Thank you to everyone who came to the party! So many beautiful things happened the night of December 6! The music was great, the food was yummy, and most importantly from my perspective: families sang and danced together! For the children who were old enough that the experience will stay in their conscious minds...what a beautiful memory they will have to cherish! For the children who won't consciously remember the event, the precious experience of listening to live music and participating in music-making with their loved ones will certainly contribute to their overall consciousness of the part that music can play in their family and community and celebration rituals. I was left with such a warm fuzzy feeling after the whole thing was over! While I'm absolutely thrilled that we raised over $160 for the scholarship fund, I think the most valuable outcome of the experience is the fun that we all had!
I must give a huge thank you to Music Together Mamas Pamela Yeater and Molly Coffey, who volunteered their time to coordinate food, decorations, and RSVPs. And of course, thank you to all the wonderful folks who contributed food, decorations, time, or some combination of those!
If you were there, I have a couple of requests:
1) Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to take any photos during the party, and I didn't arrange for a committed photographer. Please share photos with me if you can! Even if the photos were just of your own family members. I won't use them for publicity without permission--I'd just love to have the photos for my own personal enjoyment and reflection.
I am taking notes about this year's event to refer to when planning next year's party, and I'd love to get your feedback! If you have any suggestions for aspects that should remain the same or ideas about how to make the event better, please let me know.
Lastly, as a way of thanking the musicians and of giving you more information about the folks who worked hard to make the party a musical success, I've included some information and web links for the musicians.
Jordan Arnold, percussionist, member of Eroteme and funk band Jazz the Ripper (which has a couple of Orange Peel gigs coming up!)
Jazz the Ripper myspace: http://www.myspace.com/jazztheripper
Brad Hebert, percussionist, guitarist, bass player, accordionist, and lots of other "ists." Works at B-clip Productions.
Brad's myspace page: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=35607115
Matthew Richmond, percussionist, UNCA Percussion Instructor, teaches private lessons at the Asheville Music School, member of percussion ensemble Eroteme and piano/percussion duo Spies Among Us. Often plays with local pop band Stephanie's Id. Kari's husband!
Matthew's myspace: http://www.myspace.com/matthewrichmondmusic
Matthew's website: http://www.matthewrichmond.net/
Karl Ruch, Music Together dad, singer/songwriter, percussionist, guitarist. Karl has two CDs out!
Karl's website: http://www.karlruch.com/
Karl's myspace: http://www.myspace.com/karlruch
Aimee Sullivan, Music Together mom, saxophone player, sax and woodwinds teacher at Asheville Music School. Regularly performs with Bill Gerhardt and Mike Holstein of the Jazz Composers Forum.
http://www.callthatjazz.com/sullivan.html
Eroteme: Four of the musicians (Matthew, Brad, Jordan, Kari) are members of percussion ensemble Eroteme.
myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/erotememusic
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Private Lessons for Preschoolers?
A parent wrote to me asking about whether it was appropriate to get her preschooler involved in private lessons and whether I knew anything about the Suzuki method. Here's my response, which I thought would interest many parents of preschoolers...
Unfortunately, I don't know a ton about Suzuki. My first reaction to it when I heard about it in college was distrust. I learned to read music at the same time that I learned to play piano when I was 7 years old, and I do think there's a bit of limitation in allowing a child to learn solely by rote. However, I have been told that children DO learn to read music through the Suzuki method...just not right at the beginning. And after my Music Together training and a couple of years of teaching experience, I do see the wisdom in having children be able to make music right from the beginning and not have to depend on being able to interpret odd marks on a piece of paper at first. That's too much pressure for lots of kids! Developmentally, it's really not appropriate to expect a child to do something as intellectual abstract as *reading music* until they're ready to read words. My own experience was also limited in that I was dependent on written music for a very long time, because I was not given the opportunity or encouragement to create my own music or improvise with accompaniment until college.
I think the most important issue is that parents not get so worried about giving their children a head start on their musical learning that they push kids into a formal lesson environment too early. As long as music is FUN for the child, they will learn. Going into a formal sit-down-and-pay-attention-this-is-work-not-fun kind of a situation can really squelch a child's desire to take lessons ever again. The fear, the pressure...those are things we DON'T wanted associated with music-making!
Making music a part of your daily routine, singing at home, attending live music concerts, doing some community singing (fun music classes or church or community events), and giving your child the opportunity to explore various instruments, is going to provide all the stimulation and experimentation opportunities your child needs until he is school-aged and gets used to sitting still and listening. OR, until you find a private music teacher who is able to "keep the fun" in the lesson setting. Look for someone with early childhood musical training and experience.
Unfortunately, I don't know a ton about Suzuki. My first reaction to it when I heard about it in college was distrust. I learned to read music at the same time that I learned to play piano when I was 7 years old, and I do think there's a bit of limitation in allowing a child to learn solely by rote. However, I have been told that children DO learn to read music through the Suzuki method...just not right at the beginning. And after my Music Together training and a couple of years of teaching experience, I do see the wisdom in having children be able to make music right from the beginning and not have to depend on being able to interpret odd marks on a piece of paper at first. That's too much pressure for lots of kids! Developmentally, it's really not appropriate to expect a child to do something as intellectual abstract as *reading music* until they're ready to read words. My own experience was also limited in that I was dependent on written music for a very long time, because I was not given the opportunity or encouragement to create my own music or improvise with accompaniment until college.
I think the most important issue is that parents not get so worried about giving their children a head start on their musical learning that they push kids into a formal lesson environment too early. As long as music is FUN for the child, they will learn. Going into a formal sit-down-and-pay-attention-this-is-work-not-fun kind of a situation can really squelch a child's desire to take lessons ever again. The fear, the pressure...those are things we DON'T wanted associated with music-making!
