Today was a sunny affair at the Plaza, outside and inside. The kids were singing the lyrics and making signs for all the songs, and even the kids who didn’t know the songs as well as some of the others picked up on things almost instantly! We had a request for Baby Shark, and sang lots of water animal songs to follow. An extended jam and a parachute to 5 Little Monkeys made for non-stop jumping for joy.
Great class at Robertson House today! There were lots of smiles from young ones as we passed the very soothing Mbira (thumb piano) around. We also had a lot of fun jamming out to Yellow Submarine. I asked everyone to strike their drums whenever my foot stomped on the floor and they followed along so well! It was fun to try different rhythms with my feet and see if they could keep up. Looking forward to another great class next week!
The shift in residents at Redwood has brought a slightly older group of children into our weekly music sessions – between 5 and 11 years old. That means we're singing and dancing our way through more interactive songs, where the kids can give suggestions and use their imaginations, like pretending to be animals or making up silly rhymes. It's definitely a different kind of challenge for me, but they're very game and willing to try!
This week we were back in the playroom at Ernestine, but rather than try to get the kids to ignore the toys, I decided to bring them into songs – like using the toy bus for Wheels on the Bus (with an extra verse about the wheels on the tow truck, by request), the toy frog, and even some extra instruments. One of the kids had a harmonica, and I instructed her on how to make two different notes on it so she could accompany the guitar for Everybody Knows I Love My Toes. It turned into a proper blues number! The kids loved the turtle puppet this week, giving it high fives and hugs, and were enthralled by the thunder tube, which they shared very well. Some of the older kids are singing along to every word of certain songs, and clapping without any prompts. They’re great!
I was greeted by a couple of kids eagerly awaiting music class at the door this Tuesday, and there were too many high fives to count. This energy only got more enthusiastic as the class went on and more kids filtered in, some of whom were new to the program. I made sure there were lots of easy-to-learn songs, and repetition of songs with certain body parts. The kids love Head and Shoulders as a speed-up song, along with The Bicycle Song and Train is A-Comin'. By the time we finished the standing and moving songs, they were able to tame the sometimes explosive energy that accompanies the instrument bag. We finished off with a very pleasant rendition of The Lion Sleeps Tonight, and a rocking Jackson 5's ABC for the parachute.
So great to be back at Robertson House for another session! We had an eager crowd today with basically a split between babies and four-year-olds. Right from the get-go, moms and kids were paying close attention and really putting their best effort into the Hello song. It's so nice to see kids enthusiastically repeating what I sing when it's a 'repeat-after-me' song. Looking forward to lots of singing and dancing this session!
Today I brought the ocean drum for instrument of the week. We all took turns tilting the drum from side to side and watching the little ball bearings run across the surface of the drum. The kids and grown-ups alike were amazed by how much it sounded like waves crashing on the beach. The kids enjoyed tapping the drum as well.
It was a full house this week with lots of new faces at the Redwood! Despite the change in people, the high energy levels we've come to expect here didn't change at all! We were celebrating Earth Week, so we explored all different manners of moving around that don't require fuel / small vehicles, with lots of suggestions from our young participants. What better way to end that with a dance-filled jam? (Hint: There is no better way!)
We had a change of scenery today, having our class in the TV room instead of the playroom. This was good, as there were no distractions from toys, and we got to focus on clapping and rhythm for the songs. The kids got a bit restless towards the end, but everyone perked up for the rain stick, and the kids were very patient waiting their turns as we sang Listen to the Water and Thunder Pounding. Excited to sing some spring songs next week!
After the weekend’s storm, it was nice to sing some sunny songs with the group at the Plaza. To coincide with Earth Day, we sang lots of songs about trees, rain, and the environment, and played with the rain stick as the instrument of the week. I’m loving the enthusiasm of some of the grown-ups in this group, with some of them calling out suggestions during certain participation songs, like Old MacDonald. More sunny sessions on the horizon!
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