Cities! Lesson 7

Hello folks.....I survived the one week of Vacation Bible School though some of you might have notice that my voice was a bit hoarse towards to end of last week. Well, the busyness continues with other Christmas projects for church and my own family. I told a friend that this year I plan to have a peaceful and quiet Christmas.....I hope...because it really has been too hectic these past few months for me. I really want to spend some time reflecting and looking into myself...and just center myself again after being tossed all over for too long.

I start with a quote:

Hungarian composer, folk music collector, and music educator Zoltan Kodaly has an important influence on the world of music education. He considered the voice to be the major instrument, and thought singing should therefore be the focus of much of early music education. His research led him to develop an approach that involves the organized presentation of pitches to develop the ear and singing voice. Bitonic ( sol -mi), tritonic ( sol -mi-la), tetratonic (sol-mi-la-do) and pentatonic(sol-mi-la-do-re) melodies are presented in sequence in Kindermusik Imagine That! to help children develop an awareness of intervals as the tonal building blocks of music.

1, 2, 3, Click! is a song that has a tetratonic melody. We will be singing to this song while we have fun taking photos of ourselves!

We will also be introducing the book Razupazu Toto for the first time. Razapazu travels around the world and takes photos of different types of artists. This book is a beautiful book as we get to learn about different cities, how they look like and what type of artists are there and what is involved in his or her work ( the book ties with the the activity before - 1,2,3, Click!)

We will reinforce Bonjour Mes Amis this week using the drum and mallets as we strike hello in french with our friends. Again we will tie this activity with Razupazu.

We will be introducing an assortment of metal instruments while playing to There's a little bell and at the same time learning about dynamics ( loud and quiet) and tempo ( slow and fast).

I quote again:

When children distinguish between a prominent ( foreground) sound and background sounds, they are practicing analytical listening.

The focus of the next activity is that - analytical listening - while we listen to the Tolling Bell. We will be talking about how the bell moves to a steady beat...using th metronome. Then we will move our bodies little and big tolling bells. This is an introduction to the kids on how to play using alternate hands on the resonator bars next week.

Parent sharing time: a time of parents and kids to shine as we pose like statues and get our photos taken! That's all I will reveal. Come see for yourself! I see you in class this week. Ciao!

Cities! Lesson 6

Hello folks....its latish in the night but I wanted to blog this week's lesson before I get caught up with preparation of Vacation Bible School again. The past two days have been fun, but tiring. I am sure I echo the sentiments of the 100 plus helpers we have helping out in church.

Good news to share....Pat our principal delivered a baby girl last thursday! She is now resting at home, both mum and baby are fine. I haven't visited her yet, but I'm sure the baby is a cutie pie. I love babies....( but three is enough for me!)

OK, a short note...this week we will be hearing and singing a new French song, Bonjour, Mes Amis. ( which means hello my friends) I quote from the teacher's guide:

Hearing and singing songs in a non-native language gives children the opportunity to hear and explore making phonemes, or sound patterns, not found in their native language. Exposure to these phonemes may give children an increased ability to learn foreign languages later in life.

We will also be using this song to develop a keen listening ear by playing the triangle when we hear the word Bonjour. This provides an opportunity for the kids to focus and listen out to the words of the song.

Last week I introduced the chant My Bike. We used hand gestures to represent the different parts of the chant. This week we will be taking turns and using instruments to beep and ring and pedal as we go through the now more familiar chant. This is preparation for ensemble playing as well as the kids listen and wait their turn to play their parts in the chant.

We are fine musicians - we did this during parent sharing time in Lesson 4 and this week we will allow the kids to do it independently without mums and dads helping them. This activity is usually a favourite with the children and most of them responds and focus well, which is a skill we want to develop with children this age. Of course we mustn't forget the obvious benefit which is introducing different timbre of sounds to the children.

This week we will visit the different shops in the city and see what we can eat and buy as we sing to I like to eat apple and bananas. Again, this is a way to train them in basic composing as well as widening vocabulary as they learn about different objects in the shops.