Making music a part of your daily routine, singing at home, attending live music concerts, doing some community singing (fun music classes or church or community events), and giving your child the opportunity to explore various instruments, is going to provide all the stimulation and experimentation opportunities your child needs until he is school-aged and gets used to sitting still and listening. OR, until you find a private music teacher who is able to "keep the fun" in the lesson setting. Look for someone with early childhood musical training and experience.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
As is often the case, I was just sent a link to a beautiful, short article about music and the brain. Please take a moment to read renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks' article about how a man with Alzheimer's Disease retains his dignity and joy through music:
http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/200812_omag_sound/1
http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/200812_omag_sound/1
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Kari's Childhood Musical Experiences
In recent days, I have been much reminded of the lovely woman who taught the Children's Church class I attended from age 4 to age 9 or so. Claudia was a wonder! It only recently occurred to me what a feat it was that she and one helper (and sometimes a parent or two) successfully held the attention of *most* of a group of about 50 elementary school children for 30 minutes each Sunday morning while our parents were in "Big Church." I think a lot of Claudia's success can be attributed to the dynamic music-making we enjoyed. We sang a lot! Each week, we used 6 or 7 songs from a "collection" of about 20 or 25 total songs in Claudia's repertoire. I still remember many of them. Nearly every song had some kind of physical movement to accompany it, and the multi-age dynamic was certainly there, as we ranged in age from 4 to 10 years old. In fact, some of us enjoyed Claudia's "church" so much that we hung around after we "aged out" to continue to enjoy the music and stories under the guise of helping with the younger kids. Looking back, I've realized that Claudia's church, particularly the music, had a strong influence on my career trajectory and my whole outlook on life. My mom recalls that my sisters and I used to regale the shopping public at any store we visited with our childish voices piping out "Jesus Loves Me," "Deep and Wide," "B-I-B-L-E." From a more music-teacher-y perspective, I know that the basic music competence that I attained through the weekly ritual of singing the same songs made learning to read notated music and play the piano at age 7 seem natural and easy for me. The songs we learned still have spiritual significance for me and give me emotional support, even as an adult.
Regarding that comment about music competence...
The Music Together research folks in N.J. define basic music competence in two parts, 1. being able to sing a whole song in key, 2. being able to keep an accurate steady beat with the body (by clapping, tapping, stomping, etc.) for the duration of a song. Basic Music Competence thusly defined is a requirement to being able to successfully achieve more specialized musical learning, and that's all there is to it. You can't keep a steady beat in your head while accurately playing a piano piece if you can't keep a steady beat just patting your leg. Because a child's work is her play, and most children LOVE to play with music, most children who are exposed to a consistently rich musical environment, will achieve Basic Music Competence on their own by about age 4 or 5.
Though most of my peers in Claudia's class didn't go on to become music teachers, I know that most of them enjoyed singing and clapping and jumping in Children's Church, and I'm sure the music-making experience enriched the lives of all Claudia's students, some of whom are now accountants and doctors and convenience store clerks and teachers. I don't necessarily hope that all my wee students become Music Together teachers someday, but I do hope that making music in Music Together class and at home will result in the same life-enrichment for them, the same ease in later musical learning, and the same wonderful memories!
Regarding that comment about music competence...
The Music Together research folks in N.J. define basic music competence in two parts, 1. being able to sing a whole song in key, 2. being able to keep an accurate steady beat with the body (by clapping, tapping, stomping, etc.) for the duration of a song. Basic Music Competence thusly defined is a requirement to being able to successfully achieve more specialized musical learning, and that's all there is to it. You can't keep a steady beat in your head while accurately playing a piano piece if you can't keep a steady beat just patting your leg. Because a child's work is her play, and most children LOVE to play with music, most children who are exposed to a consistently rich musical environment, will achieve Basic Music Competence on their own by about age 4 or 5.
Though most of my peers in Claudia's class didn't go on to become music teachers, I know that most of them enjoyed singing and clapping and jumping in Children's Church, and I'm sure the music-making experience enriched the lives of all Claudia's students, some of whom are now accountants and doctors and convenience store clerks and teachers. I don't necessarily hope that all my wee students become Music Together teachers someday, but I do hope that making music in Music Together class and at home will result in the same life-enrichment for them, the same ease in later musical learning, and the same wonderful memories!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Babies Too Young for Music Class
I recently received an e-mail from a mom who is interested in attending Music Together classes at some point. She mentioned that at 5 months of age, her child was obviously too young to attend a class, but she wanted to go ahead and find out more information to be used in the future.
It is common for parents to think that there's really no point in a child attending music class until they are old enough to at least hold the instruments and props and toddle around in the classroom. However, my sincere belief is that the children who get the most out of Music Together class are the tiny babies! Usually these wee ones are tagging along with a sibling who is enrolled in the class. Babies often need to nurse and/or sleep and/or get diapers changed during class. They obviously can't participate in the way that most of think of as "musical." However, there is evidence that music class IS good for infants, and here is how I replied to the mom with the 5-month-old.
"At 5 months old, your child is too young to actively participate in many of the activities we use in class. Singing words, clapping hands, dancing, holding and using percussion instruments in the way the manufacturers intend, etc. will be beyond her ability for a little while longer. However, babies are extremely inclined toward music from before they're even born. Early childhood research has show measurable responses to musical stimuli from infants in utero, as well as babies who are not yet walking or speaking. Babies exhibit behaviors called "characteristic responses," which include certain gross motor movements associated primarily with musical stimulus and cooing on tones related to the tones being sung by the parent.
