Week of December 29th, 2014

Thank you so much to the LeFurge family for sending a wonderful video of their family enjoying music at home! Read more below...

MAKE NEW FRIENDS, 

BUT KEEP THE OLD!

As we approach 2015 in mere days, I spent a few moments in each classroom this week talking about friends--those who we've known since birth, those who we've just met--and how all of our friends and family are valuable. We reflected on those special people in our lives by singing the following song:

Make New Friends

Make new friends,

But keep the old.

One is silver;

The other gold

A circle's round--

It has no end.

That's how long

I'll be your friend!

As I sang the song on ukulele, we danced around in a circle holding hands. At the end of the song, all of the children hugged or high fived each other. In the toddler room, I showed the children how to "shake hands" as a greeting. They enjoyed this activity!

I extended our lesson in the school age room by asking the children to write about an experience: when has a new friend turned into an old friend? Some students chose to write about any friend of their choosing, and they also drew pictures relating to their writing. Look for a writing sheet in your child's backpack!

All of the music students also loved watching a video sent in from the LeFurge family featuring our student, Tatum, on ukulele along with her family, who also played instruments and sang. This was so much fun and sparked great conversation among the students about how they celebrate music with family at home!

This was one of my "wish list" items and I'm so grateful to have recieved it!  In case you missed my wish list, it is upstairs near the main entrance. On the hand-drawn guitar poster you will find bright orange music notes to take (any of your choosing) with absolutely free requests on them, such as visiting our class to share a song or instrument, or simply emailing musicatjn@gmail.com with a video or sound clip of your child making music or dancing at home! =)

I hope your 2014 has been blessed. Thank you for the gift of your children, and I hope 2015 has nothing but light and love in store for you!

Warmest Regards,
Miss Chantal

Week of December 30th, 2013

ONE IS SILVER AND THE OTHER GOLD!

Today's theme in music class was friendship! We sang "Silver and Gold" and sorted/wore gold and silver bead necklaces--a big hit. =)

We also read the following poem about friendship:

With a Friend

 by Vivian Gouled

 I can talk with a friend

 and walk with friend

 and share my umbrella

 in the rain.

 I can play with a friend

 and stay with a friend

 and learn with a friend

 and explain.

 I can eat with a friend

 and compete with a friend

 and even sometimes 

 disagree.

 I can ride with a friend

 and take pride with a friend.

 A friend can mean

 so much to me!

Older children talked about how the structure of a poem is different from a book, and learned what the word "stanza" meant. We also discussed a few vocabulary words in the poem including "compete" and "pride"!

We also played a fun ball game, sang "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story and learned how to sing "friend" in Spanish! We discovered today that if we are speaking of a friend that is a girl, we would say, "mi amiga" and if the friend is a boy, it would be "amigo". 

Our infant class also enjoyed singing songs with puppets and practicing rolling the ball! 

Over all, our main theme today is how precious our friends are, and we are thankful for each and every one here at Joyful Noise.

Have a safe and joyous New Year!

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD 

FOR EXTENDED LEARNING:

1. Who are your friends?

2. Is "amiga" a friend that is a girl or a boy? What about "amigo"?

3. Can you show me something silver and something gold?

Week of January 23rd, 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Chinese New Year, that is!
Did you know that yesterday, January 23rd, was the Chinese New Year? It is the Year of the Dragon this year. We had tons of fun viewing some celebration videos, learning facts about China and also having a traditional "lion's dance" in music class!

I showed the children pictures of the parade, traditional female dress and head dress, dragons, lion costumes, and the instrument "Gong". We also discussed the difference in American and Chinese culture when it comes to dragons. In western civilazations (American, Celtic, etc.) dragons are often viewed as evil, or representing one's own "demons". However, in eastern culture, specifically China, the dragon is viewed as good luck, or representing other positive qualities.

Can you guess which of our friends are behind the lion masks?

My lion mask was the western image of a lion, but the true lion costume is a beautiful and impressive interpretation that resembles the same style as many Chinese dragons. Check out the Youtube videos at the bottom of the blog to see what the children watched today in class!


We played rhythm instruments during our very own "lion dance" and made a simple beat very similiar to the traditional one using castanets and tambourines. The rhythm was "tah-tah-tucka-tah" or quarter, quarter, two eights, quarter. Look for the video that shows how well the four year olds played this rhythm!

_________________________________________________________________________

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR FROM JOYFUL NOISE!

Check out our very own lion dance!

TRADITIONAL LION DANCE

This is the video we watched in class on Tuesday. See how these two men work together in the lion costume to perform some pretty amazing moves!

Week of January 3rd, 2011

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone's 2011 is off to a wonderful start!

We had a great time in music class doing some different things with each age group! Younger children danced with scarves and did fingergplays and peek-a-boo songs!

Our fours group prepared for a winter music performance in Fellowship Hall, and the threes class did fingerplays and songs and also used the parachute.

Our school age class had a great time making home made rainsticks with chip/puff canisters. First we decorated the outside of the container and then added twisted newspaper and small beans to create an interesting rain sound. If you are interested in making rainsticks or other homeade instruments with your child, please see the resource link below.

Thanks and have a great week!
Miss Chantal

MOM AND DAD CONNECT

__________________________

Home Made Instruments

Easy to make rainstick