Class was great yesterday! We played "How to Skip" on our bells, sang "I've Been to Harlem" with our happy (major) faces and our sad (minor) faces, and also experienced how a song written in a minor key can also be beautiful like in our lullaby "Sleep My Treasure". And, or course, we had a blast actively listening to our "Triumphant March" puppet show with the parachute!

When playing "How to Skip" with your child point at the music on page 56 and ask guiding questions such as "Does that go up or down?" and "Is it a baby step or a skip?" rather than giving the answer of what bell to play next. And remember that the "x" is TI below the big DO bell (just tap the floor beside your bell case or use the pretend purple TI bell I gave you in class). 

Remember, if you notice that you’re child isn’t quite singing on pitch yet, don’t despair, it will come. One of the best ways help it is to have them sing. That is why in class I encourage singing. Even if they aren’t right on they should sing, sing, sing. As nonsensical as it sounds, singing out loud is one of the keys to hear it inside. Singing in tune while listening to the music is a fantastic way to internalize pitch, intervals, chords, and chord progression. Listen to the music album and sing the songs! Listen to different music you and they enjoy and sing along! Sing while they get ready in the morning or get in pajamas at bedtime! Sing while you do chores! In the car! There are so many opportunities to sing. :)

I've Been to Harlem

We took out the Do, Mi and Sol bells and played them all at the same time to create a "red" chord. We called this happy or "major"! I then changed the MIDDLE bell to make the sound sound sad or "minor". It's important for them to know that the MIDDLE note is the one that changes this sound. We are training the ears to recognize the difference between the two tonalities which helps us to recognize that music can help touch our emotions and influence those listening to music.

Dinosaur Song

We learned this new song today where we identify notes going up or down by moving our bodies and singing. The more senses you use as you learn the more your brain cements and internalizes the concepts.

Sleep, My Treasure

This lullaby increases the student's expressive awareness and reinforce major verses minor sounds.

How to Skip

In this activity we learned how to play steps and skips from notes written on the staff. Yes, we were reading music by looking at the relationships of the notes. Looking for the patterns and relationships of the notes to each other is the optimal way to sight read music. 

For a fun twist as you listen to our new "Sleep My Treasure" song, you can invite your kiddo to rock a stuffed animal while they listen. This helps them with keeping a steady beat, internalizing the beat and expanding their musical expressive awareness. So many great things from one little activity! 

I value open and honest communication so please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or comments.

Thank you!