Zum Gali Gali, a song which beat is slower than the kids are used to, emphasizing on the whole beat. We will use the rhythm stick this week to go through various motions, all the time training the kids to play to the right beat.

Parent sharing time: we will use the resonator bars this week and play to Jing Jang, getting the kids use to play bilateral , and then with one hand, and then with the other hand. This is just the first and the simplest activity using the bars. We will play with the bars as we go along further in the semester.

Cities! Lesson 5

Hello again....it has been another eventful week for me and it will get even more exciting by this weekend and the whole of next week. I will be helping out at Vacation Bible School next week at my church. We are going to have about 300 kids congregating at the church for 5 days from 8:30am - 12:45 pm! I will be helping out in the craft station, helping the kids while they have fun cutting, pasting and hopefully making some wonderful crafts. Hopefully I will survive but if you dont see my blog next week, you know I am just super busy with this.

Anyway lesson 5....We are going to start off with My Bike, a rhythmic chant accompanied by sign language (ASL) and various hand movements as we learn the different functions of a bicycle. It will be done as an echo....which means the kids learn to imitate and listen to me before it's their turn to chant the words. We will be signing the word 'bicycle' and 'listen'.

We learn about our speaking and singing voice with Pretzels for Sale last week. This week we will be playing a singing game with the song. I quote from Song Play: A Collection of Playful Songs for Children, by Peggy Bennet:

By participating in singing games, children develop social skills that prepare them for adulthood, including:

-taking turns and waiting for turns,
- working cooperatively,
- observing and accepting others' ideas,
- gaining skills and confidence in being a leaden and a follower and
- watching, listening to and speaking to one another.

This activity will reinforce what we learn last week about our singing voice an gives each child a chance to sing solo.

The next activity focuses on auditory discrimination, by using the City Square Listening Game. Practicing auditory discrimination by listening to a series of sound collages and differentiating among various sounds allows the children to gain experience using different types of attention. These attention skills are necessary for later success in speech perception and reading. ( excerpt from Teacher's Guide)

- focused attention - concentration on a single task.
- sustained attention - concentration on a task over an extended period over time.
- shifted attention - moving between tasks while holding in mind task instructions and manipulating information.
- divided attention - performing tow or more tasks concurrently.

Introducing a new song, 1, 2, 3 Click! a song about taking pictures while we move around the city. Since this is the first time we are doing this song, we will be just singing and introducing the concept of photo taking in this lesson. I will explain more about the musicality of this song next week.

We will also be reinforcing the rhythm of Jing Jang as the kids take turns playing the rhythm on the glockenspiel.

Parent sharing time, we will be playing a variety of percussion instruments to Hey Lolly while we take turns playing different instruments to the unique rhythm of this song.

I see you in class this week.....

Cities! Lesson 4

Hi folks, hope you are all having a good week. Mine has been filled with too many activities....the stress of living in a big city - three kids plus a dog, and a hubby who just started a new business! There doesn't seem to be enough time in a day for all I planned to do. I received a message from a dear friend today who told me that she is reflecting on this past year and thinking of next year's resolutions.....hah! I told her I am still in the midst of living out this year's resolutions and not being very successful at that!

Lesson 4...we are going to start with some music listening : where has my little dog gone? The important thing here is to discern the words of the song - we are learning to listen with a purpose - is the dog little or big? what about his ears? etc. We are going to tie in this song with a book about a lost dog in the city - this is to link the meaning of 'lost dog', especially for the younger ones in the class who may not appreciate what it a 'lost dog' means.

The next activity focus on speaking and singing voice. I quote from the teacher's guide:

Children may not be able to hear or understand between the speaking and singing voice. By experiencing a wide range of vocal possibilities, the child learns to differentiate between his speaking and singing voices. Playing with speech as well as with simple melodies helps the child develop both singing and speech skills.

We will do this with Pretzels of Sale, where we learn about how we can make different voices with our voice box.

Apples and Bananas, this week we will introduce this song, with emphasis on the rhythm pattern of the song. We will be using the castanets as we beat to the rhythm of eat, eat, eat as we follow this song as a playalong.

