TeachCreativity

It just occurred to me that some of the music educators' groups I belong to online may be of interest to you. They're all different, but each one has great ideas, discussions and activities relating to various aspects of music education.

The Music Education Bloggers Tribe is a group on Facebook which I really like. If you have a blog, you are invited to join, but anyone can view the page and its discussions, activities, and excellent links. There are early childhood folks, piano teachers and general music teachers, all with a passion for music education.

The Music Educator's Group on LinkedIn is also very interesting and informative. Again, it's a mixed bag of different kinds of music educators, but when I check in there I almost always learn something.

Music Education Professional Learning Network (musicpln.org) is a large organization which helpfully has sub-groups devoted to different areas. There is an Early Childhood group where lots of excellent ideas and links are shared. I came across this site by accident and I'm very glad I did!

I hope you find these groups interesting and helpful! I'm always happy to find others with great ideas on early childhood music education!!

Improvisation helps children learn cognitive concepts, social skills, and creative thinking skills, among others. Read my new article "Ten Ways Improvisation Helps Young Children Learn," featured on one of my favorite websites, Creativity Portal, here: http://www.creativity-portal.com/articles/abby-connors/improvisation-helps-children-learn.html

What does repetition have to do with creative thinking? Actually quite a bit, for young children.

I love reading novels, but if I started reading one in which the main character met other people one by one, asked them each the same question, and received the same answer, I would find it annoyingly monotonous and stop reading it.

For young children, though, this is exactly the kind of story they like. They can comprehend it - that keeps them listening. They can predict what comes next - that makes them feel capable and confident. And they can join in the telling of the story - with chanting, singing, or sound effects like stomping their feet - which engages them in the creative act of storytelling.

Here are some of my favorite repetitive stories for young children:

1. The Gingerbread Man - the Eric Kimmel version is my favorite. I also add a running motion with arms to the chanting or singing of the rhyme.

2, Henny Penny by Paul Galdone. Repeating "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" in a nervous chicken voice always gets kids giggling.

3. The Enormous Potato by Aubrey Davis. One at a time, everyone in a large family, including pets, helps to pull out the potato - "and they pulled and they pulled" is repeated each time. I add a pulling motion with my arms.

4. Stop That Pickle! by Peter Armour. In this "Gingerbread Man"-inspired tale, a runaway pickle is chased by other foods, each of whom calls out, "Stop that pickle!" Kids absolutely love this nonsensical story.

5. We're Going on a Picnic by Pat Hutchins. A silly chicken, duck and goose go off on a picnic, not noticing that their food is being eaten out of the basket by small animals as they stroll along. Several times they repeat the song, "We're going on a picnic!" Children love feeling smarter than the oblivious picnickers, and the repeated refrain keeps them engaged in the story.

What are some of your favorite repetitive stories?

In the category of "we-knew-this-all-along-but-now-they've-done-a-study-about-it":

http://musicwithmissleslie.com/hand-clapping-songs-boost-brain-development-in-children

I highly recommend this site,  musicwithmissleslie.com, in general. Leslie Denning shares lots of wonderful ideas for teaching music to young children.

If you teach young children, you know how annoying and frustrating constant interruptions can be. But some interruptions are actually a positive thing - and all interruptions can be a wonderful tool to give us feedback as to the effectiveness of our teaching. Read more in my article "I Love Interruptions!" in the surrent issue of Teachers Net Gazette: http://teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/abigail-flesch-connors/i-love-interruptions/

My favorite cute and/or creative moments of the week! (Names have been changed for privacy)

When we sang “Old MacDonald” about a cat, Mandy continued to be cat for the rest of the lesson, meowing and licking her paws.

After feeding my puppet, one girl said to it, “Don’t burp!”

Kaley sang a song after spinning around (to the tune of “Skip to My Lou”) – “Okay, I’m Getting Really Dizzy!”

When playing jingle bells, Zack hung the jingle bell bracelet on his ear and shook it that way!

Rhythm instruments can be an expensive investment, especially for freelance teachers. Here are some things I look for when choosing rhythm instruments for young children.

1. Durability and safety. A few years ago I bought shakers from a reputable online company. Within two weeks my students had broken two of them! Anyone who works with young children knows they enjoy banging things on the floor, right? Apparently not the manufacturer of these shakers. Not only did the shakers break easily, but when they did, out spilled handfuls of rocks! Sharp, gravelly little bits of rocks. I was appalled. I’ve also bought wooden instruments that had sharp, splintery surfaces right out of the box. Since these experiences, I try to read reviews on Amazon and other sites written by actual teachers to see if the products will truly be durable and safe for young children to use.

2. Ease of use. Young children should be able to hold and manipulate the instrument easily, and play it in a variety of ways without a lot of effort. Some instruments advertised for young children are actually rather big and bulky for most three- and four-year-olds. Also, beware of triangles that come with separate loop holders to slip the triangle through – the triangles keep falling out, making it nearly impossible (and very frustrating) for young children to play on their own. Look for the kind with a loop which actually goes through a hole in the top of the triangle. This small improvement makes the triangle much easier to play.

3. A pleasant sound. Many instruments are really horribly loud when a group of children is playing. Some tambourines and jingle bells, in particular, can be near-deafening. Aside from the fact that music should be pleasant to listen to, loudness is a safety issue. Chronic and acute exposure to loud noises can cause hearing loss, especially in young children, whose auditory systems are still developing. If you have trouble speaking or singing over the sound of the instruments, they are too loud for young children. (Of course, children should always be encouraged to play rhythm instruments with a gentle touch.)

4. Long-lasting attractiveness. In particular, watch out for paint. Painted instruments, such as wooden maracas, can be beautiful. But young children are notoriously tough on instruments, banging them on every available surface. Within a surprisingly short period of time, your beautiful instruments may have half the paint scraped off or worn away. Instead of pretty and cheerful, they look shabby and old. Try to find unpainted instruments that will look good for years to come.

A good rule of thumb is to buy one instrument (or the smallest number available) and check it out for yourself. Play it as loud as you can, bang it on the floor, and give it the young-child treatment for a while before you invest in a large number of instruments. In other words, try it before you buy it.

Too often we need to buy rhythm instruments online – not only sight unseen but “sound unheard.” But with a little forethought, research, and a “try before you buy” policy, we can make wise choices and select instruments our students will enjoy for many years.

My favorite cute and/or creative moments of the week! (Names have been changed for privacy)

When improvising with a xylophone, Veronica gently tapped the mallet on the xylophone keys, and then very gently on her nose!

Shane told me excitedly that today is his hamster’s birthday and the hamster is going shopping for a present!

After we sang “Five Green and Speckled Frogs,” Carson, an enthusiastic four-year-old, ran up to me to tell me his idea for a new song – about frogs who play on the slide at the playground (like in a story we had read)!

“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.” - Dianne Ackerman

If you work with young children you know how true this is. Remember it's true for grownups too!

My favorite cute and/or creative moments of the week! (Names have been changed for privacy)

When we were improvising to a song called “Do You Know the Stomping Man,” Krita invented the Rainbow Man, creating a graceful rainbow movement with her arms.

During a song, Monica and Ella, sitting next to each other, put their feet together and had them dance together to the beat!

A little girl named Aisha told me her cousin’s favorite song was “Single Ladies.” I asked her if her cousin was older, and she said, “No, she’s three!”