Week of July 25th, 2011

INFANT THROUGH SCHOOL AGE

Today in music class I had an opportunity to share one of my guitars from home, a classical. The kids were very interested by the nylon strings and the different, "mellow" tones that emanated from the guitar verses the different, brighter sound of the standard acoustic with metal strings.

We sang and reenacted the popular tune, "Five Green And Speckled Frogs" and also used "frog and tadpole" rhythm cards to represent quarter notes and eight notes. The kids got such a quick grip on these rhythms when replaced with syllables from a few familiar words! They were clapping rhythm patterns in no time! We used shakers to express the rhythm patterns we made and older kids worked in groups to devise their very own songs. I've attached a website below that offers free instructions and printables for using this kid-friendly and musically educational concept with your kids at home! :)

MOM AND DAD CONNECT

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Frog and Tadpole Rhythm Cards and Directions

Week of July 18th, 2011

INFANT THROUGH SCHOOL AGE

Today in music class we learned all about the flute: how many pieces assemble it, the head joint, embouchure, keys and pads, air technique, and how it is a member of the woodwind family. I have several flutes but today I brought an open-holed flute to share. We had fun trying different breath techniques, moving to the pace of the flute's music and also creating a paper flute that even had "hole punched" keys! Ask your child about the flute and if they enjoyed listening today! =)

Week of July 11th, 2011

INFANTS THROUGH SCHOOL AGE

It was a great rhythm exercise today to try and tap to a fun song called "Mango Treats"! We played a game where the children stood in a circle and waited for a turn to "jump in" and "jump out" with their tambourine while the "Mango Treats" song played (check out the free download below!)

The cue to jump in and out was to hear your name called. Older children practiced "resting" with their tambourines to give the person inside the circle a "tambourine solo".

DOWNLOAD: Mango Treats

MANGO TREATS VIDEO

We also played a fun chanting game called "Five little hotdogs". See the video below! I like to use the props of a frying pan and 5 little paper hot dogs when I play...but it is just as fun when you use your fingers. Try singing this simple song with your child for fun and to hone pre-math skills...you can subtract and add hot dogs as you like! Have fun!

FIVE LITTLE HOT DOGS

Also, check out this adorable pirate song we will be singing on July 30th for the annual Coast Guard Kid's Parade! Please remember to bring your child to JN at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning if you would like to participate in this fun event. We hope to see you there! After the parade, we will be serving juice and cookies in the parking lot!

PIRATE SONG

Week of July 4th, 2011

What a fun day we had learning all about the violin! Check out the video from our assembly below that highlights what we did today--don't forget to quiz your child to see what they remember!

Thanks again to Miss Kate, who took time out of her work day to come and share her talents and instrument with us!

We learned about:

• The parts of the violin
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• The different sounds of the violin
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• The vocabulary words: pizzicato (the term for plucking violin strings by hand), spicatto (the coarse bouncing or tapping of the bow on the violin to create short, choppy chords) and glissando (the name of a slur, or glide from one pitch to another).
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• The nickname for the violin: fiddle!
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• The material used to make violin bows: horse hair!