Of course, you aren't waiting until your daughter is 9 or 10 months old to begin walking around her or holding her up on her feet, and you wouldn't wait until she's near 2 years old to begin speaking to her. Your daughter is carefully watching the beloved adults in her life as they walk around, and she's carefully watching and listening when you speak to her. She will be motivated to learn to walk and speak English, because the grown-ups in her life do it and seem to enjoy it! It follows then that there's no need to wait until your daughter is physically able to sing and dance to do these things with her. She will love the musical attention, and she will already be learning from these musical experiences, at the level her brain is currently primed to take in and process them."
I have one more thing to add for those of you reading this blog post:
Just think of the beauty of having live musical accompaniment during YOUR meals or naptime. I rarely experience those luxury experiences! In all seriousness, infant siblings who attend Music Together class get a weekly reinforcement of the simple concept that music is part of life. Part of the every day experience. It's not something that requires a stage, a microphone, a CD player, or any special setting. Particularly if parents and older siblings go home and sing after class, these babies grow and develop with an ingrained understanding that music is for all of us during any occasion.
I do feel it's important that parents not feel pressured to enroll in a class before they're ready. But it's important for parents to understand that children benefit from musical experiences right from birth, and Music Together classes serve as a safe community setting where families will learn more about how to share music with their children and support their musical growth. Plus, the focus in class is hugely on fun--especially for the adults!
It is common for parents to think that there's really no point in a child attending music class until they are old enough to at least hold the instruments and props and toddle around in the classroom. However, my sincere belief is that the children who get the most out of Music Together class are the tiny babies! Usually these wee ones are tagging along with a sibling who is enrolled in the class. Babies often need to nurse and/or sleep and/or get diapers changed during class. They obviously can't participate in the way that most of think of as "musical." However, there is evidence that music class IS good for infants, and here is how I replied to the mom with the 5-month-old.
"At 5 months old, your child is too young to actively participate in many of the activities we use in class. Singing words, clapping hands, dancing, holding and using percussion instruments in the way the manufacturers intend, etc. will be beyond her ability for a little while longer. However, babies are extremely inclined toward music from before they're even born. Early childhood research has show measurable responses to musical stimuli from infants in utero, as well as babies who are not yet walking or speaking. Babies exhibit behaviors called "characteristic responses," which include certain gross motor movements associated primarily with musical stimulus and cooing on tones related to the tones being sung by the parent.
Of course, you aren't waiting until your daughter is 9 or 10 months old to begin walking around her or holding her up on her feet, and you wouldn't wait until she's near 2 years old to begin speaking to her. Your daughter is carefully watching the beloved adults in her life as they walk around, and she's carefully watching and listening when you speak to her. She will be motivated to learn to walk and speak English, because the grown-ups in her life do it and seem to enjoy it! It follows then that there's no need to wait until your daughter is physically able to sing and dance to do these things with her. She will love the musical attention, and she will already be learning from these musical experiences, at the level her brain is currently primed to take in and process them."
I have one more thing to add for those of you reading this blog post:
Just think of the beauty of having live musical accompaniment during YOUR meals or naptime. I rarely experience those luxury experiences! In all seriousness, infant siblings who attend Music Together class get a weekly reinforcement of the simple concept that music is part of life. Part of the every day experience. It's not something that requires a stage, a microphone, a CD player, or any special setting. Particularly if parents and older siblings go home and sing after class, these babies grow and develop with an ingrained understanding that music is for all of us during any occasion.
I do feel it's important that parents not feel pressured to enroll in a class before they're ready. But it's important for parents to understand that children benefit from musical experiences right from birth, and Music Together classes serve as a safe community setting where families will learn more about how to share music with their children and support their musical growth. Plus, the focus in class is hugely on fun--especially for the adults!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Another Music Together teacher sent the following link, which I thought you might enjoy. It's an old (1960s?) recording of a community school "playing" Little Johnny Brown. After a couple of minutes, you get the picture, and it's pretty repetitive, but there's an interesting little conversation with the teacher in the video at the end. I just think it's so cool how Music Together includes lesser-known traditional songs like these in the song collections. This helps preserve these old beauties that otherwise might be lost forever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgUmisFfTiw
The lyrics they use are:
Little Johnny Brown, spread your comfort down (2x),
Fold one corner, Johnny Brown,
Fold another corner, Johnny Brown (3x),
Take it to your lover, Johnny Brown (2x),
Show her your motion, Johnny Brown (2x),
Lope like a buzzard, Johnny Brown (2x),
Give it to your lover, Johnny Brown (2x).
Somehow I think I'm glad we sing "strut like a chicken" rather than "lope like a buzzard," but only because of the societal context of this *time* versus that one.
Get out a baby blanket or play scarf or adult-sized T-shirt and play this game with your child at home--with or without the CD! Make up your own motions/verses!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgUmisFfTiw
The lyrics they use are:
Little Johnny Brown, spread your comfort down (2x),
Fold one corner, Johnny Brown,
Fold another corner, Johnny Brown (3x),
Take it to your lover, Johnny Brown (2x),
Show her your motion, Johnny Brown (2x),
Lope like a buzzard, Johnny Brown (2x),
Give it to your lover, Johnny Brown (2x).
Somehow I think I'm glad we sing "strut like a chicken" rather than "lope like a buzzard," but only because of the societal context of this *time* versus that one.
Get out a baby blanket or play scarf or adult-sized T-shirt and play this game with your child at home--with or without the CD! Make up your own motions/verses!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Music Together supports pitter-patter of little feet!
Hello Music Together families!
