4 year old did and just start naming all the instruments you hear and recognize.  The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra is a great one to start with since each section of the orchestra gets featured one at a time.  It is easy to pinpoint which instrument is playing.  Hint:  The first four sections are woodwinds, brass, strings and percussion.

Another way to practice hearing instruments is to pick an instrument and follow it all the way through a song.

My Little Musicians classes really enjoy following the cuckoo clock throughout The Toy Symphony by Leopold Mozart.  I have them raise their hands over their heads every time they hear a cuckoo.  They really enjoy using their bodies!

Another great cuckoo clock song is Polka Francaise by Strauss.  I have the students do a little hop every time they hear the cuckoo clock.

Make it a habit to point out which instrument is playing whenever you listen to music.  You may be listening to rock when there is a guitar solo.  Point it out!  Say, “Listen to that guitar solo!”

When you label the instruments, your child will learn to recognize their sounds and will soon be delighting you with their knowledge of instruments.

Give it a try!

If you enjoyed this you might like Family + Music = Love  and Take a Nature-Sound Walk

Music + Family = Love

Music and family time go together like peanut butter and jelly.  They were made for each other.  There are so many musical activities families can do together.  Children want their parents to sing and dance with them whether at home or in a class designed for the whole family.  Parents’ involvement is an important part of the pleasure of music for children.

Family Music Night

Listen and sing to your favorite albums together.  Children want you to hear their favorite music and they also want to hear yours!  It doesn’t always have to be about children’s music even though that can be fun too.

Dinner Variation

Have everyone bring their favorite song or two to dinner and play everyone’s songs through out dinner.  Everyone will feel important picking and playing music for the family.  The dinner music might be extremely varied from Bach to The Wiggles or from Taylor Swift to Cold Play.  But your kids will love knowing you cared to listen to their music.

Follow the Leader

Put on dance music and take turns being the dance teacher.  Let your child be the leader and follow his moves.  Then take a turn and teach them some of your moves.  The moves can be real dance moves or simple movements such as jumping up and down, twirling and kicking.  The important thing is to have fun!

Take in a Parade

Go to a parade together and listen to the marching bands and other music.

Free Concerts

Many park and recreation departments put on free concerts in the summer time.  Go together as a family and enjoy listening to live music.

For Babies

Sing lullabies as you cuddle and rock your baby to sleep.  It’s okay if your voice will not get you on American Idol.  To your baby, you will sound like an angel!

Children are so happy when parents sing and make music with them.  Music brings families together, creating memories in the process.

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.

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!

Using Music to Improve Social Reading

Is my friend happy?

Is my brother sad?

Did I just make the grocery clerk angry?

To read these people’s emotions, we need to look at their facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice and feel the tension in the air.  It takes a combination of insights to accurately read how a person is feeling. Some children are really good at seeing how people feel and other children walk through life unconcerned about anyone else’s emotions or feelings. Using music is a  great way to practice social reading.

Music conveys emotions and feelings and we can make a game out of figuring out what the music is trying to tell us.

Does this song sound happy or sad?

Put on some music without lyrics and ask how the music makes you feel.  Music is full of complex emotions and is a great place to start. Either simply listen to the music or have your child act as the conductor as you play the music.  Explain that the conductor doesn’t dance but helps the musicians know what emotions and feelings the music is conveying.

Just like our tone of speech tells if we are happy or sad, the key the music is written and played in tells if it is happy or sad.  Major tones tend to be happy and carefree.  Minor tones are often heard as sad and gloomy.

As you listen to the music, ask:

Is the music fast or slow?

Is it happy or sad?

Is it bouncy like a rabbit or flowing like an ice skater?

Is it loud or soft?

Is it peaceful or agitating?

Is it soothing like a lullaby or upbeat like a marching song?

How does the music make you feel?

Classical music is full of emotions, changing from one emotion to another and then back again.  See if you and your child can follow these emotional changes.

In the beginning you should point out these feelings and then after some practice your child might start understanding and pick up on the emotions himself.  Music is a great tool for teaching and practicing social reading.  With some practice your child will be able to better understand the people around him.

Song ideas to start with:

Bach’s Toccata in D Minor – written for the church but because of the minor tones we associate it with Halloween music

Haydn’s Surprise Symphony – loud and soft and full of surprises!

