February News for Little Musicians: German Composers and Videos to Help with Practice

Little Musicians Families,

Can you believe it is already February!  It seems we just got back from Christmas vacation. 


Germany

This month we have been working on our Germany theme by learning a lot of songs in German and from Germany and learning about German composers.

We have listened and:

played "air" pianos to Bach's Toccata in D minor  (My little girls just heard this song on a radio commercial and from the back seat announced that this was Bach's Toccata in D minor! Yes, they were listening!)

danced with ribbons to Handel's Minuet from Water Music

identified the cuckoo's in Leopold Mozart's Toy Symphony

identified the piano's and forte's in Haydn's Surprise Symphony that made many of them jump at the surprise!

and Wolfgang Mozart's Twinkle Variations.

We have also been learning songs on the Boomwhackers:  Listen for Bells, The Cuckoo Song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.  We play the Boomwhackers individually as well as group songs.  This is great practice in learning to play in a community of musicians.  It is also a great first step before playing these songs on the piano.

Videos and Practice Help
Have you checked out our blog yet?  Strings, Keys and Melodies

Here you can watch videos to help with piano practice, piano positions, and voice warm-ups.  Find music suggestions for calming or energizing your child. Read about the Benefits of Music. 

Have fun and Drum at home with Ms. Tonya!

Be sure to let me know if you enjoy the videos and articles by leaving me a comment or sending me an email!  I want to know what is helpful to you!







--

Ms.Tonya
tonya@elkgrovemusiclessons.com
812-2875
www.stringskeysandmelodies.blogspot.com

Little Musicians are Going Around the World!

Starting in September, our Little Musician classes will be going Around the World!  The goal of each thematic unit is to study a people through its music, songs, dances, stories and celebrations.

 

 

September and October- Classes will focus on the music of the British Isles: England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.  Music will include London Bridge, Oranges and Lemons, My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, Cockles and Mussels and The Ash Grove, plus many others.  We will listen to samples of Bagpipes and the Irish Harp and even dance the Blarney Boys Jig! 

 

Bring the theme home with you!  Make this Irish Soda Bread with your children!

 

Irish Soda Bread

(Bake in 8" round buttered cake pan)

• Sift together the following dry ingredients in a large bowl:

     2 cups sifted all purpose flour

     1 1/2 tsp baking powder

     1/2 tsp baking soda

     1/2 tsp salt

     1 TBSP sugar

• Cut 1/4 cup chilled butter or shortening into the flour mixture until crumbly.
• Stir in 1/2 - 1 cup raisins/currants
• Mix 1 beaten egg with 2/3 cup buttermilk.
• Add to the dry ingredients, stirring well.
• Knead briefly and place in pan, pressing dough down to fill it.
• Cut a bold cross 1/2" deep over the top and sides.  Brush with milk.

Bake 35-40 minutes at 375 F.

Cut into wedges to serve with butter or preserves.

 

 

Look forward to the other themes this year:

November/December - Native Americans

January/February - Germany

March/April - African-American Heritage

 

 

Looking forward to seeing you all this Saturday at our first Family Music Night!  Saturday, September 3, 5:45-7pm.  Cost is a canned donation for our local food bank! 

 

Your children are a joy to teach!  It is wonderful to see a love a music grow and grow in each child!  I am looking forward to a really fun and learning filled year!

 

Feel free to contact me any time you have a question or concern.

 

Sincerely,

 

Ms.Tonya

tonya@elkgrovemusiclessons.com

812-2875

Little Musicians! We make Music for Life.

Music for Ages 2 to 6 year olds

The preschool music classes are designed to help your children become well-rounded music makers!

Activities include:

• recognizing and reading rhythms and patterns
• listening and singing major and minor tones
• learning call and response songs and fingerplays
• playing instruments
• guided listening
• and using the body to interpret music.

Call for the schedule of class at NewSongs!
weekly classes:  $75 per month per child

Ms. Tonya will come to your school!
weekly classes:
$240 per month per classroom

2 classes per month:
$120 per month per classroom

Christmas Recital - 2pm December 11

We had over 100 students perform in 3 Christmas recitals on December 11.  They all did a fantastic job!

Here are some pictures from the 2pm recital that featured Little Musicians, pianists, vocalists and violinists.