I just wrote a note to a mom who was discouraged after bringing her toddler son to their first Music Together class a couple of weeks ago. The little guy wandered all over the room and didn't appear to notice one bit of what we were doing. Towards the end of class, he was pulling on the door handle, apparently trying to leave! The mom e-mailed me afterwards, obviously embarassed by his behavior and saying maybe it would be best for them to wait and attend a later semester. Knowing that it usually takes new kids two or three classes to become familiar and comfortable with the class environment, I encouraged her to give it another try.
In his second class last week, our roving toddler continued to roam but started to approach the circle at times. Even when he was wandering in the far corners, he was often bouncing to the beat and seemed content, smiling and babbling. In his 3rd class, the balance of attention to class activities versus wandering tipped a little more towards attention. During his travels, he stopped to boogie now and then and allowed his ever-patient mom to touch him in rhythm to the music and sing to him, and he joined us in the circle when the instruments were out. We even heard his singing voice a couple of times as we sang bye bye to the instruments!
For experienced Music Together families, this is probably a familiar story, though it can take much longer than 3 classes for a child to work his or her way into circle participation for most of the class. Is all that wandering about (or sitting quietly and staring) wasted time? Certainly not! After I wrote the following note to the mom, I realized that this information might be helpful to many of you, so I filled it out a little bit and changed names. Please read on to help you get the most from your Music Together class!
I wish all of you a wonderful week!
Kari Richmond
Asheville Area Music Together
www.AshevilleAreaMT.com
828-545-0990
Dear [Patient Mom],
Thank you for trusting me and continuing to bring [Thomas] back to class! He has responded with a lot of musical behavior during class over the past couple of weeks, and as he gets more comfortable with the class routine and grows beyond the phase of exploring every crevice in the building, you'll see and hear more music from him. Listening to the CDs and singing and dancing with him at home will bring out even more musical exploration.
What you are doing in class is absolutely great--sharing some musical activities with him in whatever area of the room he's in part of the time and modeling being part of the group some of the time (that's why I asked you over to pat hands with me and Leah today--often kids will suddenly tune into what their parents are doing when Mom or Dad start interacting with someone else).
Just to reinforce what I've said before, kids (and adults, for that matter) learn best when they're moving. This is supported by research using brain scans and comprehension testing and is why almost every song we do has some kind of movement to accompany it. And of course, some kids in some stages of their development move around more than others. For some children, it's enough to sit and bounce; some kids have to be on the go most of the day; some children go through a stage of go-go-go (especially just before and after learning to walk) and will slow down later. In Music Together, we accomodate all of these stages and styles by simply sharing a community musical experience with each other and allowing our children to view, hear, and participate on whatever level is comfortable and appropriate for them.
How can one tell when a wandering child is actually paying attention? First, know that your child always knows what YOU the parent are doing--he can easily distinguish your voice from the crowd and tell whether you're speaking or singing. Listen for your child's attempts at humming or singing a tone a few seconds after a song ends. Sometimes he'll watch you when he does this; often he'll just hum to himself or whatever toy he's manipulating. Watch for bouncing or repetitive movement--these are the first important attempts at dancing or moving to the beat. Listen for your child's vocalizations after a song to be on or near the last note (resting tone) of the song.
Children learn to make music from us (their parents) for the same reasons and in the same way that they learn from us (parents) how to speak their native language. They watch our mouths, they listen to our sounds, they experiment with their own mouths and sounds, and most importantly...they share in our enjoyment of the experience (which is their entire motivation for learning a skill in the first place!). And after months of exposure and experimentation through the many varied stages of development, the vast majority of children can learn to keep a steady beat and sing in tune, just as most learn to speak and walk. The amazing thing is that with a rich musical environment, most children can learn these skills by age 4 or 5.
I will try to continue to share with you when I hear or see [Thomas] trying out some musical behavior in class, because we don't always recognize musical behavior for what it is. And, I'll work to help you know how to support that musical behavior in class, and most importantly, at home!
Thanks again for your courage in bringing your child to class. I know it can feel like "parent spotlight" sometimes, but rest assured that the other parents in class are more concerned with the appropriateness of their own child's behavior than with judging other parents.
I'm looking forward to seeing you next week!
I just wrote a note to a mom who was discouraged after bringing her toddler son to their first Music Together class a couple of weeks ago. The little guy wandered all over the room and didn't appear to notice one bit of what we were doing. Towards the end of class, he was pulling on the door handle, apparently trying to leave! The mom e-mailed me afterwards, obviously embarassed by his behavior and saying maybe it would be best for them to wait and attend a later semester. Knowing that it usually takes new kids two or three classes to become familiar and comfortable with the class environment, I encouraged her to give it another try.
In his second class last week, our roving toddler continued to roam but started to approach the circle at times. Even when he was wandering in the far corners, he was often bouncing to the beat and seemed content, smiling and babbling. In his 3rd class, the balance of attention to class activities versus wandering tipped a little more towards attention. During his travels, he stopped to boogie now and then and allowed his ever-patient mom to touch him in rhythm to the music and sing to him, and he joined us in the circle when the instruments were out. We even heard his singing voice a couple of times as we sang bye bye to the instruments!
For experienced Music Together families, this is probably a familiar story, though it can take much longer than 3 classes for a child to work his or her way into circle participation for most of the class. Is all that wandering about (or sitting quietly and staring) wasted time? Certainly not! After I wrote the following note to the mom, I realized that this information might be helpful to many of you, so I filled it out a little bit and changed names. Please read on to help you get the most from your Music Together class!
I wish all of you a wonderful week!