Leopold Mozart’s Toy Symphony- happy music for children- full of birds and cuckoo clock sounds

Handel’s Minuet from Water Music – written for royalty, your child will want to get up and dance the Minuet

Rodeo by Aaron Copeland- very patriotic- your child will want to gallop like a horse

Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – Can you pick out the seasons by the music?

Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata -full of emotion

Feel the Beat!

Drumming and tapping out the beat is often our first response when hearing a song.  A catchy tune plays on the radio and our fingers start rapping on the steering wheel.

We can feel the rhythm.

It seems so natural.

And it should.

Our bodies are full of rhythms:

-heart beat

-pulse

-breathing in and out

-hormone cycles

Rhythm is a part of who we are.

That is why drumming can be so much fun for children.

They love to tap away with rhythm sticks or pound with their hands on a drum.

Not all children can feel the beat.  For these children you will need to tap the beat on their lesg or backs.  They need help translating what they hear into what they feel.

Supplies

Practicing rhythms at home can be very inexpensive!

Rhythm sticks can be found for a few dollars a set.  I have even used unsharpened pencils when sticks were unavailable.

Thighs make great drums!  I really enjoy the sound of hands on thighs and they don’t cost a dime. Just don’t tap too hard!

Empty oatmeal containers, large (not individual size) yogurt or margarine containers with lids make great drums.  You can even decorate them!

Pots and pans can be noisy but fun!  Be careful what you pick.  My stainless steal bowls don’t look smooth and pretty anymore!

Activities

Try tapping: 

Famous songs

Nursery rhymes

Syllables of words

Put on a CD of any type music (except chanting and New Age relaxation music) and find the beat!

Skills learned:

Gross Motor

Listening

Vocabulary

Below is a video I made with my daughter playing The Drum Song.  So get out your yogurt tubs and follow along!

Enjoy!

One Ear at a Time

“Children can learn almost anything if they are dancing, tasting, touching, hearing, seeing and feeling information.”  -Jean Houston, Educating the Human Brain

I love this quote.  It makes me think of a perfectly happy child spinning in circles as she is singing and dancing barefoot in a field of green grass and wild flowers with an orchestra of musicians playing beautiful music for her.  Wouldn’t that be the ideal way to learn?  Carefree and happy.

Unfortunately that is not the way it usually works out for our children.

So many of my students have a hard time listening.  Some can’t hear well.  Some have trouble processing the information that is spoken to them.  Some are so easily distracted they can’t pay attention to what is being said because they are off doing something else. 

This week I was reading a book that explained that some children can’t process information when it is spoken to them.  But when the same instructions are sung to them, they are better able to understand and follow through.

Children with attention problems often have hearing problems.  And it is possible that one ear is better at hearing than the other.  So you need to speak or sing into each ear, one at a time.

In one of my singing classes, there are a couple of 7 year old girls who have a hard time paying attention.  I know they wait all week for singing class.  They love singing and learning new songs.  But when they see each other they can’t keep their hands off each other and start doing cartwheels and pulling on each other for the entire hour.  Now, in my classes we start off with a lot of moving and dancing.  So I am not expecting them to sit in chairs and pay close attention.  I understand children need to move and stomp and feel the rhythms with their entire bodies.  But when it is time to sing I still want them to sing.    

So I decided to do an experiment. 

Deliberate Movements

Instead of watching them do random movements such as cartwheels and flips, I initiated the movements for each voice warm-up.  During one warm-up, we held hands and swung them back and forth to the beat.  The constant movement helped them pay attention to their singing.

Singing and Speaking in Each Ear

During other warm-ups, I walked around the room bending down and singing in each girl’s ear.  This worked like a miracle!  One student, who always sings too high, off pitch, matched my voice as I was singing in her ear.  It got her attention and she was able to hear my voice and sing on pitch. 

I continued singing in their ears, going from one ear to the other so that both ears got a chance to hear my voice up close.  I loved how easy it was for them to then sing on pitch the rest of the class time.

Singing Directions

This week, I also tried singing instructions to my classes instead of just saying them.  It did get the children’s attention faster and they were quicker to jump up and follow me to the next activity.

Singing for Speech Therapy

I decided to try the ear experiment at home with my 4 year old daughter.  She has a hard time saying some of her sounds.  We have been working on the” th” sound for words like the, that and this. 

