Imagine That - SWIS Lesson Plan 12

Oh where, oh where has my students gone?
Oh where, oh where can they be?
With their sweet, sweet smiles and their angelic faces,
Oh where, oh where can they be?

( Sung to the tune of Oh where has my little dog gone?)

We had only FOUR students in class last Saturday! I guess the rest of you are still holidaying somewhere, maybe in the Caribbeans....It was a different atmosphere, but the lesson went on as planned and I believed we all had great fun and much learning done.

This week we are going to continue with the picnic series. We are repeating the Going on a picnic activity but this time we are taking a "rhythmic walk" to the picnic spot. The kids had great fun picking the food to bring to picnic last week and this week we are going to do the same, except this time we'll try to pick healthier foods ;-) No more fries and burgers!

The kids had a good time shooing away the Malaysian flies last week and this week, I'm afraid we will be attacked by flies again. Again, we will be singing the song with actions, and then enhancing it with instruments. As per last week, this song is used to project expression in music...one section of noise and chaos, and another of sweet and calmness.

This week, not only are we attacked by flies, but we will also be drenched by a downpour! We will be using various instruments to create the sounds of rain. The activity focus here is to give the kids the opportunity to recreate experiences. Creative experiences encourage exploratory behaviour and encourage an active response rather than a passive one.

Of course after the rain we have to invite our favourite Mister Sun out so that we can continue with our picnic. We will be singing the Mister Sun song to the finger and hand movements which we did once before during parent sharing time. It's so important for children this age to be encouraged to explore as many possible ways of moving - whether it is fine or gross motor skills.

We will also be moving to "Precious Stone" which is a classic rock piece featuring cello, bassoon, clarinet, oboe and flute. I'll be showing them pictures how these instruments look like and how they are played.

Parent sharing time....we will be moving and grooving to "La Cucaracha", a traditional Mexican folk song. We're going to need lots of energy for this dance so eat your breakkies before you come for class! Lastly, if we don't run out of time, we will use the parachute to emphasize the glissando sound in "Allee Galloo"....the kids did great with the glock and body movements last week for this activity.

So, hope to see ALL of you this Saturday! 5 more lessons to go and we'll be done with this curricula.....the next one will be called "Weathers"....a curricula based on summer, spring, autumn and winter. I will try to write up a short print out on it soon!

Imagine That - SWIS Lesson Plan 11

Hello mums and dads, hope you had a meaningful Christmas and a good break last weekend. I did!!! I know most of us are still in a holiday mood....and a New Year is approaching in a few days' time. Time flies....

Wasnt the The Kindermusik Bird song we did last lesson so good? Kudos to the mums and dads who helped sing and keep in rhythm. The kids got a wonderful opportunity to listen to this unique vocal ensemble of mummy and daddy turkeys ( gobble, gobble, gobble), woodpeckers ( tok, tok, tok) and cuckoo birds ( cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo).

We are already at Lesson 11 (6 more lessons to go before the end of semester!). We didnt get to do Allee Galloo activity last lesson because I added in some Christmas activities at the last minute. But we will be definitely doing it this week. Please refer to lesson plan 10 for information on the activity.

We are also moving on to the picnic segment of the curricula. I am going to introduce the book, The Ant Picnic Feast. Then we will be going on a picnic (a pretend one of course!) The activity focus here is play which in a right setting, promotes opportunities for children to learn social patterns, interact with others in a positive way for an extended amount of time and communicate more effectively with others. Related to "Going on a picnic" activity is the next activity "Eating is fun" which focuses on singing. I quote from Dorothy T. McDonald and Gene M.Simmons in their book, Musical Growth and Development : Birth Through Six:

"Singing ability is related to the ability to control speech fluctuations, and speech activities appear to help develop tuneful singing skills. The ability to sing and the ability to converse with expressive speech are closely related. Playing with rhythmic speech ( chants, poems, rhymes etc) as well as simple tonal melodies ( bitonic, tritonic etc) help the child develop both singing and speech skills."

Any picninc will not be complete without FLIES!!( especially in Malaysia!) which of course means that we have to "Shoo Fly"! This song will be presented in a way that enhances musical expression. A segment of the song will be noisy and 'chaotic'...and another segment will be smooth and calm. If time permits, we will be playing instruments that express chaos and calm.

Parent sharing time....a time for us to play with spoons! Dancing spoons....will be played in a ensemble of plastic and metal spoons so that the kids can not only play in parts and experience taking turns...but also it allows them to listen to the different parts of the song and respond with their spoon instruments! It is going to be interesting and fun to see what we can do with the spoons!

That's all folks...I see you this Saturday with your cutie pies!