Kari Richmond
Asheville Area Music Together
www.AshevilleAreaMT.com
828-545-0990
Dear [Patient Mom],
Thank you for trusting me and continuing to bring [Thomas] back to class! He has responded with a lot of musical behavior during class over the past couple of weeks, and as he gets more comfortable with the class routine and grows beyond the phase of exploring every crevice in the building, you'll see and hear more music from him. Listening to the CDs and singing and dancing with him at home will bring out even more musical exploration.
What you are doing in class is absolutely great--sharing some musical activities with him in whatever area of the room he's in part of the time and modeling being part of the group some of the time (that's why I asked you over to pat hands with me and Leah today--often kids will suddenly tune into what their parents are doing when Mom or Dad start interacting with someone else).
Just to reinforce what I've said before, kids (and adults, for that matter) learn best when they're moving. This is supported by research using brain scans and comprehension testing and is why almost every song we do has some kind of movement to accompany it. And of course, some kids in some stages of their development move around more than others. For some children, it's enough to sit and bounce; some kids have to be on the go most of the day; some children go through a stage of go-go-go (especially just before and after learning to walk) and will slow down later. In Music Together, we accomodate all of these stages and styles by simply sharing a community musical experience with each other and allowing our children to view, hear, and participate on whatever level is comfortable and appropriate for them.
How can one tell when a wandering child is actually paying attention? First, know that your child always knows what YOU the parent are doing--he can easily distinguish your voice from the crowd and tell whether you're speaking or singing. Listen for your child's attempts at humming or singing a tone a few seconds after a song ends. Sometimes he'll watch you when he does this; often he'll just hum to himself or whatever toy he's manipulating. Watch for bouncing or repetitive movement--these are the first important attempts at dancing or moving to the beat. Listen for your child's vocalizations after a song to be on or near the last note (resting tone) of the song.
Children learn to make music from us (their parents) for the same reasons and in the same way that they learn from us (parents) how to speak their native language. They watch our mouths, they listen to our sounds, they experiment with their own mouths and sounds, and most importantly...they share in our enjoyment of the experience (which is their entire motivation for learning a skill in the first place!). And after months of exposure and experimentation through the many varied stages of development, the vast majority of children can learn to keep a steady beat and sing in tune, just as most learn to speak and walk. The amazing thing is that with a rich musical environment, most children can learn these skills by age 4 or 5.
I will try to continue to share with you when I hear or see [Thomas] trying out some musical behavior in class, because we don't always recognize musical behavior for what it is. And, I'll work to help you know how to support that musical behavior in class, and most importantly, at home!
Thanks again for your courage in bringing your child to class. I know it can feel like "parent spotlight" sometimes, but rest assured that the other parents in class are more concerned with the appropriateness of their own child's behavior than with judging other parents.
I'm looking forward to seeing you next week!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Thanks for a Great Winter!
What a Winter this has been! All of the Teachers of Asheville Area Music Together are honored that you and your children have shared these past couple of months with us! It's been exciting to welcome aboard new teachers and offer classes to those of you in Weaverville and Black Mountain for the first time. The Monday classes are entering their ninth week, but thanks to the weird whims of the weather, some of the Thursday classes will just be having their seventh meeting this week! And, of course, it seems as if so many of us have been hit hard with illnesses in the past couple of months. I usually enjoy cold weather, but I'm awfully glad to see the daffodils popping up in my backyard this week. It's hard to believe, but it is already time to get ready for the Spring Session of Music Together! Please visit our website, www.AshevilleAreaMT.com for information about enrolling for the Spring Session.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Unstructured Play
A friend passed along an article that I found very interesting as a mom and a teacher.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514
I'd like to add to what is stated in the article that children who get lots of exposure to live music-making experiences with their parents (in class, at home, and/or community settings) often spend much of their self-directed free-play time singing or humming to themselves in addition to self-talk. Self-singing and self-talk do not necessarily need to be considered separately as two different skill sets. I think of them as two shades of one activity that complement and support each other.
I often hear my 2.5-year-old son singing to himself as he plays alone in his room. A current favorite is the ABC song. But, Isaac doesn't just sing it the same way every time. He used to, but sometimes now he'll substitute other words but sing the same melody. Sometimes he sings each letter with an extra made-up sound in front of it. The other day, my husband heard Isaac singing each letter, carefully alternating a loud one with a soft one. When he missed a change, he would back up and self-correct. We didn't teach him this stuff! We've played soft-loud singing games with him, and of course he's experienced contrasts in Music Together class, but he was the one who took it and applied to his own song and made it his own game. This kind of self-conducted musical play/work is not just going to make for a good singer or musician later on. I believe Isaac's little singing games help him develop his overall creativity, his ability to self-regulate, and will impact many aspects of academic learning later on.
In more concrete terms, think of a child who sings a lullaby to comfort her dolls. Is she not setting herself up for the later ability to comfort herself and others through song? How much better to be able to sing oneself to peace rather than relying on external stimuli!
Structured, parent-led or teacher-led activities are not necessarily "bad" for your preschooler, but there is no doubt that young children need lots of unstructured times to filter through those experiences and process them in the little private world of imagination and self-directed play. Although I'm constantly exhorting you to sing with your child at home, those quiet times when the stereo is turned off and the child plays, talks, and sings alone in a quiet room are very important too! Resist the urge to leap in and start singing. Just stand in the hallway and listen.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514
I'd like to add to what is stated in the article that children who get lots of exposure to live music-making experiences with their parents (in class, at home, and/or community settings) often spend much of their self-directed free-play time singing or humming to themselves in addition to self-talk. Self-singing and self-talk do not necessarily need to be considered separately as two different skill sets. I think of them as two shades of one activity that complement and support each other.
