Playing Catchup!

It has been a long summer for my student at Ernestine's, and she was thrilled to get back to it! Before we could play any music she had to fill me in on all of the "drama" happening at school. What kids are fun to hang out with and which friends aren't so friendly. Then I got a break down of this students favourite pets! Including two snakes and a rat! These are some of my favourite moments in a lesson - seeing a student be so comfortable in the space with you they can be open and share, and know they have room to make mistakes and explore new skills while being supported! And we did of course review all that we had learned in the spring before summer break!

Gold Cats Eat Apples

My ukulele student struggles with spelling and reading, and this affects their ability to recall names of chords and parts of the ukulele. So this week we played around with some silly mnemonic devices! We created our own silly phrases to remember the names of the strings. G C E A Gold Cats Eat Apples. And when we had issues with spelling or printing we laughed and worked through it together. Only time will tell if it works to help out memories long term!

Spring Forward!

Today was a joyous one at Ernestine. Not only did we have a couple of new friends join the group, but we also had participation from some slightly older siblings who used to come out last year. The older kids displayed a ton of enthusiasm, and even helped the youngest ones with movement and dancing! There was also more singing than usual from some of the parents today, especially during a parachute rendition of Baby Beluga. The kids are getting better with their clapping and sharing every week. Looking forward to the weeks ahead!

Sugar Rush!

This was a particularly high energy week at Ernestine, as I saw some of the kids wolfing down chocolate bars before I arrived. Our group was a bit smaller, as a number of families have moved out of the shelter, but those who attended were still excited and eager to take part. One of the staff members was particularly excited that one kid who often doesn’t attend the shelter programming was present for the first time all year. So, even though some friends have had to say goodbye, there are still new friends to be made!

Opening Up!

This week’s class at Ernestine’s was tons of fun. The kids and parents were not at all shy to see a different instructor for the week and were ready to show me all that Steven had taught them so far. Great staff too! There was one boy, however, who seemed a bit shy at first. I was pleasantly surprised when I asked the crowd, “What do the doors on the bus do?”, and he finally opened up and confidently said, “Open and shut!” From that point on he was very involved. It’s always great to see kids gain confidence through music. 

Valentine's!

The kids were very excitable this week. Lots of running around the class, which was occasionally distracting, but luckily the grown-ups were there to help keep everyone together or take anyone who needed a breather outside the room. We continued singing songs about body parts, but this week we sang love songs to body parts, like Everybody Knows I Love My Toes, and My Belly Button. We finished off with You Are My Sunshine, and a parachute version of Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Everybody was feeling the spirit of Valentine's.

Counting and Bouncing!

I'm so impressed by how far the kids at Ernestine have come in their rhythmic participation. They were clapping along for the Hello song before it even began! We did a number of counting songs, and the kids were proud to show how quickly they could count. Then there was a sudden spike in energy and I rearranged the class to include every bouncing song I know (which were all very well received). By the end of the class, I think everyone (parents included) was ready for a well-earned nap.

More Parents!

This week was one of the most fun classes at Ernestine in a while. The staff at the shelter made a couple of announcements stressing the importance of parental attendance, and the turnout was much better than in previous weeks. While some seemed shy at first, by the end the parents were having as much fun (if not more) than the kids! There were lots of opportunities for parent-child bonding, and hugs were all around. I'm also so proud of how far the kids have come with remembering the lyrics and singing along, and they are sharing instruments during jam time without having to be reminded. Today we focused on the tambourine, and the grown-ups provided some nice fancy flourishes. All in all, today was a joy from beginning to end.

Shake Our Sillies Out

We had a slightly smaller group this week, and unfortunately not a lot of parents. Nonetheless, the kids were engaged and extremely high-energy. In fact, I wonder if moving to a slightly larger room (like the playroom) might be a good option in the future where there would be more space for parents and fewer couches for the kids to crawl over during classes.  Regardless, the attention in the room became focused on the maracas, which we shared one by one around the room. Eventually all the kids got maracas, and we had an extra-long jam session with just maracas (the kids have a great feel for shaking in time!). Next week we’ll start making use of all of the instruments in the bag.

Rainy Day Rainbow Songs

Though the weather was mucky this week, the kids were so excited for the return of RSF that they quite literally screamed at the top of their lungs when I arrived. What a wonderful welcome! The kids were extraordinarily jumpy and hyperactive this week, so there were lots of moving songs, including a great version of Elephants Marching, where all the kids held hands around the circle. Instead of a big jam session this week, I decided to pass one drum around the room, to start off the session with sharing the instruments. It went quite well, and I think it will set a good precedent for upcoming weeks. Unfortunately, no parents showed up this time, but I spoke with the shelter supervisor who said she would stress the importance of parental attendance for next week.