When people think of the song, March of the Toys from the operetta Babes in Toyland, it is usually thought of as a Christmas song. However, this delightful little number can be used in the preschool classroom year-round for teaching a variety of musical concepts, including keeping a steady beat, improvisation and creative movement. Here are a couple of easy to use ideas to use with this song:
1. Pull out the rhythm sticks and let the children follow the steady beat as the song plays. The tempo of this march is slow enough that it is perfectly suited to introducing preschoolers to the concept of steady beat. Remember, that some children will be able to do this task quite easily and for others, keeping a steady beat is not so easy. Do not worry about the children that are having a difficult time - they are probably having a good time hitting the rhythm sticks together or tapping them on the floor - and eventually the concept of keeping a steady beat will come together for them!
2. Laminate a picture of a toy soldier, a doll, a teddy bear and a ball. Ask the students if these toys can walk on their own. Then ask them to pretend that these toys have come to life! How would each of these toys walk if they were to come to life? Let the children show you how a doll, a toy soldier, a teddy bear and even a ball would walk if they were to come to life. Group the children together, some will be soldiers, some dolls, some teddy bears and some balls and let each of the groups take turns marching around the room as the music plays. This is a wonderful activity to teach abstract thinking skills and improvisation along with creative movement.
Remember to have fun with your students as you do these activities. It is always wonderful to watch the little ones learn to use their imagination and learn new skills. Be proud of yourself for helping to guide the children into a world of fun and imagination!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Finding a Voice Teacher for Your Child
So, you've decided to sign your child up for voice lessons. Good for you!! The study of correct vocal technique is becoming a lost art in out society. I have a few ideas on how to have a successful experience with a voice teacher. Read them over and let me know what you think, and remember, these suggestions are here for the benefit of your child.
1. Make sure the teacher uses classical teaching methods. This does not mean that the student sings only classical music - the teacher may use folk music, Broadway, gospel, children's tunes, Christmas songs, jazz, blues, etc. What is does mean is that the teacher is laying a foundation of proper vocal technique by teaching the fundamentals of proper singing. A reputable voice teacher WILL NOT encourage a young child (generally under the age of 16), to belt. "Little Orphan Annie" type of singing should not be part of the vocal instruction.
2. Realize that progress is slow but steady. Vocal study is tedious work, especially for a child. Breath maintenance, vocal placement, singing on pitch, sight reading, note reading, interpretation of the vocal text, posture alignment; these are all elements that must addressed in voice lessons. Sometimes a teacher will spend 10 or 15 minutes perfecting only 4 measures of music; if the child cannot focus his attention on such minute, detailed work for at least 10 minutes, he is not ready for voice lessons!!
3. Find a teacher who is approachable and will put the child (and parent) at ease. Vocal study is a very personal endeavor and if the student is uncomfortable with the teacher, she will never be able to abandon her inhibitions and sing with freedom.
4. As a general rule, voice lessons are most successful when started around age 12. There are always exceptions to the rule, but for a whole slew of developmental reasons, this is a good guideline to follow. I usually encourage parents to sign children up for piano lessons for two years before embarking on voice lessons. The child will have a head-start on some of the theoretical aspects of voice lessons (like note reading) if piano is studied for at least 2 years prior to the start of voice lessons.
1. Make sure the teacher uses classical teaching methods. This does not mean that the student sings only classical music - the teacher may use folk music, Broadway, gospel, children's tunes, Christmas songs, jazz, blues, etc. What is does mean is that the teacher is laying a foundation of proper vocal technique by teaching the fundamentals of proper singing. A reputable voice teacher WILL NOT encourage a young child (generally under the age of 16), to belt. "Little Orphan Annie" type of singing should not be part of the vocal instruction.
2. Realize that progress is slow but steady. Vocal study is tedious work, especially for a child. Breath maintenance, vocal placement, singing on pitch, sight reading, note reading, interpretation of the vocal text, posture alignment; these are all elements that must addressed in voice lessons. Sometimes a teacher will spend 10 or 15 minutes perfecting only 4 measures of music; if the child cannot focus his attention on such minute, detailed work for at least 10 minutes, he is not ready for voice lessons!!