I often hear my 2.5-year-old son singing to himself as he plays alone in his room. A current favorite is the ABC song. But, Isaac doesn't just sing it the same way every time. He used to, but sometimes now he'll substitute other words but sing the same melody. Sometimes he sings each letter with an extra made-up sound in front of it. The other day, my husband heard Isaac singing each letter, carefully alternating a loud one with a soft one. When he missed a change, he would back up and self-correct. We didn't teach him this stuff! We've played soft-loud singing games with him, and of course he's experienced contrasts in Music Together class, but he was the one who took it and applied to his own song and made it his own game. This kind of self-conducted musical play/work is not just going to make for a good singer or musician later on. I believe Isaac's little singing games help him develop his overall creativity, his ability to self-regulate, and will impact many aspects of academic learning later on.
In more concrete terms, think of a child who sings a lullaby to comfort her dolls. Is she not setting herself up for the later ability to comfort herself and others through song? How much better to be able to sing oneself to peace rather than relying on external stimuli!
Structured, parent-led or teacher-led activities are not necessarily "bad" for your preschooler, but there is no doubt that young children need lots of unstructured times to filter through those experiences and process them in the little private world of imagination and self-directed play. Although I'm constantly exhorting you to sing with your child at home, those quiet times when the stereo is turned off and the child plays, talks, and sings alone in a quiet room are very important too! Resist the urge to leap in and start singing. Just stand in the hallway and listen.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
New York Phil plays Arirang
This week, the NY Philharmonic performed in North Korea, a historic feat of musical diplomacy aimed at improving ties between the USA and North Korea. As their encore piece, the NY Phil performed "Arirang," a flowing, peaceful, traditional Korean song that was in the Music Together Drum collection. Those of you who took classes with me last winter might remember it. The Symphony's performance brought tears to the eyes of audience members and musicians.
Music joins us, even binds us together, and the offering of a simple song is in itself no simple act. A great orchestra playing a simple folk song of the country hosting their concert is a symbolic act, representing friendship and human solidarity. It was a gift, a sort of musical hug. This event is a beautiful demonstration of the power of music and how it creates community - small, intimate community and a whole world community.
Take a moment and consider the hundreds of Spanish-speaking children who are singing "Don Alfredo Baila" with their families and schoolmates. And think of the thousands of families around the world who are singing "Pop Goes the Weasel," "Jack in the Box," and all of the other Sticks songs. What a beautiful sense of community we can tap into--to feel connected to nearly a hundred families in Buncombe County and many thousands of strangers around the world through simple joyful songs! Not long ago, another teacher shared that a stranger in an airport in Taiwan heard her humming Tingalayo (another traditional folk tune on the Tambourine collection) and started humming along. They had a friendly conversation about Music Together and went on about their day. Perhaps one day, that will be you or your child!
Here's a Wall Street Journal excerpt about the NY Philharmonic's concert in North Korea:
"As orchestra members finished the encore & stood to leave the stage, the crowd of 1,400 clapped more and more loudly, a few of them waved. The Phil's trombone and trumpet players did, too. With that spark, the North Koreans burst into cheering and waving, from the front rows to the top balcony. The ovation continued for another five minutes."
Other articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/world/asia/27symphony.html?ex=1361768400&en=e6f9c095cdc76a54&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23347082/
Music joins us, even binds us together, and the offering of a simple song is in itself no simple act. A great orchestra playing a simple folk song of the country hosting their concert is a symbolic act, representing friendship and human solidarity. It was a gift, a sort of musical hug. This event is a beautiful demonstration of the power of music and how it creates community - small, intimate community and a whole world community.
Take a moment and consider the hundreds of Spanish-speaking children who are singing "Don Alfredo Baila" with their families and schoolmates. And think of the thousands of families around the world who are singing "Pop Goes the Weasel," "Jack in the Box," and all of the other Sticks songs. What a beautiful sense of community we can tap into--to feel connected to nearly a hundred families in Buncombe County and many thousands of strangers around the world through simple joyful songs! Not long ago, another teacher shared that a stranger in an airport in Taiwan heard her humming Tingalayo (another traditional folk tune on the Tambourine collection) and started humming along. They had a friendly conversation about Music Together and went on about their day. Perhaps one day, that will be you or your child!
Here's a Wall Street Journal excerpt about the NY Philharmonic's concert in North Korea:
"As orchestra members finished the encore & stood to leave the stage, the crowd of 1,400 clapped more and more loudly, a few of them waved. The Phil's trombone and trumpet players did, too. With that spark, the North Koreans burst into cheering and waving, from the front rows to the top balcony. The ovation continued for another five minutes."
Other articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/world/asia/27symphony.html?ex=1361768400&en=e6f9c095cdc76a54&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23347082/
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Audiation
You may have heard me mention the word "audiation." Audiation is to music-making what thinking is to speaking. It's the brain function of processing music. We sometimes hear music in our heads when there is no music in our environment, and that is part of the process of audiation. Audiation is the foundation of all music-making. Without audiation, no further musical learning can occur. When a person can audiate a song correctly (with a consistent beat and in the same key throughout), that person can most likely sing the song correctly. As I'm always telling my school-age students, "If you can sing it, you can play it."
A process I often use with my piano students and my high school drummers is to have them sing the music that they are attempting to play. Very often, their mistakes (the consistent ones, not the fluke ones) happen as a result of the fact that they are audiating their music incorrectly. This becomes apparent when I ask them to sing their part, and they sing it incorrectly. If I can help them correct their audiation of the music by helping them SING it correctly, then they can usually pick up their sticks or place fingers to the keyboard and play their music correctly.
