A Rocking Return!

It’s so great to return to the Plaza after what feels like ages! Before we even started the class, some of the kids were singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” with Karen, which was a great sign.  The kids listened and responded very attentively, and were able to repeat rhythms with ease.  We all had a great time on our feet with the “Hokey Pokey”, “5 Little Monkeys”, and “What are You Wearing”, and for IOTW the kids all tapped out the 5 Little Monkeys rhythm on the hand drum.  The parents participated and sang along throughout, and you could feel the positivity in the air.  I’m so happy to be back, and it seems like everyone at the Plaza is too!

Happy Faces!

We had a great class at Robertson House today! The best part was seeing the happy looks on the faces of two newcomers to the class. A boy who was attending the class for the first time was smiling as soon as he walked in the door and loved being handed a drum to jam out with. The other participants had a particularly fun time shaking their maracas up and down as we sang “Shake It Baby Shake It!” A fun class overall! 

Moving and Grooving!

We had a great start of the session at Robertson House this week. The class was full of familiar faces with some new participants as well. One moment we all enjoyed together was passing the djembe around and dancing to the beat. At one point we had individuals step into the centre of the circle to dance one at a time as we chanted their name to the beat. The kids had a lot of fun with this and the parents enjoyed seeing their young ones move to the music. I can’t wait for more classes like this in the weeks to come! 

Fun Finale!

Energy and spirits were high for our final class of the session (and of the decade)! Though there were some adventurous crawlers, there were also many moments of focus and engagement from both kids and parents that showed that they’ve really taken in a lot of the music over this session, and were participating with more comfort and excitement than we started the session with. We ended with an extended holiday songs jam, and lots of high fives. More fun in the new year to be had!

Reunited

It was nice to be back at Arise for our last class of the session last night, after we had to cancel the last couple weeks due to a lack of staff on-site. We were all happy to be reunited! The evening felt very festive with two Christmas trees in the room, and crafted decorations from the kids on the walls. As it was our last class I ran a “request week,” with some requests including a throwback to Halloween - Spooky Witch - as well as some more classics - Elephants Have Wrinkles, Shut the Door, and Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

One girl who will be moving out soon was sad that it was her last time seeing me. She ADORED music class and would always sing and dance with enthusiasm. She is naturally musically talented, remembering melodies and words with skill and paying close attention to detail. I let her know that I thought as much and told her to keep singing, which she seemed happy to hear. The group also enjoyed getting their certificates, books, and maracas. One mother asked for her own certificate, as she always participated, so we wrote one for her as well. It was a really beautiful last class!

A Fitting End!

We had a great last class at Robertson House this week. The group of participants this session was always so engaged and our last class of the year was no exception. One great moment I witnessed was a two-year-old boy jumping with his fists in the air when it came time to "dance and dance and dance" during our rendition of What Are You Wearing? This was a particularly rhythmic group of kids and parents, and I was always so impressed at their natural ability to dance, sing and clap to the beat. Looking forward to our next session!

Curiosity Abounds

Today was essentially a private class for a child and his mom, as everyone else was out with appointments. However, it seemed to be a great time for him—he kept trying to explore the room, but was always able to bring himself back into the circle, repeating lyrics and hand motions (with some grown-up guidance). The best part of the class was watching him and his mom exchange so much affection throughout the class, getting silly and playing with each other. It’s wonderful that music can bring that out of people.

Farewell For Now

Spirits are always high at Ernestine, but everyone seemed particularly excited during our final class of the session.  It was nice to be joined by one child again, as she always remembers the words to the songs and helps guide her younger sister, who has grown so much throughout our short fall session! After all our favourite songs (and a guest appearance by a fire truck), we passed around the Vibraslap while everyone kept up a beat on their hands and knees, which transitioned into a raucous jam. We finished off with Twist and Shout and classic parachute shaking. I look forward to starting up again in the new year with this lovely group!

Dazzling Dynamics!

We had a great class at Robertson House last week. With great participation from kids and grown-ups, we were able to really work together to get the most out of each song and activity. I was very impressed with the group’s use of dynamics when we were singing our circle scales, loud at first then soft. It’s a really fun group right now, and it’s great to see families enjoying singing and dancing together.

Great Stuff!

The kids were so focused today! Normally there are a few instances where I have to rein things in because there are so many toys and books in the room, but today there were no distractions. I’m sure a big part of that had to do with the parental engagement, which aside from a bit of chatting here and there, was very enthusiastic, especially during clapping or tickling parts where the parents could directly engage with the kids. Our friend from the kitchen showed up with big smiles again, and we finished off with a big bouncing Baby Beluga on the parachute. Great stuff!