 There is no class next week for Thanksgiving Break. Next class is December 1. It is also a parent day! We are heading toward the end of the year, which means we will be finishing up Red Balloons and moving to our Blue Bugs Semester. I’m so excited to start Blue Bugs! The time has flown by and I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching your children! It is amazing to watch as they learn concepts and develop skills that seem simple and fun to them, but are quite complex in their musical meaning, we just haven’t labeled them yet. We call this subconscious learning. I hope you have enjoyed your ‘musical time’ (a.k.a. play practice & music exposure) working with your children and helping them on their journey to not only develop lifelong musical aptitude but cementing skills and concepts that will serve them the rest of their lives. Homework: p. 42–43 Students color each triangle to show what chord it is.  Who Took the Cookie? This may seem to be a simple child’s game, but there is wonderful rhythm component. When you talk during the chant the child is learning to keep a steady beat and verbally respond to and anticipate the rhythm. Chords in Pieces Our ears were in training during this activity. The students were learning to hear and identify a right or wrong chord. So essential to developing the musician inside. Puppet Show Today we did something a little different. We identified instrumentation by listening to the butterfly kissing the flower! When the students can hear different sounds and instruments within a piece it comes alive and they become sensitive listeners.  With Thanksgiving just around the corner, here is a fun video and some fun activities you and your child will love! Enjoy the following thoughts on why music is such a gift to your children. They are an insightful review of why music education is so important. For my convenience, I have preloaded content for the whole semester. I will update each future post with specific time-sensitive info before I send the link each week. If you choose to read ahead you might see details that don’t apply to your child’s class. For this reason I do not recommend reading ahead. Thank you!
Thank you for coming to class and being such great parents. I hope you are enjoying this musical journey. I surely am! Remember, when you come to class, the kids may act a little differently than when they come alone. Your child may sit and watch certain activities, instead of participating that day; or they may act worked-up and fidgety. Just remember these types of behaviors are normal and expected. As the teacher, I will always strive for and encourage active involvement but realize, at times, kids simply want to watch and then participate the next time. Everyone is progressing quite nicely. Even though some aren’t quite matching pitch yet, don’t be fooled. With consistent practice in class and home exposure, it will come! Homework: p. 40–41 Students make baby steps on the drawn bells by marking an X, then play the steps on their bells. We're starting to read from the staff — AMAZING! This week we played a ‘baby step’ on the bells. We’ve been playing with baby steps on the staff up to this point, but today we added what it sounds and looks like on the bells. What discoveries were happening. It was fun! Echo Ed Echo Ed gave everyone the chance to independently sing the solfege patterns. Man, these are some smart kiddos! It is so fun to see their ears developing and getting smarter. Solfege Patterns Today we sang a MI RE DO or SOL SOL DO on command! They were able to do it without any hints! They have these patterns down now which shows you are exposing them to the patterns at home with your music playtime. Nice job parents! DO is Home We practiced singing “Do is Home” with no sound cues. They’re really starting to get it! Pulling a middle C out of thin air is what we are training the ear to do. The experts say developing perfect pitch isn’t possible, but we’re going to prove them wrong with learning at least one note perfectly! Read this short blog article on Musical Superpower: Perfect Pitch Also, learn how babies develop perfect pitch! How to help your Child develop Perfect Pitch For my convenience, I have preloaded content for the whole semester. I will update each future post with specific time-sensitive info before I send the link each week. If you choose to read ahead you might see details that don’t apply to your child’s class. For this reason I do not recommend reading ahead. Thank you!
Parents come next week. Please remember that if you ever aren’t able to come to class to call or email to let me know so that everyone is accounted for. Thank you! I just can’t tell you how great your kids are. I know I keep bragging about them, but they have been so much fun and truly such wonderful students. In the Red Balloon Student Manual it states, “Young children will assimilate the concepts I introduce in class ONLY if they experience repetition and consistency at home during the week.” I can tell you parents are really trying to create consistency. Because of this, you will produce great musicians and fine children. Kudos to you! Homework: p. 38–39 Students draw notes on the staff to show baby steps (up or down — your choice). Five Fat Turkeys We introduced this song today. It helps us feel that steady beat and soon we’ll find the SOL SOL DO hiding in it. Baby Steps The line to a space, or space to a line pattern tells us that we’re moving on the staff in baby steps. Today was exciting because we actually notated a baby step on the staff. The kids are getting it! It’s so fun to watch their minds take it all in! Primary Chord Song Today we played the autoharp independently. They played the autoharp all on the their own today as we practiced the “Primary Chords Song”! So exciting! Have you wished that you could have your own staff board and magnetic notes at your house for your child to work with? Well guess what! You can!! Click the links to order the Student Magnet Board and 1st year Student Magnet Set. Today we notated baby steps on the staff. So for fun, we'd like to encourage you to get some playdough and have your child make 5 lines, 4 spaces and then some notes. You can use different colors or the same colors. It's up to you. Then put the notes on the lines or spaces and see if you can make some babysteps! Check out this video and see how this violin teacher helps her students with clay. For my convenience, I have preloaded content for the whole semester. I will update each future post with specific time-sensitive info before I send the link each week. If you choose to read ahead you might see details that don’t apply to your child’s class. For this reason I do not recommend reading ahead. Thank you!
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Clara McDonaldAs a music educator of 25 years, my passion is infusing others with music! Archives
May 2023
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