At birth, the vast majority of people have the potential to become musically competent: meaning to be able to sing in key and keep a steady beat. This potential only becomes reality if musical stimulation is present to encourage growth and development. Just as almost any person is born with the potential to learn to speak, we only learn language if we are exposed to it consistently and have many many opportunities to "practice." As with most of our basic skills, (speech, movement, etc) musical audiation is best developed at a very young age, when the brain is at its most receptive. After the age of 6 or 7, our brains become less malleable and potential abilities that aren't developed are sort of "pared away" in the interest of efficiency. That is part of the reason it's more difficult to learn music as an adult.
I have seen this many times in my older students: The ones who had a consistent environment of live music-making experiences as young children are usually able to sing in key and move to a steady beat. These students have a MUCH easier time learning to read music and play an instrument.
So, to get back to the Music Together context, how does one encourage a young child "practice" this important skill of audiation? For starters, the words "practice," "work," and "play" all mean the same thing when we're talking about young children. Their work IS their play. They'll work at anything that tickles their brain and that Mom and Dad do, especially if it's fun/silly. Every time we play with the resting tone at the end of a song (singing the resting tone in silly ways at the end of the Hello Song, drumming on the floor while singing the resting tone, throwing scarves and singing the resting tone when they hit the ground, hugging ourselves on the last note of the Goodbye Song, etc) we encourage our children to audiate that note.
One way we encouraged this with our little ones in class this past week was when we split into two groups and took turns singing the phrases in Nigun. When I told one group "Sing very loudly but only inside your head," and we did not sing out loud at the end of each musical phrase, we gave ourselves and our children the opportunity to audiate the music. Any time there's silence after a song (rare but beautiful!), our children (and probably many adults) are still hearing the echos of our last notes in their heads. Any time we pause before we sing the last phrase or note of a song (Think about the very end of the recording of Pop! Goes the Weasel.), we encourage audiation.
This is why it's important that we have silence or singing of the resting tone after each song, rather than talking. It aids their audiation process. Any time we start talking, we immediately take our kids right back into the language centers of their brains, and the musical audiation process is disrupted.
So, during the next few days, try singing Pop! Goes the Weasel or Driving in the Car or When the Saints Go Marching In to your toddler, and see if you leave off the last word or note--will your child fill it in? Give him or her 5 seconds--it sometimes takes the littles a long time to turn "intake" into "output." Allow some silence at the ends of songs, whether you're listening to the CD or singing yourself. Sing Blow the Wind Southerly or Hello to your infant as you change her diaper, and listen for several seconds after you sing the last note--does he coo back to you? If so, sing his pitch back to him, and have a little musical dialogue!
A process I often use with my piano students and my high school drummers is to have them sing the music that they are attempting to play. Very often, their mistakes (the consistent ones, not the fluke ones) happen as a result of the fact that they are audiating their music incorrectly. This becomes apparent when I ask them to sing their part, and they sing it incorrectly. If I can help them correct their audiation of the music by helping them SING it correctly, then they can usually pick up their sticks or place fingers to the keyboard and play their music correctly.
At birth, the vast majority of people have the potential to become musically competent: meaning to be able to sing in key and keep a steady beat. This potential only becomes reality if musical stimulation is present to encourage growth and development. Just as almost any person is born with the potential to learn to speak, we only learn language if we are exposed to it consistently and have many many opportunities to "practice." As with most of our basic skills, (speech, movement, etc) musical audiation is best developed at a very young age, when the brain is at its most receptive. After the age of 6 or 7, our brains become less malleable and potential abilities that aren't developed are sort of "pared away" in the interest of efficiency. That is part of the reason it's more difficult to learn music as an adult.
I have seen this many times in my older students: The ones who had a consistent environment of live music-making experiences as young children are usually able to sing in key and move to a steady beat. These students have a MUCH easier time learning to read music and play an instrument.
So, to get back to the Music Together context, how does one encourage a young child "practice" this important skill of audiation? For starters, the words "practice," "work," and "play" all mean the same thing when we're talking about young children. Their work IS their play. They'll work at anything that tickles their brain and that Mom and Dad do, especially if it's fun/silly. Every time we play with the resting tone at the end of a song (singing the resting tone in silly ways at the end of the Hello Song, drumming on the floor while singing the resting tone, throwing scarves and singing the resting tone when they hit the ground, hugging ourselves on the last note of the Goodbye Song, etc) we encourage our children to audiate that note.
One way we encouraged this with our little ones in class this past week was when we split into two groups and took turns singing the phrases in Nigun. When I told one group "Sing very loudly but only inside your head," and we did not sing out loud at the end of each musical phrase, we gave ourselves and our children the opportunity to audiate the music. Any time there's silence after a song (rare but beautiful!), our children (and probably many adults) are still hearing the echos of our last notes in their heads. Any time we pause before we sing the last phrase or note of a song (Think about the very end of the recording of Pop! Goes the Weasel.), we encourage audiation.
This is why it's important that we have silence or singing of the resting tone after each song, rather than talking. It aids their audiation process. Any time we start talking, we immediately take our kids right back into the language centers of their brains, and the musical audiation process is disrupted.
So, during the next few days, try singing Pop! Goes the Weasel or Driving in the Car or When the Saints Go Marching In to your toddler, and see if you leave off the last word or note--will your child fill it in? Give him or her 5 seconds--it sometimes takes the littles a long time to turn "intake" into "output." Allow some silence at the ends of songs, whether you're listening to the CD or singing yourself. Sing Blow the Wind Southerly or Hello to your infant as you change her diaper, and listen for several seconds after you sing the last note--does he coo back to you? If so, sing his pitch back to him, and have a little musical dialogue!
