I got the impression, from teaching over the years, that the youngest kids who are not yet potty trained are little musical beings who are tuned in to what makes them happy, music, dance, drawing, etc. They are happy in the now with no thought of bodily functions until we propose our own understanding on them, well, of course they need to be taught not to relieve themselves wherever they are, but the main idea that whatever they are doing comes first must be tempered. While thinking about this, I discovered website www.tinkletoonz.com that has a musical potty which has a sensor in it which plays the tune “It’s a Small World After All”. When any moisture enters the potty, the song plays.

Great for any daycare.

Apparently it has had much success with children who have certain challenges such as autism due to its immediate gratification!

Maria.

Happy Birthday to You.

Disregarding the lawsuits, it has fallen into the realm of “Tradition” and I love to hear and sing it. However, I think there is room for new content on that front. I am proposing to write a Happy Birthday Song just for fun. I’ll try not to make it a blues, rock, country or, in fact, any genre related version. I feel confident you will give me your honest opinion on this new “work of art.” Anyone else’s version of a Birthday Song, with their permission, will be posted on my blog.

Happy Writing!

Maria

That’s why when they came running into the music room yesterday with their stuffed groundhog who they had named Muckmuck, I decided to forego part of the prepared lesson and ask them to make up a song about their stuffed friend. When I realized they were having trouble composing a tune, I gave them a 2 note call and response theme which allowed them to concentrate on the lyrics alone, very easy to remember and the whole class repeated the singer’s line.  They decided that Muckmuck was in the Olympics and therefore their song included many of the Olympic sports: speed skating, curling, bobsleigh, luge, figure skating and, of course, ice hockey. They were clearly keen on their groundhog being an Olympic Athlete.

Catch you next time!

Maria

Audio files: Octopus’s Garden & Baby Beluga

Enjoy!

Maria

It is interesting to note that our physicians today are rediscovering the healing power of music, albeit without the driving away of spirits. Regardless if we are driving away spirits or in modern day terms, releasing anxiety and depression, we have come to realize that music releases the neurotransmitter serotonin, one of the most abundant neurotransmitters in the brain which plays an important role in the regulation of mood and a key role in the treatment of depression. Another activity which increases serotonin thereby releasing endorphins, a hormone responsible for increasing a feeling of pleasure is exercise; so if you are depressed and feeling lethargic, time to go out dancing, giving yourself a blast of both music and movement.

Maria

“US scientists have restored speech to stroke victims by getting them to sing words instead of speaking them, says a leading neurologist.

Gottfried Schlaug, an associate professor of neurology at Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Centre and Harvard Medical School, has found that patients who have suffered a stroke in the left side of the brain and are unable to speak words are often able to sing them.

He showed reporters at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on Saturday a video of a patient with a stroke lesion on the left side of the brain, whom he asked to recite the words of the birthday song.

The patient was unable to comply, and merely repeated the letters N and O.

But when Schlaug asked him to sing the song, while someone held the patient’s left hand and tapped it rhythmically, the words Happy birthday to you came out clear as day.

This patient has meaningless utterances when we ask him to say the words but as soon as we asked him to sing, he was able to speak the words, Schlaug said.

Another patient was taught to say, I am thirsty by singing, while another patient who had a large lesion on the left side of the brain and had for several years tried various therapies to try to regain the power of speech, all unsuccessful, was taught to say his address.

Images of the brains of patients with stroke lesions on the left side of the brain – which is typically used more for speech – show functional and structural changes on the right side of the brain after they have undergone this form of therapy through song, called Music Intonation Therapy (MIT).

Schlaug is currently running a randomised clinical trial of MIT with a view to gaining acceptance of the therapy in the medical field.

In the United States, MIT could potentially help up to 70,000 nonverbal stroke victims to retrieve the ability to speak, Schlaug said.”

This article reminds me of one of my students a number of years ago when I taught music at The Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority for the Visually Impaired, (APSEA). I am not sure if she had had a stroke; her speech was very limited although she could sing both melody and harmony and, for the most part, understood what you wanted her to do. Even when she spoke her few short phrases, they were in a sing-song vocal style, reaffirming the studies that the part of the brain used for speech is different than the part utilized when one is singing. More on that topic in future posts.

Maria

Maria

Two four six eight, Tell me what is on your plate!

Spaghetti!!!

Even the smallest kids will attempt to pronounce that word.

Here is a sample of the song Jelly, Jelly in my Belly

Maria

1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. Sing a familiar song such as “The Ants Go Marching”, “The Grand Old Duke of York” or “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, playing the beat on a drum to show them how it should sound. They will learn visually as well by watching you play. After they can play a steady beat they may enjoy marching to a couple of these songs. Their hands and feet go together, 1, 2, 3, 4, as body movement is an extra aid to the memory process.

Check out my sample of “Six Little Ducks” which is also a great one for keeping a steady beat.

Maria