3. Find a teacher who is approachable and will put the child (and parent) at ease. Vocal study is a very personal endeavor and if the student is uncomfortable with the teacher, she will never be able to abandon her inhibitions and sing with freedom.
4. As a general rule, voice lessons are most successful when started around age 12. There are always exceptions to the rule, but for a whole slew of developmental reasons, this is a good guideline to follow. I usually encourage parents to sign children up for piano lessons for two years before embarking on voice lessons. The child will have a head-start on some of the theoretical aspects of voice lessons (like note reading) if piano is studied for at least 2 years prior to the start of voice lessons.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
My Hat It Has Three Corners
My hat it has three corners
Three corners has my hat
And had it not three corners
It would not be my hat
This song can be a bit of a challenge for preschoolers. So let me suggest different ways of teaching it; the layering of teaching approaches seems to be the key to helping preschoolers learn all the elements of this song.
1. Just sing it. When doing this step, don't try to "teach". Simply sing and model the hand movements for this song. In case you are not familiar with this song, let me tell you about the hand movements that accompany it.
My hat it has three corner
Three corners has my hat
And had it not three corners
It would not be my hat
Everytime you sing the word "hat", point to your head, when you sing "three", hold up three fingers and when you sing "corners", point to your shoulders. The trick with this song is that you sing it several times: The first time you just sing it through. The second time, you omit the word "hat" and just point to your head, the 3rd time, you omit the words "hat" and "three" but keep the gestures, and the 4th time you omit "hat", "three" and "corners". This is very challenging for preschoolers, but with a bit of practice, they will catch on!
2. Create a rebus of the song. Use drawings of a hat, a number three and a triangle (for corners) as a substitute for the words. Each time you omit a word in the song, cover up that picture. The children love this and will definitely let you know when you cover up the wrong word!!
3. Act it out. Choose one child to be "hat", one to be "three" and one to be "corners". Whoever has that word must crouch down and then come back up whenever they hear their word in the song. You can also let a group of children be each word.
The key to teaching preschoolers to sing something difficult is to present the song in different ways. The repetition of learning will help the song become second nature to them. If you want to teach My Hat It Has Three Corners, then set aside 10 minutes of class time everyday for 5-7 days. You'll be surprised at how quickly your preschoolers will put this whole song together.
*recommended version of this song is by: The C.R.S. Players
Three corners has my hat
And had it not three corners
It would not be my hat
This song can be a bit of a challenge for preschoolers. So let me suggest different ways of teaching it; the layering of teaching approaches seems to be the key to helping preschoolers learn all the elements of this song.
1. Just sing it. When doing this step, don't try to "teach". Simply sing and model the hand movements for this song. In case you are not familiar with this song, let me tell you about the hand movements that accompany it.
My hat it has three corner
Three corners has my hat
And had it not three corners
It would not be my hat
Everytime you sing the word "hat", point to your head, when you sing "three", hold up three fingers and when you sing "corners", point to your shoulders. The trick with this song is that you sing it several times: The first time you just sing it through. The second time, you omit the word "hat" and just point to your head, the 3rd time, you omit the words "hat" and "three" but keep the gestures, and the 4th time you omit "hat", "three" and "corners". This is very challenging for preschoolers, but with a bit of practice, they will catch on!
2. Create a rebus of the song. Use drawings of a hat, a number three and a triangle (for corners) as a substitute for the words. Each time you omit a word in the song, cover up that picture. The children love this and will definitely let you know when you cover up the wrong word!!
3. Act it out. Choose one child to be "hat", one to be "three" and one to be "corners". Whoever has that word must crouch down and then come back up whenever they hear their word in the song. You can also let a group of children be each word.
The key to teaching preschoolers to sing something difficult is to present the song in different ways. The repetition of learning will help the song become second nature to them. If you want to teach My Hat It Has Three Corners, then set aside 10 minutes of class time everyday for 5-7 days. You'll be surprised at how quickly your preschoolers will put this whole song together.
*recommended version of this song is by: The C.R.S. Players
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Followers
