On the One!

This was such a fun class! Both in terms of rhythm and melody, we focused on finding our musical “home,” whether that’s the beginning of a bar or the tonic note of the scale. After some vocal warm ups, we practiced singing up and down the scale, and singing in harmony at various intervals. Then we moved to the piano and took turns improvising around the C major scale, with total freedom of movement around the keyboard with the goal of arriving back at C. Then it was time to bring out the percussion instruments. The kids loved the vibraslap! We also had a couple of cowbells, guiro, tambourine, and bells, and I encouraged the kids to explore different rhythms to a song chosen by one of the kids. As we listened, we practiced bringing our rhythms together on the 1 count of every bar. It was an exhilarating way to finish, and when we checked out, everybody said they were feeling happy and energized. So was I!