I leaned over close to her ear and sang “the” to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. Then I leaned over to the other ear and sang the same thing.  When I was done I asked her to say “the” and she said it exactly how she heard me say it!  It was wonderful.  She has not continued to say “th” sounds correctly in her regular speech but when I chant them in her ear she will say it correctly.  So she can do it!  She just needs to keep practicing and hearing it clearly spoken to her.

Some children have a hard time listening.  Some can’t hear well.  Others have a hard time processing what is said to them.  Some are easily distracted.  One way to help these children is to sing to them, one ear at a time!

Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if everyone sang to their children as they gave directions and taught them new things?  Our children could be dancing and singing as they were learning.  A lot more happy and carefree!

Which Music Will Calm My Child? Which Music Will Get My Child Moving?

Music has the ability to change our feelings and behaviors.  Slow, soft music can make us feel calm and relaxed.  While fast music with a lot of rhythm can make us feel energized and get us dancing.  Parents have asked me to suggest music for their child to listen to while falling asleep or to get them moving. 

We all know each person is made up of body, mind and spirit.  Did you know that music is made of three components that match those parts?  The three parts of music are rhythm, melody, and harmony.

 Rhythm affects our body and stimulates our arms and legs.  Percussion is the group in the orchestra that provides rhythm.  Percussion instruments include the drums, cymbals and shakers.

 Melody affects our mind and stimulates our head.  The woodwind instruments, such as the flute, clarinet, and oboe provide melody. 

Harmony affects our spirit and touches our hearts.  The string instruments provide the harmony in the orchestra.  Violin, viola and cello are string instruments.

The goal is to select music to stimulate or calm the body, mind and spirit in order to create balance.

Not everyone will react the same way to a piece of music.  So I can suggest pieces to play for your child but you will have to see her reaction to it to determine if it is right for her.

Most of these suggestions are classical music and that is because classical music usually contains all three parts:  rhythm, melody and harmony that is necessary for balance.

Stimulating Music

Children who are lethargic or have weak limbs need to be stimulated with rhythm.  They need rhythmic percussion to invigorate them.

For children with weak muscles and limbs and to energize sleepy bodies play stimulating music with the volume slightly louder than usual.

“Bolero” by Ravel-orchestra

“Mephisto Waltz” by Liszt – piano

“Stars and Stripes Forever” by Sousa-marching band

“German Dance” by Mozart- orchestra

“The Toy Symphony” by Leopold Mozart-orchestra with horn and glockenspiel calling out “cuckoo”

Calming Music

Hyperactive children can be calmed by playing music with more melody and harmony and less rhythm and percussion.  Instead of being physically and mentally active she will be relaxed and soothed.

“Romeo and Juliet” by Tchaikovsky-symphony orchestra

“Carmen Suite” Nos. 1-2 by Bizet – orchestra with a lot of wind instruments

“Andantino from the Flute Quartet in C Major” by Mozart-orchestra with a lot of flutes

Music for Anxiety

Anxious children respond well to music that has pronounced rhythm and melody

Waltzes by Strauss- orchestra

Anything by Mozart but you can start with the “Adagio from the Divertimento in B Flat (K. 287)” The Italian word adagio means “to put at ease”.

Music for Chronically Ill

Soft music is wonderful for chronically ill children

“La Mer” by Debussy-orchestra

“Andantino from the Flute Quartet in C Major (K.171)” by Mozart-orchestra

Music for Emotionally Sensitive Children

Children who are emotionally sensitive need a lot of harmony in music.

“Jupiter Symphony” by Mozart-orchestra

My Favorite Sleeping Music.

Classical music has a calming effect that helps children fall asleep.

Some studies also show playing classical music as children are falling asleep and waking up can reduce the incidences of seizures since episodes frequently occur just before or after falling asleep and soon after awakening.

My girls’ favorite nighttime music is “Classical Naptime for Tots”.  It has a variety of classics from Bach, Debussy, Beethoven and Puccini

They also love Jewel’s Lullaby CD from Fisher Price

My Favorite Stimulating Music

“Jazz for Kids” is a favorite to play while using all kinds of rhythm instruments like sticks, bells and maracas.  It features Jazz greats such as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong singing child friendly jazz songs.

“First Steps in Classical Music:  Keeping the Beat!” is a favorite full of classical pieces to play with rhythm instruments.

Everyone has different musical preferences. Try these suggestions and see how your family responds.  If the song doesn’t work for you and your child then skip it and move on to another piece.  In order to save costs, you can find most of these songs on You Tube and these CD’s at the local library.