In both classes, we focused on our chord changing skills. We strummed to a steady beat and also practiced the Yellow Submarine chorus. Our new chord of the week was G. We had lots of fun with and practiced our chord chart reading skills.
Today we learned how to put together two very important elements of music: sound and rhythm. We practiced changing chords back and forth with our new chord of the week, F, and C, that we already knew. We learned how to count the beats of a 4/4 tempo signature and had fun practicing the Yellow Submarine's chorus.
This week’s Arise group music class was fun and full of anticipation! The kids waited eagerly to start the class as the staff were figuring out some technical difficulties on their end. Once we got the class going we had fun with songs such as Sticky, Sticky Bubble Gum, The Wheels on the Bus, and the Walk and Stop song. The parachute was also a huge hit at the end! It’s so lovely to be able to lead parachute games again, even if it’s through a computer screen.
The children in both classes this week showed a lot of enthusiasm in wanting to share their xylophone and singing skills! Each kid was eager to play “Snowman Joe” on the xylophone for the group, or a song of their choice instead (“Mary Had a Little Lamb” was a popular pick). Other highlights included sharing the “rose and thorn” of their day in our check-in, singing tongue twisters up the major scale (“How Now Brown Cow”), and learning about rhythm, including our “ta’s” and “ti ti’s.” One of my favourite moments of the class however was when I asked the group to share what their favourite part of the class was, one student replied with, “I love when I hear melodies because I can feel it in my heart.” Sigh!
This week we learned the different rhythmic note values, along with their phonetic counterparts (Tahs and Ti-tis, etc.). This was a perfect segue into improving our technique with the help of tongue clicking in between notes. We took these skills and learned a couple new songs, and did some great call and response work. The kids are starting to open up a bit more during our check-ins, and they’re sharing more musical moments that they had throughout their weeks. It’s so great to see them thinking more musically!
This week's lesson at Ernestine's was a big reminder to go with the flow! My student was following their own singing inspiration, so I threw out my plan and decided to follow their musical instincts. Together we experimented singing long sustained notes, practicing our scales with volume dynamics, and challenging each other with new ways to sing. This gave us the opportunity to talk about the difference between yelling and singing, and we started learning the notes that make up the treble clef.
The students were introduced to the musical staff today. We learned what a treble clef is, how to draw it, and that every line and space on the staff has a letter name. We also learned our second chord - F.
We also started learning how to read a song chord chart. In order to practice, we started with Yellow Submarine, by The Beatles. It was a lot of fun strumming and learning our chord changes with this awesome tune.
Today we had the chance to go through our first chord (C) and play to a steady beat. Both students and the staff member attended this very fun class in which we strummed our ukuleles to the song Row Your Boat.
Students also got to know some more about the importance of regular practice in instrument learning. One of the students was advised to invert the strings on his instrument, since he is left-handed.
My first week with the Arise music group was a blast! The group was all in one room, which was nice for the energy of the class. The co-ordinator encouraged the kids to get up on their feet right from the beginning, and there was a lot of dancing and clapping throughout. I brought out the singing bowl as the Instrument of the Week, and it was also a handy focusing tool when the group got extra energized. Toward the end of the class, when I was about to start the goodbye song, the co-ordinator pulled out the parachute that they still have from our music bag, and I couldn’t resist going a bit overtime to indulge in some parachute songs with them. The children loved it!
Today's classes were fun and we got a lot accomplished in a half an hour! We started with our check-in, vocal warm ups, the major scale, the game "Up, Down, or the Same," and we worked our way through our first song, "Snowman Joe." The game "Up, Down, or the Same" was quite challenging for my older group, so I decided to leave it out for my younger group. This gave us more time to focus on the song at the end. A highlight from the classes was when one student was having a hard time figuring out how to "trill" her lips, and another student in the class gave her some great advice. She said to pretend like she was cold and do the "brrr" action (crossing your arms to keep warm). It helped her a lot, and it was lovely to witness another child teach her friend. Perhaps there's a future teacher in our midst!
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