Learning to stop and pose....we will be using Walk All Around this next two weeks to introduce this concept of freeze and pose ( like a statue). This week we will be introducing this song, seated down and using the rhythm sticks as our legs as we walk, pose, run, pose, tiptoe and pose.

Lastly, Zum Gali Gali, the song we danced to in the first week, we will be using instruments this week to play along to a steady beat with various steady beat movement.

Parent sharing time: please remember the bring the resonator bars to class next week.

Cities! Lesson 3

Hi folks, hope you are having a good week. Can't believe it's already the month of November. Very soon it's Christmas and there, another year gone. I celebrated my 42nd (YES!) last week. Felt very blessed by family and friends as they celebrated the day with me.

Anyway, lesson 3. We are still taking it slowly as I continue to gradually introduce the concept of city life and what we can see and experience in the city. Last week we talked and sang about different jobs that people do in the city and this week we will combine what we learn in Lesson 1 and 2 - modes of transport and different jobs one can find in the city.

In the City - last week we used the rhythm sticks for this song. This week we are going to learn sign language! I quote from the Teacher's guide:

Sign language is considered the 'unvoiced language" and is easily learned. Signing can:

- help children attend more easily - requires eye contact.
- make language active; children are active participant in the learning process.
- foster self-esteem - gives children more control in expressing themselves.

Here we come a walking - a very versatile song which we can use different modes to teach musical concepts. This week we will use the drums as we play to the beat of walking, running, tip toeing, stomping, jumping etc. We are learning to concepts of fast and slow, loud and soft while we 'walk' around the city with different feet!

Elevator and Escalator - we had fun with this activity as we learn about how we go up and down in the elevator in the shopping mall as we shop for different things. The children get to visually understand to concepts of going up and down in the elevator. This week we are going to use the glockenspiel as we explore glissando. Children will become less inhibited about their singing voices when when vocal play such as this ( using a broad vocal range by producing a glissando sound) is naturally integrated with pretend play.

A new activity this week....The Broom Man. A little bit about the song : it is a street cry, a song sung by a vendor to attract customers. This song was collected by J. Rosamond Johnson, an African-American man who began playing the piano at four and went to become a composer, conductor and Brocdway performer. We will be learning the song, and learning what does the broom man do...while adding the element of composing...what does a rag man do? what about a window cleaner man?

We will also do a spot of music listening: Traffic Jammers. The focus here is to listen with a purpose; a city sound hunt as we try to find with our ears as many different city sounds as possible.

Lastly, we will have an active listening activity - an exercise that introduces the concept of timbre, which is a word that describes the difference among sounds. Listening to differences in timbre, the tone quality or tone color of various musical instruments, allows children to learn to attend to relevant sounds and match these sounds to a specific instrument. Activities in which children identify, compare and analyze sound qualities of instruments help children develop auditory discrimination skills.

Parent Sharing time - a chance of us to dance to a jazzy number as we explore various body movements! See you in class.....

Cities! Lesson 2

Hello folks, I am very proud of the children last week! The new kids adjusted pretty well in class, most of them came in on their own without mummies or daddies ( which is a big milestone for them) and all were cooperative and participated well in all the activities. It just shows that it is really a right time for them to be moving up to Imagine That level.

Meanwhile, the 'veterans' ( how can I do without them) boost up the class dynamics tremendously because they were given jobs to take care of the younger ones and show good examples. And did they take their responsibility seriously. I had one kid in class who kept on telling the younger ones...you can do it guys! C'mon, I know you can! Isn't that the sweetest thing? Parents of Ivan - I am so proud of him!

Alright lesson 2. Here we go....This lesson will be have some songs that are the same as last week though we will be using different medium to bring out the flavor of the songs.

Hey Lolly Lolly, is going to be sung using puppets....all that rhymes with Lolly such as Ernie Puppet, Cookie, Bunny...remember, we are emphasizing two elements in this song.....language development as they find words to compose that rhymes with Lolly, and also learning the rhythm of the song ie when can you hear the word Hey Lolly Lolly. It involves listening skills, rhythm awareness and timing.