Enjoying Music with Your Preschooler

(Ages Two to Five)

• Provide all kinds of rhythm instruments for your child to experiment with.
• Purchase age-appropriate CD players and teach your child how to use them.  Let her start her own music collection.
• Give children scarves, feathers, or ribbons and turn on classical music and let them dance, sing and improvise to the music.
• Play clapping games to see if they can match a variety of simple and complex rhtyhms.
• Read to and help your child memorize all kinds of poems and Mother Goose rhymes that have a strong musical rhythm.
• Read stories about great composers, instruments of the orchestra, and general music books.
• Play marches in the morning as your child is getting ready for the day.  She will enjoy marching to the bath, to dress or to eat.  The strong rhythmic beat will help her accomplish these tasks with ease as well as keep her focused on the task at hand.
• Play music for your child throughout the day.
• Play classical music while your child is going to sleep at night and when she is getting up in the morning.
• Enroll your child in group music classes.

Enjoying Music with your Baby

(Birth to Age Two)

Music education doesn't just begin at birth.  It begins during the nine months of gestation!  Hearing is the first fully developed sense of a baby, being developed while in the womb.  The unborn baby can hear voices, especially mom's and music.

It is important to introduce newborns to music as well.  Here are some suggestions for getting music into the newborn baby's day.

• Sing or play songs to your newborn as often as possible throughout the day, especially while you are bathing, dressing, and feeding him.
• At night, play soothing classical music or vocal lullabies as he falls asleep.
• Play musical games and fingerplays.  Clap the beat as you sing and take his hands and clap the beats along with him.
• Purchase age-appropraite musical toys and rhythm instruments.  Xylophones, bells and rattles are wonderful beginning instruments.
• As you sing to your child, vary the tempo, the softness, and the loudness.  Make your voice go up and down from low sounds to high sounds.
• Expose him to age-appropriate musical experiences and classes offered in the community.

Write a Song with Your Child!

Our names represent us!  Children love to hear their names in a song.  This activity will help instill a positive self-worth as well as show your child how much you love her!

Write your own song to sing with your child using her name as the basis.  It is easier than you think!

• Start with a popular tune such as Jingle Bells, BINGO, Mary Had a Little Lamb etc.
• Find some words that rhyme with her name
• Find some words that describe who she is or what she likes to do
• Fit the words in with the tune

Here is a song I wrote with my daughter Angel.  Sing it to the tune of Jingle Bells.

Angel Joy, Angel Joy

She likes dolls and toys

She's so good at drawing and art

She reads with all her heart!

Angel Joy, Angel Joy

She loves to play outside

She has lots of sisters

And she's always by their side!

Angel was delighted to do this project with me.  She was smiling the whole time and felt really important singing our finished product to daddy.

It is important to allow your child to help you as much as possible!  Write the song together.  Then sing it all the time.  You could incorporate musical instruments to make it more lively!  But most importantly, Have Fun!

Little Musicians Song: The Farmers' Fair

The Farmers' Fair is a singing and dancing song.  Invite everyone to choose a partner.  Stand facing each other, holding both hands.  During the verses swing arms back and forth to the beat of the song.  On the chorus, "Ru-di-ru-di..." dance and skip in a circle.  Children love dancing with a partner because it makes music a community project and children love being in community!

The Farmers' Fair 
German Folksong:  Bi de Buern, Lubeck

Verse 1:
We're invited, dear children, all to come to the fair.
There is dancing and singing, all your friends will be there.

Chorus:
Ru-di-ru-di ral-la-la,ral-la-la, ral-la-la,
Ru-di-ru-di ral-la-la, ral-la-la-la.

Verse 2:
Happy laughter and music and an oom-pah-pah band,
We are sending a message all over this land.

Chorus

Verse 3:
Oh the sun it is shining and the fair is such fun,
And we won't want to leave it 'til the day is all done.

Chorus

Triple Rhythm Patterns

Here is another set of patterns to do with your children.  Say the pattern one line at a time and have your child echo you.

Set 1
Du-da-di du,

Du-da-di du-da-di,
Du-di du-di.

Du  du.


Set 2
Du-ta-da-di du.

Du-ta-da-di di-ta-da-di.

Du-di-tadu-di.

Du-ta-da-ta-di-ta du.


Set 3
Du-da-di du  du-da-di du-da-di.

Du-da-di du-da-du du-da-di du.

Du-di du  -  di  du-da-du du.

Du-di du   du-da-di du.


Set 4
Du-da-di  du  du-ta-da-di  du.

Du-ta-da-  di  du-ta-da di  du-da-du  du.

Du  di-ta du  - di-ta du -di du.

Du-di  du - di  du-ta-da-ta-di-ta  du.

Drama Game for All Ages! Duck, Duck, Animal

This is a fun drama game for all ages!

It teaches improvisation, acting and bit of directing too!

Duck, Duck, Animal

This game is similar to the popular Duck, Duck Goose and begins the same way with the children sitting in a circle and one person who is "It".  This child walks around the circle and taps on each head saying "Duck, Duck...and then calls a different animal such as Elephant.  The chosen child pretends to be the third animal.  Then it is that child's turn to walk around and will say a different animal for the next child to act as.  This continues around the circle until everyone has had a turn to act and direct.

