I have been having a great time singing and dancing in Music Together class with you the past couple of weeks, and I hope you and your children are enjoying the fun in class AND taking it home with you! Since there's little talk-time in class, I wanted to take a few minutes to follow up with you on some of the learning opportunities that have occurred which you may not have noticed. A little knowledge can help you make optimal use of new opportunities that will be presented in upcoming classes, as well as to support musical learning at home!
First, I want to thank all of you who participated in making up new veggies for John the Rabbit to eat in class a couple of weeks ago! I did not create that solo-singing activity to embarass you parents, but to give your children the opportunity to hear you pipe up in your singing voice within our little musical classroom community. What an awesome demonstration to your child that ANYONE has the right to have his musical voice heard in the group, regardless of "ability."
We had lots of fun with Rig-a-Jig-Jig this week, pretty much following the large movement activities as they are on the recording. Next week, we'll have fun making up our own movements! Watch your children for ideas. The awesome thing about Rig-a-Jig-Jig and Clap Your Hands is that they are absolutely open for movement substitutions. This can be extremely helpful for those transition activities at home! If you dread the big "NO!!" or tantrum that comes when you say "time to clean up your blocks," try singing it to one of the above tunes. Try, "As I was picking up my blocks..." and you can sometimes even get your child singing if you substitute silly sounds for the rig-a-jig part, like "ploppity plop, away they go..." And you may find that you BOTH have more fun cleaning up.
Playin' in the Kitchen Well, this one's obvious. Who needs a drum?! Get out a bowl, pan, wooden spoons, measuring cups, etc, and have a jam session while you cook breakfast! Babies love the sounds and tastes, and bigger kids love the silliness!
She Sells Seashells Have you noticed that the little hand movements we do in class involve crossing the body's midline? Processing music and midline-crossing activities like our hand movements BOTH support neural development of the corpus callosum, the structure in our brains that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres. According to researcher Daniel Levitin, in his book This is Your Brain on Music, the front portion of the corpus callosum is significantly larger in musicians than non-musicians.
One mom complained about those high notes this week! Last time I taught this song, it was ME complaining! Now, after singing with my son for several years, I understand that those high notes are there for the kids. But, nobody will know if you sing it lower at home! : )
