Below is a video that I incorporated into this week's lesson plan to help show the younger groups how music can be seen in visual form. "Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" is played on a pipe organ and is often heard around Halloween-time. While listening to it, I asked how it made the children feel and discussed how music can make us feel happy, sad, scared, excited or sleepy. We continued watching and listening to the video, noticing how the long and short notes were represented with long and short lines, and the high and low tones were shown traveling up and down. Give it a listen and get spooked out yourself. A core belief of the Kodaly philosophy, is to give children the opportunity to interact with "real" instruments. The first experience with a musical instrument should be of the best quality possible. Over the years, I have accumulated many of my instruments from yard sales and classified ads. I then bring them into the classroom where our students can get their hands on them, feel the vibrations , contrast/compare and actually play an authentic instrument. To see the looks on their faces when they get to interact with banjos, accordions, mandolins, and drums - confirms that this moment may influence a lifetime love of music.
The activity below is an example of a "call and response" poem that I used to help prepare the classrooms for their trip to the apple orchard. I am able to reinforce about any subject that the students are learning up in the classrooms. If some classes are studying the letter "M," I break out the mandolin, mallets and maracas and sing a song about the months of the year.
Jonny Appleseed
(echo each line and do hand motions) Dig a little hole You plant a little seed A little bit of sun A little bit of rain That’s all you need Small trees grow to tall trees With apples big and round Movement is integral to music here at GBS. During a typical 30 minute music session, we move at least a third of the time. We may listen to classical music and move musically with scarves, dance with partners, or create beat/rhythm pattern while standing with our groups.
Here's a recording of the Dragon's singing a hello/warm-up song called "Name, Name." With this song, I am laying the groundwork for the older groups to learn the basics of reading/writing music. An activity like this demonstrates the basic tenets of the Kodaly Concept of music education that I am certified in and primarily use here at Gillen Brewer. This simple little song simultaneously reinforces using a "head voice," pitch-matching, call and response singing, leader/follower, group awareness, etc. This is the melodic portion (high/low) of music appreciation that I will lead them through. Eventually, we will clap the rhythms (long/short) of the names and notate them on the smart board. After that, we can see then see the rhythms and the melodies of our names joined together on a musical staff to see the way songs we hear and sing - can be seen in written musical form.
I spontaneously recorded this song because the Puffins started singing it today when I started humming the melody. Their "musical brain" kicked in and they started singing the lyrics in earnest. It is a good example of how a song can be taught to a group so that they can eventually sing it by themselves and "own" it. For example, I will typically sing a song and repeat it at least once a week for 3 or 4 weeks. Each time, I may support it with a visual such as sign language or lyrics on the smart board. On the third or forth time, I may simply start humming the melody, or showing the sign language with my hands. At the moment I stop singing or leading the song, it allows the students the opportunity to take over and fill the gap on their own and stop being dependent on me to carry the song. It shows the value of repetition and offering multi-sensory supports to our students that learn in various ways.
By the way, this is one example of a "music therapy" song that I learned while working with a former colleague. She is now a senior music therapist at the Nordoff Robbins Music Clinic here in NYC. Sang a couple of songs about Autumn and October with my old autoharp and my newly acquired accordion.
Putting up this song quickly this morning as I have been hearing from parents that are wondering what their child is singing. "Lego's? Aching?" Aiken Drum is an old Scottish folk song that has a number of versions and variants. I sing a version where we use a visual with Velcro strips on a head/face and we put on different pictures of food in place of eyes, ears, mouth, etc. and end up with a silly looking man called "Aiken Drum." We also tap the beat of the song while holding an actual soup ladle I borrow from the staff lounge. Here is a picture and the lyrics for now while I try and get a good recording of the song and post it as soon as possible. Until then, your child may be able to sing it to you. AIKEN DRUM (chorus) There was a man who lived in the moon. In the moon. In the moon. There was a man who lived in the moon. And his name was Aiken Drum. Chorus He played upon a ladle. A ladle. A ladle. He played upon a ladle. And his name was Aiken Drum. His hair was made of spaghetti. Spaghetti. Spaghetti. His hair was made of spaghetti. And his name was Aiken Drum. Chorus His eyes were made of fried eggs. Fried eggs. Fried eggs. His eyes were made of fried eggs. And his name was Aiken Drum. Chorus His ears were made from tacos. tacos. tacos. His ears were made from tacos. And his name was Aiken Drum. Chorus His nose was made with broccoli. broccoli. broccoli. His nose was made from carrots. And his name was Akin Drum. Chorus His mouth was made from melon. melon. melon. His mouth was made from melon. And his name was Aiken Drum. Chorus
"Zoom, Zoom, Zoom" is an example of one of the "busy hands" activities that I often do with groups that are ready for a step up from fingerplays, such as the Ladybugs and Puffins. Again, musicality is supported by saying the rhyme to a consistent beat while showing the hand movements. We actually stay seated until the countdown. We then "blastoff" from our chairs and fly like a rocketship around the room one time while making a "SSSSHHHHing" sound with our breath, then returning to our "launching pad" chairs. Here, we are supporting the school-wide concepts of moving around the room in a safe manner and respecting each other by returning to our same seats. The activity is quick and can be repeated 2 or 3 times using different voices (high/low) or different tempo (fast/slow) to begin to introduce the musical concepts of tone, melody and tempo. Plus, we are reinforcing classroom concepts of rhyming and numbers while simultaneously supporting Occupational Therapy gross motor work, not to mention the deep breathing by "sssshhhhing" around the room. Man, we work hard in the music room.
|
Archives
September 2018
|