Duple Rhythm Patterns

These Rhythm patterns go well with the article Mr. Michael posted yesterday.  These are duple patterns and I will be posting triple patterns soon.  Practice these patterns by saying them one line at a time and having your child repeat after you.

This exercise helps children learn to listen, as well as learn patterns with different counts and rhythms.

Set 1
Du du. 
      
      
Du-de du-de.
          
      
Du du-de
    
          
Du-de du.

Set 2
Du-ta-de-ta du.

Du-ta-de-ta  du de.

Du du-ta-de-ta.

Du-ta-de du.

Set 3
Du du du-de du.

Du-de du-de du-de du.

Du du-de du du-de.

Du du-de du-de du.

Set 4
Du du du-ta-de-ta du.

Du du du-ta-de-ta du-de.

Du du-ta-de-ta du du-de.

Du-ta-de-ta du-ta-de-ta du-de du.

My Little Rooster and Go Round the Mountain- Two Fun Little Musicians Songs

Here are the words to two songs that the Little Musicians class has been singing.

Now you can sing them at home too!

These songs are easy to sing, teach body awareness and improvisation.

My Little Rooster

Now I love my little rooster and my rooster loves me,
I'm gonna cherish that rooster 'neath the green bay tree;
My little rooster goes cock-a-doodle-doo, doodle-doo, doodle-doo.

And I love my little hen and my little hen loves me,
I'm gonna cherish that hen 'neath the green bay tree,
My little hen goes "cluck, cluck,"
My little rooster goes "cock-a-doodle-doo, doodle-doo, doodle-doo."

And I love my little piggy and my piggy loves me, etc.
My little pig goes "oink, oink,"
My little hen goes "cluck, cluck,"
My little rooster goes "cock-a-doodle-doo, doodle-doo, doodle-doo."

And I love my little duck and my duckling loves me, etc.
My little duck goes "quack, quack," (add pig,  hen, rooster)

And I love my little dog, and my doggie loves me, etc.
My little dog goes "bow, wow," (add duck, pig, hen, rooster)



Go 'Round the Mountain

Go 'round the mountain;
To-di-diddle-dum, to-di-diddle-dum.
Go 'round the mountain;
To-di-diddle-dum, to-di-diddle-dum dum.

Show me your fingers;   (wiggle your fingers)
To-di-diddle-dum, to-di-diddle-dum.
Show me your fingers;
To-di-diddle-dum, to-di-diddle-dum dum.

Show me your elbow;   (tap your elbow)
To-di-diddle-dum, to-di-diddle-dum.
Show me your elbow;
To-di-diddle-dum, to-di-diddle-dum dum.

Show me your hips;    (swish your hips)
To-di-diddle-dum, to-di-diddle-dum.
Show me your hips;
To-di-diddle-dum, to-di-diddle-dum dum.

Show me your feet;    (tap your foot)
To-di-diddle-dum, to-di-diddle-dum.
Show me your feet;
To-di-diddle-dum, to-di-diddle,dum dum.

Ask your children to suggest other body parts.  Continue the activity by making up further verses.

Sing these songs with your children!  You will have fun together as well as practicing music.

Mystery Cards at NewSongs and at Home!

For the past few months, the teachers at NewSongs have been using a motivation game called Mystery Cards to motivate the students to do their best.  And it works!

At the start of the class the student picks a card but only the teacher can see what the card says.  The student doesn't know what is on the card and must work hard to not break any "rules".  At the end of the lesson the teacher and student look at the card and decide if the student followed the "rule" and therefore earned a ticket.  When the student earns 5 or more tickets he gets to "buy" a prize from the prize box. 

The Little Musicians mystery cards are as follows:

• I played all the games
• I used good piano posture for the entire lesson
• I listened well without doodling on the piano
• I didn't make any excuses
• I played my songs correctly
• I used a great hand position for the entire lesson
• I remembered to bring my notebook and my music
• I adjusted the bench before I played
• I had a positive attitude
• I danced and moved to the music

Mystery cards eliminate all nagging and negative remarks.  Instead of having to tell someone to stop doing something, I just say, "Oh, I hope that isn't your mystery card!"  and the child immediately stops breaking the "rule"!

Because of the success of the Mystery Cards in the Little Musician classes, I have begun to use Mystery Cards at home with my 5 and 3 year olds. 

It has been successful so far! 

I have them pick a mystery card in the morning at breakfast and we review what their card said at dinner time.  If they did what was on the card then they earn a sticker for their sticker chart.  When their chart is full they get to go for ice cream or hot chocolate with Daddy.

