Increasing the Music in your Early Childhood Classroom Music Play and Live Musicing with the Children in your Classroom What you will learn today What instruments are good for classroom play How to set up a music exploration station in your classroom How to encourage music play with the children in your class How to add music to your normal activities Be comfortable leading music play, despite your level of musical competence How to encourage song writing in early childhood and to write songs yourself When young children have a rich musical environment along with appropriate guidance from adults, they can learn, for example, to imitate and, with increasing precision, distinguish among rhythm and tone patterns. Photo by: Accalia Shroads Photography Non-Music Teachers, Teaching MUSIC? Why does teaching music not get deeper attention in Early Childhood? Teachers may not understand the full value and potential for providing children's musical development. May not understand how music can enhance learning in other academic areas. They may think that musical development is only necessary for those children who show talent in music. They may be intimidated by music in general not comfortable with their knowledge or lack of expertise as the are not trained music teachers. 1
Simple Music Goals for Non-Music Teachers Encourage tuneful singing Show students how to move expressively and rhythmically Actively play and use classroom instruments Create music with the children Teach value of music in every day life Listen appreciatively to children expressing themselves with music Find alternate ways to express musical desires that may feel negative for a child. You do not want to stomp out musical creativity. Develop age appropriate musical concepts Creating a Music Play Station Instruments What do you have? What can you make? What should you buy? Organization of Instruments Pithed instruments vs. rhythmic instruments Recorded music What do you have? How do you use it? How should it be set up? Space How much space do you have to create this station? Materials What extra items may be helpful to have in the music station? Experiences for your Classroom Music Station Examples of how to use a variety of instruments to encourage music play with your preschool or young children. Bells (pt 1) Pitched bells WestMusic.com - $30.05 8 note Basic Beat Resonator Bells with case Two sets recommended Setup Remove F and B for Pentatonic Scale (provides best sound with no effort) Parallel play children play side by side and create music that sounds good Teacher Role: Encouragement Can you find the same sound bells? What do you notice about the same sounding bells? Divider Can you find the same sound bells without seeing the other child? 2
Bells (pt 2) Basic Beat Resonator Chime Bars $99.95 WestMusic.com Variety of bells different shapes and sizes Jingle bells Tone chimes Hanging chimes Handbells Teacher Role: Encourage children to shake, ring and experiment with the bells Extend play asking them to compare and contrast the bells Which sound like doorbells? Like wind chimes? Like church bells? Like christmas bells? Document on drawing paper Tambourines One large tambourine, a variety of smaller children s tambourines. WestMusic.com $4.95 small $23.90 Remo radiant single row 8in Tambourines Teacher Role: Use a tambourine to gather attention in the classroom or re-gain attention. Encourage supporting movement to play style: Tap or hit (rhythmic movement) Shake (fluid movement) 3
Miscellaneous Instruments A variety of instruments safe for children. WestMusic.com Basic Beat Music Therapy Starter Pack Early Childhood $191.60 Setup: Baskets of similar instruments Teacher Role: Introduce the instruments to the children one at a time, showing appropriate ways to play and how to be respectful of the instruments Encouraging the children to explore sound, cause and effect, sharing and rhythm Miscellaneous Instruments Have the children document what instruments they play or how many of a certain instrument are in the class to play. Create a graph for children to circle what they played, graph the sound of each instrument by coloring, or rank their favorites. Echo-phones or Pipe-phones Echo-phones: Dollar Store or online $1-5 Pipe-phones: Create your own from PVC pipe at local hardware Recorded Music: Play simple children s songs for them to practice and learn to. The pipe or echo phone will isolate the child s voice, allowing them to simultaneously hear their voice and the music clearly. Teacher role: Encourage them to make their voice sound like the music (match pitch) or to put their hand on their throat to feel the vocal vibration. Dancing/Movement to Music Mirrors on the wall (full length) Recorded Music wide variety of music on a loop to encourage movement classical waltzes, contemporary, traditional folk dance, riverdance, ballet, tango styles, etc. Props for dancing: scarves, ribbons, etc Teacher role: Play along Model movements and describe actions Show dancing video clips for children to mimic 4
Encouraging Song Writing Encourage song writing copying notes (circles and lines) Encouraging Song Writing Have worksheets for children to document what they hear as they explore. Encouraging Song Writing Have children illustrate the order of colors they are playing on tone bells or xylophone. Bonus write the letters too. Musical Theater Transform your dress up/dramatic play area into a stage Create an audience seating area A microphone (echo-phone) and/or microphone on a stand Children s guitar/ukulele Teacher role: Encourage the children to act out performances Watch video clips from performances Raffi on Broadway, Annie, etc 5
Infancy and early childhood are prime times to capitalize on children s innate musical spontaneity, and to encourage their natural inclinations to sing, move, and play with sound. Add Music to Reading Books: Green Eggs and Ham Dr. Suess Instruments: Green egg shakers and sticks/utensils I Know a Wee Piggy Kim Norman Instruments: Colored items for the colors in the books Five Little Ducks Child s Play Bird sounds/duck sounds Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Bill Martin and John Archambault Sticks or shakers to keep rhythm Ten on the Sled Kim Norman Counting down children or the stuffed animals in the story Five Little Speckled Frogs Frog instrument sounds Hand Hand Fingers Thumb Al Perkins Instruments: Drum(s) and hands Add Music to Art Projects Paint/crayons/etc with paper Recorded Music: Chosen by the teacher to teach whichever concept is being worked on Teacher Role: To facilitate painting or coloring to a variety of musical styles (music listening) Most important: There is NO WRONG OR RIGHT WAY TO DO THIS. Children hear or feel music differently, always encourage what they create. Free style painting/coloring Match colors to musical emotions or have children choose a color to express a song feeling Add Music to Art Projects Paint with sound Creativity of ideas how to pair sound with art Roll jingle bells through paint Cover a drum/tambourine with paper and draw on the instrument (washable crayons) MESSY: Cover larger drum with paint paper encourage finger painting on the drum. Be prepared for the children to hit the drum and make hand prints or to watch the paint jump on the drum. 6
Sensory Table for Instrument Making and Exploring Sound Many classes have a sensory table. How can you make it so they create instruments? Containers that close recycled water bottles cans with small openings that can be covered with tape Old film containers/tupperware Small items to explore sounds Rice Rocks Beads Soft craft items Sensory Table for Instrument Making and Exploring Sound Sound and Instrument Making sensory exploration. Sensory Table for Instrument Making and Exploring Sound Sound and Instrument Making sensory exploration. Water Play with Music Glass jars/cups (identical) Water Small mallets or spoons Teacher role: Show the children that the sound changes if the jars have different amounts of water in them or that the sound is the same with the same amount of water in them. Allow the children to compose by moving the jars into a different order. Have the children draw a picture of their compositions by showing how much water is in each jar 7
Other Ideas or Suggestions? Children learn through play. Music and Instruments use in early childhood is EXACTLY that! Anything that YOU do in your classroom with music that we did not cover today? Other brainstorm ideas? Explore!! Music aptitude plateaus at age 9 Thank You!! Jaime Lawrence, MT-BC Harmony Garden Music Therapy Services 1001 Laurence Ave, Jackson MI 517-416-1088 Web: hgmusictherapy.com Instagram/Twitter: HGMusicTherapy 8