Week of May 27th, 2013

SINGING IN THE RAIN!

Our original plan for this morning was an outdoor musical activity in water! However, the water was supposed to be contained and not falling endlessly from the sky. ;) For that reason, I decided to shift gears and embrace the weather that was sent to us today and carry on with a new plan!

The children enjoyed singing a "call and response" song about the rain today entitled "Rain on the Grass". We also used and explored a lovely hand-tuned wind chime with three notes--a C chord triad:C, F and G. Students also had a blast playing a "Rain, Rain, Go Away game" (pictured below) where each friend took a turn lying in the middle of the circle while friends' hands "rained" down on them.

Last but not least, I showed our friends the wonderful and famous classic song and dance number from the musical film "Singing in the Rain" with Gene Kelly! I used an edited version that skipped the kiss goodnight on the porch, but I did tell the children that Mr. Gene was dancing happily in the rain because he loved a gal. :) They adored his tap dancing and splashing and asked to watch the clip over and over again. Check out the Youtube video below!

The two year olds singing "Rain on the Grass"!

Week of May 20th, 2013

BASSIST JUSTIN AVDEK!

Students were so very excited to share the talents of bassist Justin Avdek today for a music assembly in the chapel! Justin showed us the parts of the bass, along with different playing styles. We played some fun freeze dancing games and did some freestyle dancing while he played as well. At the end, the children explored both Justin's 5 string bass as well as a 4 string bass (both electric) and also colored an electric bass coloring page. The bass guitar was a huge hit...don't miss the video below to see some awesome dance moves (directly after a short bit of explanation on bass styles from Justin). You may want to turn up your computer speakers or listen to headphones when you play the video so that you can hear the cool low base tones!

Week of May 13th, 2013

RAINBOW RESONATOR BARS!

The kids really enjoyed using the resonator bars today! This fun "xylophone" like instrument has separated bells and two mallets. The great thing about using an instrument like this is the ability to separate and isolate pitches and share pieces more easily in the classroom, among the other fun things you can do!

We started out by taking a look at the eight notes in the major scale. We sang and counted them (see the video below). We also tried going backwards! The children did very well playing the major scales on their own. We also played a fun game with the traditional song "Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley grow". I sang the song using the resonator bars as accompaniment, while one child stood in the middle as "the farmer". When the song was over (and their turn), they chose a partner to "bow" to, who became the next farmer. The kids really enjoyed this! 

Younger children also got a big kick out of Mr. Dog the puppet, who visited to sing "How Much Is That Doggy In the Window" today along with other movement songs and a simple musical book, "The Band" by Nancy Leber.

Week of May 6th, 2013

Hula Dancing!

It's Asian Pacific American Heritage month, and today in music class we learned all about hula dancing and Hawaiian tradition! (My apologies for any confusion this may cause as we "flip-flopped" lesson plans for the first two weeks of May).

The image of hula dancing and the ideals behind it have changed much as missionary, "American" and tourist influence entered Hawaii over the years. Even the clip art image that I used on the calendar to signify what we were learning about today was, honestly, cliche when it comes to the true rich heritage of hula dancing and the true sacred ritual it represents to Hawaii and the Polynesian islands.

When asked about hula dancing, I received a few comments from older students--both male and female--"That's the dance the pretty girls do". :) They were surprised to discover that, unlike the somewhat Westernized image of hula that they have seen over the years, the dances involved unique instruments like the hollowed gourd drum (ipu), and both men AND women, in mixed and separated roles. The costumes and traditional dress worn were also unlike what many people are accustomed to here in the states. Rather than coconut tops and grass skirts, you see drape-y linens on both men and female, grass crowns, and anklets/bracelets made with whale bone and dog teeth.

We also learned "hello" (Aloha) and "thank you" (mahalo). I showed children on the map where Hawaii is located in the Pacific island, and we talked about the purpose for the dance being a method of both storytelling and prayer (worship) for the Hawaiian people. I demonstrated the power of storytelling through motions to the children by pantomiming different actions for them and having them guess what I was doing. I shared with them that telling a story with dance was a powerful way for families and generations to remember important stories without being able to write them down or record them.

Check out the four's room below, greeting you in today's blog with a Hawaiian "hello!" Also see videos below of traditional Hula rituals/chants/dances, and our pictures from today's fun!  Keep scrolling for some extras from the infant and toddler classes, who also enjoyed the parachute today!

*Pretending to surf a wave while we did body movements to a chant about Hawaii!