Last week I introduced the song In the City. This week we will be singing this song again, this time with the use of rhythm stick - to represent different words in the song - walking, city, go and stop. It encourages creative ways to use the rhythm sticks and at the same time developing focus and attention as the children learn to stop and go.

Here we come a walking - this week I will use this song to introduce different jobs in the city - an understanding the kids must have for later in the curricula.

We are going to learn about a lost dog as we sing Oh where has my little dog gone? This will be in introduction to story telling and story plotting which we will explore in the coming weeks. Getting the children to give me suggestions on what can happen to a lost dog will keep those creative juices flowing and also provide a training in keeping logic and sequence.

Jing Jang, a versatile song which can be use for many activities....this week we will explore the drums....and we will continue exploring various ways to play different instruments as we go along the semester. The children will be given opportunities to share ideas and also at the same time made aware of how different instruments can be played. I am sure I will learn a thing or two myself from the children, as always!

Parent sharing time...I will keep you guessing till you come to class!
See you this week.......take care!

Cities! Busy Places-Friendly Faces - Lesson 1

Welcome to all new parents who are reading this blog for the first time! As you can see, I have been blogging for a while now, mostly lesson plans pertaining to the Imagine That curricula. I know parents are curious to know what their kids are doing in class and I thought this is a simple way to keep you in the know ( of course it also helps me by making sure I do my lesson plan in time!)

Just a brief review of what we will be doing this semester. This is a brief summary from the teacher's guide:

People on the go, rushing everywhere - in the city! - A unit that calls us to co-create a city that is familiar, yet like no other. And a city that's really many 'cities' in one. There's a city of music - of songs, recorded works and city sounds. There's a city of imagination. There's a city of stories - of lost dogs and f0und dogs and a globe trotting photographer. A city of movement - sweeping movement, up and down the elevator movement, dance and freeze like a statue movement. A city of music with the Kindermusik Resonator Bars. A city of games - a shoe passing game, street vendor game; and a movement and matching game involving three artists, math, drum and the Puerto Rican children's game song.

There are LOADS of fun and educational musical activities up the street ( pun intended!). Bearing in mind that Lesson 1 is a new level for some kids who just graduated from Our time, and also the curricula itself being a new concept - we will take it easy the first time. It takes some time to understand what is the concept of a city. Though we are living in one, the kids many not realise what it really means - tall buildings, people everywhere, elevators and escalators, traffic lights, different kinds of transportation - these are the few things we will be touching on in lesson 1.

In the City - the focus of this song is the simple tonal melodies. Singing skills tend to develop in the following order - words, rhythm, phrases and contour. Research shows that children's repertoire should include simple tonal melodies ( bitonic, tritonic) which are close in pitch to speech - which makes singing a successful activity for the child. In this song, we are also introducing the concept of stop and go ( traffic lights) - using visual cue - through movement and instrument playing.

Here We Come A- Walking -the music focus here is singing while moving - and using the aural cue of a drum beat. What can we see while we are walking down the street? For this lesson, I am taking the opportunity to introduce various transportation and the sounds they make. We will be using the knowledge of different transportation later in the curricula.

Elevator and Escalator - the music focus here is glissando sound - a musical effect obtained by playing a rapid series of ascending or descending pitches in a continuous sliding movement. We will be using the slide whistle to demonstrate this and at the same time learning the concept of how the elevator moves up and down in a shop. IN the next lesson, we will be incorporating pretend play in this activity.

Hey Lolly - the music focus is to create new verses . I quote from Jeanne M. Machado ( Early Childhood Experiences in Language Arts):

Language abilities in three and four years olds are blooming. "Playing" with language by making new, funny words and sounds benefit children by increasing their skill in using speech creatively. Ultimately, this practice in imaginative speech strengthens the children's linguistic intelligence.

We have covered lots in the first lesson. During parent sharing time, we will be learning, through dance the rhythm of Zum Gali Gali, a song sung by the Israeli pioneers while they worked to turn the Israeli desert into fields and gardens.

Kindermusik introduced a wide variety of songs; of different genres and cultures ( we will be covering songs from India, China, France, Africa and many more in this semester).

I see you all in class. Looking forward to a starting a new musical adventure with your kids!