TEACHING MUSIC TO WIGGLY KIDS Sharon Burch Elementary Music Education Sharon@FreddieTheFrogBooks.com FaceBook: Sharon Burch Twitter: SharonBurch School Author Visits http://www.sharonburch.com Freddie the Frog ipad App (Education Volume Discount available.) For Kids, Parents, and Teachers http://www.freddiethefrog.com For Teachers http://www.teachingwithfreddiethefrog.com
WHY MUSIC? Auralacy, Oralacy, and Literature Reading fluency: Beat, rhythm, melodic inflection Math Skills: Beat, rhythm, patterns, form Physical movement: beat, rhythm Retention: learning through music enhances the learning Autism and special needs: learning through music aids engages students Other benefits only available through the practice of making music ESTABLISHING MUSIC TIME THE MUSIC PUPPET: FREDDIE THE FROG Greet FREDDIE THE FROG Hello, Freddie (Sung to the tune of Where is Thumbkin? ) Hello, Freddie. Hello, Freddie. Who are you? Who are you? We are the kindergarten. We are the kindergarten. How are you? (This later becomes Freddie s solo line which is silent with his mouth moving.) We are fine. THE TOP BY BIZET AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA At the bottom of the sea All the fish are swimming. Here and there and everywhere, Oh,,, we love you. SCRAMBLE GAME MIRROR GAME 2
10 BASIC ELEMENTS OF MUSIC 1. Beat (steady pulse, such as a bass drum) a. 88 bpm (beats per minute) is optimum b. Establishment and practice of beat helps reading fluency. c. Beat activities. i. Use two fingers instead of clapping. ii. Classroom rhythm instruments. iii. Move feet to the beat: locomotor vs. non-locomotor. I. Example: I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! Karen Beaumont 2005 isbn=0152024883 2. Rhythm a. Rhythm patterns help reading decoding and fluency. b. Left to right reading skills. c. Core Math skills, such as patterns, addition, grouping, etc. d. Hand clapping Miss Mary Mack Example: Miss Mary Mack by Nadine Bernard Westcott (Scholastic) 3. Meter (march/duple or swing/triple) a. March (duple): Move to the marching beat. Ideal tempo for young children. b. Waltz (swing): Sway, swing, dance. c. Aids reading fluency. Swing Example: Africa Calling by Danny Adlerman and Kim Adlerman (The Kids at Our House) March Example: Skip to My Lou by Nadine Bernard Westcott (Scholastic) 4. Singing Voice (intrinsic gift in human species) a. Sing in a child s range. Middle C to A on a piano. (Don t sing too low.) b. Echo sing (avoid singing simultaneously with the children) c. Child s voice as the model d. Fluency, retention of concepts. Example: Over in the Garden by Jennifer Ward, Kenneth Spengler isbn=0873587936 3
5. Melody (tune of a song or piece of music; pitches moving up or down or staying the same) a. Singing range of children: Middle C to A on a piano. (Don t sing too low.) b. Natural minor third interval. Simple hand signs as a visual. c. Brown Bear d. Miss Mary Mack Example: Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? Bill Martin, Jr., Eric Carle 2011 isbn=0805092919 Example with music map/muli-cultural, Korean: Moon Hyun Kyung Youm - isbn=8992388225 6. Harmony (combination of notes played together) a. Sing rounds/canons: Row, row, row your boat. b. Simple ostinato: repeating accompaniment pattern. c. Complex thinking and audiation. Example: Miss Mary Mack by Nadine Bernard Westcott (Scholastic) 7. Tempo (degrees of slow and fast) a. Literature connection b. Movement c. Fluency Example: Freddie the Frog and the Mysterious Wahooooo by Sharon Burch/Tiffany Harris 8. Dynamics (degrees of soft and loud; volume level) a. Literature connection b. Movement c. Fluency d. Art connection Example: Dooby, Dooby, Moo by Doreen Cronin, Betsy Lewin (illustrator) 9. Music Notation Reading/Writing (at all levels, including Pre-K/K) a. Freddie the Frog books (more in following sessions) b. Melodic lines c. Rhythmic pre-reading: sticks Example: Freddie the Frog book series by Sharon Burch, illustrated by Tiffany Harris 4
10. Timbre (unique sound of an instrument, including each human voice) a. Identifying the unique sounds that create music in our environment. b. Jazz story: beep, beep, honk, honk c. Musical instrument families (kinesthetic) a. Woodwind family (clarinet, saxophone, etc.) b. Brass family (trumpet, trombone, tuba, etc.) c. String family (violin, viola, bass, harp, piano, etc.) d. Percussion family (drums, xylphones, etc.) Example: Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! by Wynton Marsalis/Paul Rogers Example: Freddie the Frog and the Flying Jazz Kitten by Sharon Burch/Tiffany Harris GREAT collection of childrens books that incorporate music at West Music.com CAPTIVATING STUDENTS AT EVERY LEVEL Pre-school 1 st Grade Puppets! Stories and make-believe: Freddie the Frog stories, Koomzaal Multi-cultural Storybooks with CD Silly voices Short, hands-on activities: Musicmaps, stick rhythm patterns Silly songs Singing games: Closet Key, Lucy Locket Simple folk dancing: Bobolinka Acting out stories: Hansel and Gretel (opera), Dooby, Dooby, Moo, The Muffin Shop, Peter and the Wolf Classroom instruments Movement DOWN IN THE VALLEY from Down in the Valley CD (New England Dancing Masters Productions, 2000) 5
BOBOLINKA from Down in the Valley CD (New England Dancing Masters Productions, 2000) GREAT first folk dancing experience! FREDDIE S MYSTERY SONG 2 Solve the Mystery? Play the Game (Closet Key) d d m m d d m d d m m r m I have lost my closet key in my lady s garden. d d m m d d m d d m m r d I have lost my closet key in my lady s garden. Easily change lyrics for holidays, such as, I have lost my jingle bells in my Santa s workshop, or I have lost my lucky charm in my music classroom. APPLE TREE GAME FOLK SONG S s m s s m s s l l s s m Ap-ple tree. Ap-ple tree. Will your ap-ple fall on me? I won t cry. I won t pout. If your apple knocks me out. GREAT RESOURCES Order from Chaos by John Jacobson & Cristi Cary Miller (Hal Leonard Publishing) 6