Musical Instruments and Props in class
I've been asked several times why we don't use instruments and props more often during Music Together class. By props, I mean scarves, balls, puppets, etc. Obviously, the children love these objects; the play-along song and its accompanying box of loud brightly colored instruments is many children's favorite part of class!
What is the purpose of the instruments and props in class? These things are simply a way of getting a child's attention, of stimulating interest, and suggesting different ways of exploring music...which may in turn inspire musical exploration at home. The instruments and props, however, are not intrinsic to making music, and are often even distraction. A person's first and most important instrument is her voice, followed closely by body parts. If you can't clap a steady beat with your hands, you certainly can't play a steady beat with a drum and a stick.
To use an analogy, when my son Isaac was learning to stand and walk, we had several toys in our home that were exciting, colorful, noisy and designed to inspire and "aid" standing and walking behavior. Isaac, now 2.5 years old, is a pro at walking (although he still tussles with the stairs from time to time). Did Isaac love those toys? Yes, indeed! Much to the dismay of my abused ears. Could he have learned to walk without those toys? Certainly! Did the inspirational toys speed up his development in that area? I doubt it, since he was 14 months old before he started walking on his own at all. In fact, a child's development can sometimes be delayed by an over-reliance on props such as walkers, etc, if they are over-used.
Musical props and "aids" are to musical development as standing-and-walking toys are to standing and walking skills. They are lots of fun, they're not harmful if they're not over-used, but they don't contribute much to musical development.
But, didn't those standing-and-walking toys motivate and inspire Isaac to stand up and walk? Yes, perhaps, but the toys were not nearly as influential as the fact that Isaac saw Mom and Dad standing up, walking around, getting their own food (There's the ticket!), and apparently having so much fun! Now--those of you who have been around for a couple of sessions know where I'm going with this (grin). A drum or pair of shaker eggs are really cool and fun for your child, and they may inspire him to experiment with music at home. But those instruments won't be nearly as influential to your child's inclination to engage in musical play (and therefore development) as YOUR actions in music class and especially in daily life between music classes. This is why we emphasize over and over again how important it is for you to sing and dance and have fun at it...and sometimes turn off the CD player when you do it. Be silly, and make the Music Together songs your own!
(On a side note, for absolutely amazing examples of how music can be made with ONLY a voice and body parts, check out Bobby McFerrin. If you can make it all the way to the end of "Don't Worry, Be Happy" on his myspace page, you can watch other videos. I highly recommend his concert solo near the left side of the choices. You can also hear samples from Bobby McFerrin's album "Spontaneous Inventions" at the itunes store.)
Left Brain/Right Brain and Touch and Movement
Often when we're singing but have no specific hand or body motion to go with our song, you'll hear me remind you to tap or stroke your child. It's hard to get around to explaining WHY during class!
Touch enhances the intake and processing of new information in HUGE ways! Not only does it cause an emotional response from the person being touched, usually increasing the sense of safety and bonding, touch awakens the nervous system and aids in neural development of young children whose neural pathways are still being built and strengthened.
A Music Together mom who is a psychotherapist shared her experiences related to this subject:
When working with seriously traumatized adults, the therapist first has the person rate their level of pain. Often, it's around 9 (with 10 being the highest level of pain). As the therapist and the patient talk about painful experiences, the therapist lightly taps the patient on alternating sides of the body (right arm-left arm or right knee-left knee, etc). As the session comes to a close, the patient often rates his or her pain level at 2 or 3 after the tapping. According to the therapist, the emotional side of the brain is blocked with the painful memory, while the logical left side of the brain understands that the painful experience is in the past and shouldn't affect the patient any longer. The two hemispheres of the brain are not communicating in agreement with each other. The therapist's tapping encourages communication and linking between the two sides of the brain.
Another reason to let babies mouth the instruments...
A fellow Music Together teacher in California sent the following post to our teacher listserve, and I thought I'd share:
"When babies are in the oral stage of development, they are also working on their fine motor skills. There are nerve endings in the tongue that connect to the same part of the brain that governs fine motor control. So, babies will be the most "mouthy" when they're working on their pincer grasp and other fine motor skills. It's important that they mouth things a lot during this period, so the proper neural pathways are laid down to support their fine motor skills.
That connection between our mouths and the fine motor skills always stays with us; that's why we stick our tongues out when trying to do some fine motor skill, even as adults - notice yourself the next time you use a screwdriver (or attempt a cool guitar solo)."
Triangles, Right Ear-Left Ear
During or after the Love Song of Kangding, I asked parents in my classes to move their triangles nearer to one of their children's ears and play gently for a few moments, and then to play nearer the other ear. The triangle sounds different to your child, depending which ear is closer to the sound. Our ears hear things differently, and this goes for any sound of any instrument or object or voice.
Of course, this is an activity that is much more effective when done at home rather than in class. Help your child explore sounds, and encourage the development of the neural pathways between the two sides of your child's brain by doing some ear-to-ear play at home. No matter what you think your own voice sounds like, the sound of your voice is your child's favorite sound in the world and the one that he or she is most intensely tuned into. So, try singing or chanting softly into one of your child's ears, and then sing the second verse into the other ear. Try the same activity with other sounds: if you have musical instruments, that's fine, but you can use any object that makes an interesting sound. Just take care not to play too loudly--test the sound on your own ears first.
High Frequency Sounds and Children
This link is to a wonderful article about how high frequency sounds impact children's development in positive ways--you may be surprised by some of the links between high frequencies and our brains and physical composition.
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