Helpful Hands

Today the kids were already clapping before I started the Hello song, so we warmed up with as many clapping songs as I could think of. When we followed with songs like Head and Shoulders and Bath Time, the kids were quick to shout out the names of all the body parts in the songs. However, the call and response of body parts was a bit less successful during Elephants Have Wrinkles, but maybe the kids and grown-ups just needed to hear it a couple more times. Regardless, the kids were still enthusiastic and ready to help bring out the instrument bag, with so many kids helping carry it that I didn’t need to lift it for them at all! Great helpers!

A Giddy Goodbye!

Aside from a lower turnout today (election day), we had a fun time with our Robertson House class. We learned all sorts of rhythms on the instrument of the week, the guiro, as we danced and sang to All the Babies Love Bananas. It was clear that no one wanted to leave by the end because the kids couldn’t stop dancing even for our goodbye song. Love the energy of this class!

Movers and Signers!

We had a great class this week with our CultureLink participants. With more of a 3 to 5 age range, it’s not too hard to get the group moving. We stood up this week for a lively Head and Shoulders, and then practiced following red lights and green lights during I Have a Little Bicycle. Lots of movement! Lots of signing, too! The kids and grown-ups are really keen on getting all the signs right for each name in the class. Great to see such enthusiasm!

So Long For Now

This was our final session of the year together, but that didn't dampen our spirits. We set our sights on learning a few new things today, starting with Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (the favourite song of our youngest member), but this time I taught everyone the sign language that goes with the lyrics. Then we learned Five Little Pumpkins, as Halloween was less than two weeks away. After that, we sang some of our all-time favourites, like Sleeping Bunnies and Baby Shark. I made sure we spent extra time on our jam together, and when things were getting a little raucous, I learned a really valuable tool from the coordinator. Before the instruments were distributed, there was some panicking over who was going to play with what, so she had us all sit for a moment with our hands in our lap, take a deep breath in, let it out, and say, "I am patient". It was incredible! I've been doing this with myself to find moments of calm ever since. I always treasure my time at the Redwood, and this was certainly no exception.

Follow that BEAT!

Today at Birkdale all the children got an opportunity to take the lead as they played rhythms on the drum! As each child played, everyone moved their feet around the room to their unique beat. Each child was excited to get their own turn on the drum and made the most of their turn!

Scaling Up!

Today I added a new warm up (after Roly Poly, which the kids always love). We sang up and down the scale with Solfege signs, and the kids and grown-ups learned them almost instantaneously! We transitioned into the Button and Flea songs, and then sang the Itsy Bitsy Spider, which even some of the newer grown-ups recognized (one of the kids started calling out the lyrics before we even began). Once we had made our rounds with some standing and dancing songs, I brought back the scale from the beginning of class, getting everyone to hold hands in a circle and sing "Hello" up the scale while walking in, and "Goodbye" sliding all the way out. The kids loved it, and I think I'll bring a stretchy band next time to add even more excitement to the exercise. Looking forward to sharing some Halloween songs next week!

Hello Everybody!

We had a great first class with our CultureLink participants today. The kids and grown-ups were impressively focused as we went around and learned the letter signs for each person’s name. After an enthusiastic Hello song, we were off to the races with a slow then sped up version of Head and Shoulders and a very rhythmic version of Baby Shark, among others. Looking forward to a great session with CultureLink!

A Little Bit Silly

We were a smaller group this week, so I think everyone was feeling a bit more exposed, and therefore shyer than usual. To break the ice, I brought out some of my silliest songs with nonsense words and kookie actions. After that, we settled into learning a bit more about the technical aspects of music, namely Solfege. We learned how to sing the scale as well as the hand signs that go with it. We finished up with the Agogo, a Brazilian instrument that's similar to a cow bell, and one of the parents helped us sing Oye Como Va, complete with a translation.

Latin Style!

Today I brought the Agogo from Brazil and the caregivers and kids alike really enjoyed trying to play a few different rhythms. We listened to popular Latin songs and practiced keeping the beat with the Agogo. I also brought a special number of the week and practiced tracing the number with the kids.

Requesting: More Bunnies!

It was great to be back at the Plaza Hotel after being absent the previous week, and I was glad to see that the kids hadn't forgotten me, or any of their favourite songs! In fact, one of them kept calling out for Sleeping Bunnies before every song I played. Though this didn't affect enthusiasm for any of the other songs, the response to Sleeping Bunnies was, in a word, uproarious. The kids also took quite well to the train songs, racing with delight when the trains started to move faster and faster. This energy translated very well to our jam session, where I was amazed by how well the kids listened to my directions on when to start and stop. They were also so enthusiastic about helping to move the jam bag that I didn't even have to help! What a great group!