Any Animal Can Hop

We had two new kids join us at Ernestine this Wednesday. While they seemed apprehensive at first, they were encouraged by their friend, who kept on checking in on them and asking if they were enjoying the songs (it was very sweet). By the time we got to Sleeping Bunnies, they were enthralled. In fact, they took to hopping at every opportunity in all the remaining songs, regardless of the song’s theme. We all know frogs can hop, but apparently so can cows, bicycles, and trains! There was a lot of parental engagement this week, which was wonderful to see. Parents were clapping along to almost every song, and their kids were visibly more engaged by the increased parental engagement. It was a very heartwarming class!

I'm back!

It was nice getting to see people who I have not seen in a long time at Jessie's. Some of the moms were there again with their second child and a lot of the staff were the same. The staff were all quite enthusiastic, and this got the moms and kids excited to join in on the fun. I focused heavily on Latin rhythms today and showed them the Agogo and the Cowbell. I challenged them and showed them some complicated rhythms and they handled them like champs!

New Beginnings

Today was a hit! Our first class had many smiles and lots of participation. I was anxious because this was a new location, but I was so impressed by how well received the class was. Despite it being the first day, many of the moms participated and followed the sign language right away. Even the kids were following along - they were very excited for jam time with the instruments and even more excited for the parachute. I can't wait to incorporate more activities and even showcase instruments of the week as the session continues. Excited for what's ahead!

Wake up!!

Today I noticed that the kids and caregivers had low energy so we started off the class with some high energy, Wake Up songs and songs where the kids could jump and move their bodies. It worked like a charm. The kids enjoyed the special instrument of the week, the Peruvian Spin Drum and we practiced songs that helped them keep a beat and learn the difference between single time and double time.

Perfect Percussion!

I am consistently amazed by how great the rhythmic skills of this group are. Though the jam session was a bit overwhelmingly loud today, both parents and children alike were not only playing their instruments in time, but adding creative flourishes and counter rhythms. Next time around, I’ll work some dynamics into the songs to tame the volume, but in general I am overjoyed to see the kids interacting with the music so passionately.

Right on the Beat!!

Today I challenged the caregivers and children to do a call and response percussion session. In this challenge, I tapped out a beat and they had to repeat it. I went from easy rhythms to more difficult, complicated ones, and they handled it like champs! I have a very musical, rhythmic group, indeed! The kids had a lot of fun playing the drums today and everyone treated their instruments well.

Clapping and Dancing

Our group definitely has some great rhythm - there was lots of clapping, knee slapping, and foot stomping, all right on cue - especially in Clap Your Hands and Sing 1, 2, 3! We also have some BIG fans of the parachute in this group; from the moment it came out until the moment it was put away, our group was dancing and giggling under the parachute.

Dance Party!

Wednesday’s class fell during an unprecedented heat wave, but that didn’t hurt anybody’s energy. In fact, the class was jumping around even more than usual. It seemed like at least one person was standing up to dance, regardless of the song. The Hokey Pokey was a highlight of the evening, with parents delighting in the collective dancing. That dancing energy made the jam session a little bit hectic, but Twist and Shout brought everybody back into focus, and even had a few passers by singing in the hall. Whether dancing, clapping, or jamming, I’m consistently impressed by the kids’ sense of rhythm. It’s wonderful to see.

Ooo-wee-oooo!

This week's class at Robertson House was full of positive energy. We had some returning participants and new ones as well. I was very impressed with the eagerness of the young ones to master all the hand actions while we were singing. Awesome clapping skills! I particularly enjoyed one moment while singing Lion Sleeps Tonight. A young girl put a lot of effort into singing way up high for the "Oooooooo-weee-ooo" part of the song. Always nice to have some help from the crowd on that part! Looking forward to another great class next week!

Gettin' in the Groove

We had a great time getting into the groove both musically and in terms of the structure of our class today! Some of the members of our class had a hard time sitting for the first bit, so we brought in lots of standing and moving songs. However, sitting for the Instrument of the Week and our jam time was no trouble at all! Our group was right into making their own sounds and music!