Helps for Keeping a Steady Beat

When children practice, especially as things get easier, the tendency is to get faster and faster until they've raced through the song.  Speed racing is never a good thing when it comes to practicing :)  As the rhythms are introduced with the bugs, the tempo can really vary depending on how well their hands are able to clap them.  In second year students are introduced to the metronome.

One sure way to help them feel the beat and start internalizing it along with the "BUGS" is to use a metronome.   In LPM we sometimes refer to it as the "BEAT BUG., or TICK TOCK"  Metronomes are an invaluable tool when learning music and the sooner students are exposed to one, the easier it is for them to practice with one. They can be inexpensively purchased at local music stores or online and are great to have in preparation for learning the piano starting next semester.  However, if you aren't able to get a metronome there are some great apps and online tools.

For iPod search the app store under the music category and there are several to choose from.

For those who want an online metronome try this website:  http://www.webmetronome.com/

When practicing with a metronome it is a good idea to start slower then work your way up.  For clapping our bug rhythms I would start at about a walking tempo, around 60 beats per minute, then work your way faster when your child can easily clap all the rhythms at that speed.

Happy Practicing!

Sound Beginnings - Shapes Coloring Page Link

This semester in Sound Beginnings we are exploring shapes.  As I was browsing the web, I found some awesome shape coloring pages that you could use in addition to our weekly "assignment."  Great for cutting out and making faces just like we did in class.

Crayola Shapes Coloring Pages
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Now Registering for Winter Semester of Sound Beginnings

Registration has begun for our winter semester of Sound Beginnings, SILVER BUTTONS.  Registration forms are available online (CLICK HERE Silver Buttons Reg. Form) or in person.  Semesters are non-sequential so kids can join at any point without missing and pre-requisites.

My experience with this program has been amazing!  I have a blast with these little ones and have marveled at the concepts that are grasped as young as 18 months.  My own son, 18 months, loves to practice the "Smart Moves" dances that teach kids to appreciate classical music.  He can recognize different themes and motives and do the "dance" associated with it and doesn't even know how much he is learning :)

What Is the Best Way to Do Bell Practice?

As a parent I know that sometimes other activities my child is interested in compete with all that they have to do, so keeping bell practice fresh and fun is important.  How can we do this? This answer from veteran LPM Teacher and administrator Jenny Smith:

"Tone bell practice should be fun for them and done at least once a week.  I like turning the CD on and putting the bells down by the CD player and just letting my child go at it- I walk away...  No pressure, just fun.  If they do this once a week, the children start to play along with the CD after a while... There is no set time to practice, when they get bored or stop having fun the learning opportunity is gone.  So my advice to t[you] would be to be enthusiastic in [your] tone of voice saying things like, "Let's see what your teacher wants you to do this week! I wonder if it will be hard or easy"  Or "I love playing bells, bells are so fun! What songs do you get to play this week?"    It all boils down to parent's attitude.  We just don't want to force, we want to encourage."

So go ahead and let them be free with what they are doing and they might just surprise you with what they can pick out by ear!

Practice Helps for Songs Ending in MRD or SSD

Looking ahead to lesson 6, we will be discussing different ending to songs (MRD and SSD).  If you aren't familiar with the "Five Ducks" song you can listen and sing along here:
http://www.kinderplanet.com/fiveduck.htm

You can also check out these other sites that have tunes and lyrics to additional songs:

http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/index.html

http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/musicchild.htm

http://www.theteachersguide.com/ChildrensSongs.htm

You can use any of the above sites to listen to random songs and ask, "does it end with a Mi re do?  Does it have a sol-sol-do?"  As we learn more and more patterns, you're child will start to recognize and catch on to more and more of the common melodies used in music. 

Off to a Great Start!

We've already done 3-4weeks of classes and have learned so much.  I bet your child doesn't realize that they've gotten so much good stuff out of play, but here's a list of what we've learned so far.

Concepts and skills introduced in Red Balloons this far:
Solfege and accompanying hand signs, Major scale (playing and terminology), following and imitating a given rhythm, recognizing themes in classical music, audiation, defining function of our primary chords, designating home pitch, identifying lines and spaces on the staff, imitating melodic patterns, and playing an ostinato on the bells, and singing in harmony using an ostinato.

Concepts and skills introduced in Sound Beginning White Horses Semester:
Feeling and keeping the beat, solfege, major scale ascending, in-tune singing, pitch matching, head register, tracking (reading concept/preparation for reading), singing and recognizing the alphabet, develoving recognition of theme and form in music, colors, numbers, developing relative pitch, time on a face clock, sequencing, name recognition

Almost here...

With school starting in less than a month (sigh), at least we have Let's Play Music to look forward to.  A few dates to mark on your calendar:

• August 2@ 10:30  Sound Beginnings Sample Class - come see what this new program is about

• August 16 @ 7:30  First Year Parent Orientation - I promise to make it fun (and keep it short)

• August 23 - Sound Beginnings (White Horses) and Let's Play Music (Red Balloons) Semesters start