Imagine That - SWIS Lesson Plan 10

Hello mums and dads! Christmas is round the corner! This is the last week of music class before we take our Christmas break. There won't be a class on the 23rd of December. The year is coming to an end, another year beckons. Our kids are growing up, learning new things, maturing in mind and body. Personally, it has been a real pleasure for me to have the privilege to teach each and every child in this class. Each child has her/his personality, and contribute in a unique way to the class....and it has been a real learning experience for me and for the kids since we started lesson 1. Thank you parents, for entrusting me with the responsibility of teaching your kids. If there are areas which you think can be improved on, please give me your feedback. My joy is to see these kids continue with their music programme, each at their own pace and to have fun learning and playing music.

Kindermusik offers a comprehensive music programme until the Young Child stage ( from 5-7 years old) and it is my hope that parents can see the benefit and stick with the programme until then. I started piano lesson when I was 5 years old. Looking back, if I had the opportunity to do Young Child instead of formal piano lessons, my appreciation of music will be so much more complete and enjoyable.

We have done many musical concepts this semester and there are more to come. I realise sometimes it is difficult for parents to see the benefits because it is not so structured BUT children at this age learn through play and the best way of learning music is through imaginative play. They are training their ears, learning about instruments, learning to move their bodies ( fine and gross motor skills), learning breath control, learning different musical concepts ( such as fast and slow, loud and soft, glissando, accelarando, listening to different patterns in music, learning sequencing, expose to various genres of music and many more.

This week, we are singing and moving to a new song, Allee Galloo Gallee. This song has the concept of glissando ( pitch direction)...from up to down and down to up. The kids will be moving different body parts to up and down glissando sounds. We will be playing to the song with the glock first so that the kids get to hear the song in proper pitch. The kids will be also given a chance to play the glissando on the glock so that they get a hands on exprience of what it means to move up and down glissando style.

We will be concentrating on instruments this week. We will be using the rhythm sticks for hello song, playing the drums to Ha, Ha This a Way, and moving the egg shakers to All Join Hands. This will be a chance for me to observe how well the kids can move to the different beat in the various songs, and how well they can meet the different challenges of moving to different sections of each song.

We will be moving to different speed according to the drum cue. We have done this before, but this time around I won't preempt them to what the movements will be. They have to use their ears to listen and move. They will need to show focus and self control to be successful at this activity. I will also be doing some sequencing in the way we move, and see whether the kids can predict the sequence in the way we move.

During parent sharing time, I will introduce to you a book of different types of birds and the different sounds they make. Then we will attempt to orchestrate a kindermusik Bird song ( a vocal ensemble). This vocal ensemble highlights the following musical benefits:

- learning to follow a conductor's cue to start, stop, continue and change dynamics.
- experiencing a vocal composition with beginning, middle and end.
- creating something in a group setting, thus solidifying the bonds of the group.

It will be interesting to see and hear what we come up with this week! Finally, we will end with a Christmas surprise....for me to know, for you to find out when you come to class!

Imagine That - SWIS Lesson 9

Hello parents! Hope you are finding enough activities to fill the time of the kids who are on holidays! There is the kindermusik camp to consider if you are looking around for options. You can get the information from reception.

This week, we will be doing activities to train the ears and to relate high and low instrument sounds to animals in the park. For example, the sound of a triangle will be a high sound and the kids will have to think of animals in the park that are high up - like a bird or butterfly. This will be done with the hello and goodbye song. The kids will not only get training in listening but also to be able to translate what they hear into something that is real.

I didn't get a chance to do the Feed the Birds activity last week so we will definitely do it this week. As I mentioned before in the previous lesson plan, this activity focus on copying which is a process that involves the ability to discriminate sound patters, activate auditory memory and imitate sound pattern. We utilise this skill when we play instruments by ear.

We will be empahsize on fine motor skills this week through the activities of Three Blue Pigeons and Mister Sun. The kids will be taught fingerplay; which is a chant or song coupled with finger motions, through these two songs. As most of you would know, the development of fine motor skills, which are movements made by the coordination of smaller muscles such as those in the hands, feet and mouth are very important as the kids need these skills in many aspects of their life - playing a musical instrument, writing, painting etc.

We will be doing some puppetry play during parent sharing time. Your At Home Materials Family Activity #9 has several suggestions how to make finger puppets at home. There is something magical about singing a song while playing with finger puppets or hand puppets. The power and use of puppets fulfills many developmental needs of the child and opens up the door to imagination and make-believe. Extending vocabulary, building self-esteem, exploring emotions, coordination of speech and movement - these are a few benefits associated with puppet play.

We are going to dance to All Join Hands.....and let us see how many creative ways we can move our body parts in circles!! Parents, this is a chance for you to see the kids think out of the box. You will be surprise how good Kindermusik kids are at doing this because of the many opportunities they get to explore different ways of moving.

Imagine That - SWIS Lesson Plan 8

Hello, hello, hello! We had a smallish class last week. I guess many are away on holidays. Well, you missed the surprise I had for the kids in class!

