Early childhood and music
The legend of the talking stick
February 8th, 2010 | 
Author As you may know, I have gathered a wide selection of multi-cultural material, songs, dances and games from around the world, for my World Music and Rhythm Talk program. I came across the legend of the talking stick and found that it worked marvelously in my class as children tend to talk all at once. They get louder and louder in order to be heard over the next guy, not realizing that the louder they all talk the less the teacher can hear them. They seem to feel that if they yell loud enough, someone is bound to hear what they are saying. I believe that this is a natural phenomenon and we have all been guilty of it since our cultural beginnings. This is why the Native American people have come up with the idea of the talking stick, a powerful tool used by many tribes of different nations for years. When the person holding the stick is talking, no one else is allowed to talk. Moreover, the speaker could speak freely and without consequence as no one could repeat what was spoken outside the circle.
I like to teach kids respect for another’s culture at this early age as I think it is critical to a happy, healthy society, free from the predeterminations and prejudices which still haunt our planet.
Maria
Posted in Early childhood and music, General, Music Education | 
Tags: Games From Around The World, Music And Rhythm, World Music | 
2 Comments »
My guide dog Raven and the kids
Raven was my friend and guide dog of many years. Although he is no longer with us, I still remember all the good times.
Taking him to the daycare when he was younger and playing the Copy Cat Rhythms on the drum with his paw so the kids could see that even the dog could play. We didn’t keep that one up as Raven began to protest, pulling his paw away as if to say “That’s your game, not mine”. He would also jump up in the air and bark whenever we were up dancing and clapping.
The one thing I think he enjoyed the most was the springtime class. We were outside in the playground doing The Elephant Song where the children walk very slowly like the elephants do, raising their arm like a trunk. When the music speeds up, so do the children as they are being chased by a tiger or hunter. Raven ran right along with them in his deer-like fashion, leaping and bounding around as Standard Poodles generally do. I wish I had a picture of that scene but since I don’t, I will show you one of the pictures I took of him with my friend’s digital camera.
As well, click here for a sample of the song he and the kids were running to.
Maria
Posted in Early childhood and music, General, Music Education | Tags: Elephant Song, Guide Dog | No Comments »
What age should I enroll my child in music classes?
This seems to be a question many parents are asking these days due to all of the options out there for enrolling children in instructional classes. There are a couple of ways to approach this matter.
- If you wish to place your child in a class where they will learn one instrument such as the piano, the violin, the ukulele or the recorder, they will no doubt need to be able to sit and concentrate for a period of 15 to 20 minutes at least in order to learn the basics and technique for that instrument. This can often happen at the age of 4 or 5 years depending on the child’s interest in the instrument along with the teachers’ ability to make classes fun for the kids.
- If you have the option in your area to enroll your child in a music and movement class where they are learning basic musical concepts such as keeping the beat, tempo, dynamics and pitch recognition, they may begin much earlier, as young as 18 months as the songs and games are simple and relatively short. Even babies from birth to 18 months are welcome in the class if they have an older sibling participating. The idea in these classes is to include everyone, even the youngest who, if they are too young to hold an instrument or play the games, may simply enjoy the music for its own sake, feeling its pulse, experiencing the music’s timbre, dynamics and so on.
Music is a language like any other and if children are exposed to it from birth they will learn it the same way they learn their native tongue. They will soak it up like the little sponges they are and it will become a great creative outlet during their adolescent and adult lives.
Maria
Posted in Early childhood and music, Music Education | Tags: Child Music, Music And Movement, Music Classes, Songs And Games | No Comments »
Groundhog Day!
Yesterday, at one of my daycares, my four-year-old class came running in, clearly excited about something. They all began grabbing me, pulling my face down to theirs. Clearly thinking they wanted a kiss I turned my face to the side for a kiss on the cheek. They kept turning my face back to theirs until I realized what they were getting at, rubbing noses! I said “Oh, an Eskimo kiss”, as my Dad used to say, to which they replied emphatically, “No! A groundhog kiss”. The teacher of that particular class is quite imaginative and has passed this imaginative quality onto the kids.
Here is a song for the preparation of groundhog day that I found on a preschool education site:
(Sung to the tune of London Bridge)
Mr. Groundhog down below,
Pops up through the fluffy snow,
See his shadow, watch him go,
Winter’s here to stay, oh no!Mr. Groundhog down below,
Pops up through the fluffy snow,
There’s no shadow, come and play,
Spring is on its way, hurray!!!
I’m going to get my kids to draw pictures of groundhogs which I will post on my blog before February 2nd.
Happy Groundhog Day!
Rhythm Baseball
Here’s a great game you can use with children which will help with their rhythmic skills while enjoying a great game of baseball. The game is suitable for kids from pre-K to Grade 6 as the rhythms can be as simple or complicated as the child’s level of playing.
Pick two teams. The first player goes to home base holding their drum. The teacher/umpire plays a rhythm. It may either be invented by yourself or taken from the Copy Cat Rhythm Game on this Rhythm Playground CD in the World Music and Rhythm Talk series. The child repeats the rhythm as heard. If they hit the rhythm correctly, they get to run to first base. The rest of the game is played like a regular baseball game. The kids love it!
I usually try, if necessary, to help the little ones get their rhythm right so the game ends up as a tie. In one game though, a few of the children on one of the teams were afraid to get up allowing the other team to win by a couple of points. This caused a big problem with one of the boys on the losing team. We’ll call him Billy. One of the kids said to me “Billy’s crying” to which I replied “Why, what’s up?”. “Because he lost the game” they said sadly. I then gave a bit of an explanation to the class about winning and losing, and as long as they had fun it was a good game. As I attempted to move on, the kids said “He’s not stopping”. I called Billy over to sit on my lap. He was indeed sobbing and could not stop. I explained about winning and losing in a different way by telling him a true story about my granddaughter Xara. She was having a race with her older brother and, sadly for her, lost the race. “And what do you think she did?”, I asked. She screamed at the top of her lungs, only taking in breath to let out another piercing scream. I then gave an example of her noise, trying not to hurt the kids’ ears. This lightened everyone up considerably including Billy who at least giggled a bit through his tears. “So how old do you think she was?”, I asked. Silence. “She was only 3 years old. How old are you Billy?” to which he replied proudly, “I’m four”. Case closed! Four-year-olds wouldn’t be caught dead doing something as childish as a 3-year-old. The teacher and I then staged a couple a races across the gym, one of which Billy won. We also explained that we could only play these fun games unless they understood that there was always a possibility that someone could lose, unless there is a tie of course.
Enjoy!
You may also listen to the audio version of the rules of rhythm baseball: Rhythm Baseball [Audio]
Teachers, if you are interested in World Music and Rhythm Talk, you will find details here.
Posted in Early childhood and music, Music Education | Tags: Baseball Game, Music And Rhythm, Rhythm Game, Rhythm Talk, Rhythmic Skills, Umpire | 5 Comments »