The "At Home" Mystery Cards are:

• I didn't cry today
• I put my shoes in the basket
• I put my dirty clothes in the basket
• I gave everyone hugs and kisses today
• I shared my toys and stuff with my sister
• I had a happy, positive attitude
• I read a book
• I picked up my toys without whining
• I made a picture
• I didn't hit or hurt my sister

The Mystery Cards are a great motivational tool!  You can be positive and still direct your children to behave the way you need them to!

Children Love Lullabies

Lullabies are beautiful songs that calm colicky babies and soothe screaming toddlers.

They are also enjoyed by the older child who needs reassurance that all is well with this crazy world.

As an adult, I continue to sing lullabies for my own enjoyment.

Lullabies are songs that are handed down from one generation to another.  They are full of history.  They connect us with musicians and poets of the past.

I have found this wonderful website that features all kinds of lullabies.  There are hundreds of lyrics for you to copy. If you don't remember the tune you can listen to the website's author, Amy Robbins-Williams, sing the lullaby.   http://www.lullaby-link.com/index.html

Learn a lullaby and pass on a wonderful gift to your children!

100 Days Practice Chart!!!

We all need to find ways to motivate our students to practice.  I have designed a practice chart to keep track of 100 days of practice. 

I will have a prize for the first student from my Little Musician classes to complete it. You can also give prizes to your students or children after they finish it.

Practicing is great for learning an instrument but it also teaches students that if they stick with something long enough and are consistent, good things will happen.
 

See Ms. Tonya at NewSongs or email her at tonya@elkgrovemusiclessons.com for your copy of the 100 Days of Practice Chart!

Finger Songs for Beginning Pianists

Children in the Little Musician classes are still developing their finger coordination. These songs will help warm up and strengthen their fingers. Sing them often!

Finger Play Song
Thumbkin is finger number one, number one, number one;
Thumbkin is finger number one, but where is finger number two?

Pointer is finger number two, number two, number two;
Pointer is finger number two, but where is finger number three?

Tall man is finger number three, number three, number three;
Tall man is finger number three, but where is finger number four?

Ring man is finger number four, number four, number four;
Ring man is finger number four, but where is finger number five?

Pinky is finger number five, number five, number five;
Pinky is finger number five, now wiggle them all and say goodbye!


Where is Thumbkin?
Where is Thumbkin?
Where is Thumbkin?
Here I am, here I am.
How are you today, sir?
Very well, I thank you.
Run away, run away.

Where is Pointer?
Where is Pointer?
Here I am, here I am.
How are you today, sir?
Very well, I thank you.
Run away, run away.

Where is Tall Man?
Where is Tall Man?
Here I am, here I am.
How are you today, sir?
Very well, I thank you.
Run away, run away.

Where is Ring Man?
Where is Ring Man?
Here I am, here I am.
How are you today, sir?
Very well, I thank you.
Run away, run away.

Where is Pinky?
Where is Pinky?
Here I am, here I am.
How are you today, sir?
Very well, I thank you.
Run away, run away.

Practice for Cupcakes!

Ms. Tonya's Little Musician classes are practicing for cupcakes!

Starting August 4 their goal is to practice at least 3 times a week.

September 1 will be the cupcake party for all who have reached their goal!

Practice can be very short consisting of warming up fingers, sitting correctly at the piano, nice hand position and playing their song for the week.

Each student has been given a practice chart to keep record.

If your student needs another practice chart click here to print a new on: http://www.makingmusicfun.net/htm/printit-oliver-sticker-practice-chart.htm

Good Luck everyone!

Any questions email Ms. Tonya at tonya@elkgrovemusiclessons.com

Six Little Ducks

This is a fun song. Children love to sing it while acting out the parts of the song.

Six Little Ducks

Verse 1. Six little ducks that I once knew,

Fat ones, skinny ones, they were too.

But the one little duck with a feather on his back,

He led the others with a quack, quack, quack

Quack, quack, quack

Quack, quack, quack

He led the others with a quack, quack, quack

Quack, quack, quack, quack.

Verse 2. Down to the river they would go,

Wibble, wabble, wibble, wabble, to and fro;

But the one little duck with a feather in his back,

He led the others with a quack, quack, quack.

Quack, quack, quack

Quack, quack quack.

He led the others with a quack, quack, quack.

Quack, quack, quack, quack.

Sing the song, acting out parts of the text:

Six little ducks............................Hold up six fingers

fat ones, skinny ones..................Show size with hands.

one little duck.............................Hold up one finger.

feather on his back....................Hold one hand as feather on your back.

quack, quack..............................Place palms together for beak for each quack.

wibble, wabble...........................Palms together, let ducks swim.