This week, I will be starting and ending the class with some training in audiation. Audiation is hearing and comprehending in one's mind the sound of music that is not physically present. For example, we will be singing the hello song...but at the 'hello' word, we won't sing but tap the drums instead. The kids have to 'sing and listen' to the hello in their minds and not with their mouth. We will also do it again with the goodbye song so the parents can see what I mean.

We will be doing the 'Mister Sun' song, a song which is quite familiar to fans of Barney the Purple Dinosaur! We will be adding movements to the song and at the same time getting them to think creatively how to make circle movements with different parts of their bodies! We will aso be doing some music listening of whistling to the tune of Mister Sun. The kids probably can't whistle yet but they may try to! I might be pleasantly surpise to find one or two kids that can whistle. Kids who are unable to whistle can imitate whistling with a high pitched vocal sound. This is a wonderful way to help them practice the use of their head voice. Whistling uses the same muscles that are required for clear articulation of language.

We will also be doing 'Walking on the Bridge' together, in alternating motions. And enhancing it with different speed....walking, running, jumping etc using the rhythm sticks.

Another movement activity...'Row, row, row your boat'. We will be moving to different types of boat : rowboat, sailboat and motorboat... and how different boats move in different ways. We will use props to enhance learning, sticks for paddles, scarves for sails, and paper plates for steering wheel.

'Feed the birds' - an activity that requires the kids to listen to different rhythm patterns in speech and to copy them. Copying is a process that involves the ability to discriminate sound patterns, activate auditory memory and imitate a sound pattern. It will be interesting to see how the kids perform in this activity. Will let you know!

We will be using the slide whistle this week for parent sharing time. We will 'test' the kids to see how well they can blow.

I look forward to seeing all of you this week. Adios!

Imagine That - SWIS Lesson Plan 7

We are moving into the birds part of the curricula. This week we will be getting the children to do some anlytical listening - listening to different types of birds and identifying them visually. Analytical listening requires children to :

* Evaluate what is heard and comprehended
* Contemplate and reflect
* Weigh new information against what is already known
* Discuss, sharing thoughts, opinions and viewpoints.

We are also going to listen to Birdland and again we are going to do some listening exercise where the children will be asked to listen and give me feedback - is it soft or loud? high or low? silence or sound?

I would like to pick a quote from Weiss and Lilly-White, 1981 : Hearing and listening are quite different. Hearing is a process involving nerves and muscles that reach adult efficiency by age four to five. Listening is a learned behaviour, a mental process that is concerned with hearing, attending, discriminating, understanding and remembering. It can improved with practice. Listening affects social interactions, one's level of functioning, and perhaps one's overall success in life.

We are going to be 'scarf birds' and dance to Birdland. This activity allows the children to freedom to be expressive, freedom to add creative interpretation and imagination to the movement experience. The children will also be shown different birds and talk about how they move - swoop, soar, waddle etc.

The home made shaker instruments will be use for Obwisana. Making and exploring shaker instruments will provide opportunities for your child to learn and discover by finding new information, making comparisons, and conducting sound experiments.

During parent sharing time, we will be using movement cards to dance to Springland. These cards are designed not only to encourage creative movement but also to foster a nurturing, supportive environment for language development and emergent literacy.

Another activity will be a surprise....so I wont tell. You have to come to class to know!

Imagine That - SWIS Lesson Plan 6

Today's lesson is structured with the purpose of giving the children plenty of opportunities to contribute their ideas and to sing and compose. We will be singing and composing to the song Who has the button? which is a singing game. The children will each get a chance to pick an item from a container and sing the song back to me, replacing the words in the song with the item they chose. This is first baby steps towards composing and developing the confidence to sing in public.

With the items found in the park brought from home, we will be again doing the In My Pocket activity where the children are given the opportunity to hum and to contribute to the class. We will be talking and singing to the 'nature treasures' that they collected. Children at this age feels proud when they bring something to show their friends!

During story time ( Book: Can You Find Me?), we will do some simple dramatization. While reading the book, the children will be invited to act out the story by pretending to be the animals and the leaves. Through this type of integrated learning, the children are being exposed to several domains of development: language, movement, creativity and pretend play.

We didnt manage to do the Windy Weather activity last week ( ran out of time....!) so we will be doing it this week. As I said last week, this activity is an expansion of what we have been concentrating on a lot in this curricula, breath control.

The children will get to play the bells this week to the medley of Grasshoppers Three. It is good for me to get a chance to observe their steady beat skills and ability to follow instructions and to focus.

Parent sharing, we will be using the slide whistle after taking a few weeks break from it. This time we will use it to 'tell' the story of Josh and Katie. We will also be introducing a new circle dance (Oopsy Daisy) something we have yet to do this semester.

Homework ( again!!): Please bring a home made shaker instrument to class next week. Thanks mums and dads....I know you guys are busy people, but I hope you will have fun thinking and making the instrument with your darlings!