A fun evening with the participants at our weekly music class. A large group of 10 energetic kids engaged in fun movements and dancing to the sound of classics such as Itsy Bitsy Spider and Row Your Boat. We had good laughs making silly faces to The Little Green Frog and ended on a high note jamming to The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
We finished up our 2022 classes last night at Arise, and it was certainly high energy! We did many Christmas songs by request, and the ages of the children ranged in age from newborn to tween. Highlights included singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and adding little additions such as, "like a lightbulb!" and "ho ho ho," the jam session which included Jingle Bells and Twist and Shout, and a fun dance party with the parachute to Jingle Bell Rock. The children all really appreciated their gifts from RSF as well (xylophones, bells and books). There were many hugs and "thank you's" all around!
What a way to end the session! We had a special class with the participants requesting their favourite songs. We sang Christmas classics and had a blast holding hands and dancing in a circle with Row Your Boat.
We began by exploring different instruments in various structured and unstructured musical exercises. Group members were invited to select an instrument and instructed to play their instrument on specific beats. This served as a warm to get acquainted with the space and familiar with each instrument. We then moved into a free improvisation which contrasted with the previous structured exercise. Group members remarked that they preferred the structure as when freely improvising there are so many options. However, later on in the session, group members identified that after a few different improvisations they became more comfortable with the instruments and were able to add more musical contributions as the session went along.
After several structured and unstructured musical exercises, group members were asked to share descriptive words that would inform the next musical improvisation. The words shared were happy, fast/energetic, and active. We moved into another improvisation, attempting to create a sound that matched the selected words. This improvisation sounded faster and there were more musical contributions than in previous improvisations. Group members agreed that we were able to achieve the sound of happiness, energy and being active. Group members were then invited to play and sing along to the popular song Stand By Me by Ben E. King. We had sung this song as a group in previous sessions and it had resonated with group members, so it felt serendipitous to play this song together during our last session.
Group members sang along with their lyric sheets and added musical contributions on different instruments like shakers, drums, and xylophones. We then took the energy and connection experienced in the sing along and played one final improvisation together. As we played and sang together, several of the kids got up and began dancing in the centre of the circle. Some group members shared their thoughts about how it felt to connect over music today. It was lovely to connect with one another, release our energy, and create new musical experiences.
This week we had a lot of big energy in our class. Since our first class with this location I have noticed a marked shift in how the kids have been using their big energy. When we started they were full of chaos and inattention but with repetition of activities and routine they have started to feel safe in our music circle to channel their energy into the activities. We have been free dancing with scarves as well as singing structured songs with them. The kids have learned we can have fun when we follow along with the directions and also we will get independent time to explore the music and instrument. One of the biggest shifts that has been made is when it comes to sharing instruments. With clear communication the kids know everyone will take turns and they have been sharing with kindness and care. This is most noticeable at the end of class when everyone waits for their turn to play my guitar. We all wait and listen to each other play then cheer and they pass the instrument along. The kids were thrilled with having their own guitar kicks to play with this week!
Our student was in full creative energy mode today, starting straight off with some cool electronic sounds on the keyboard. He's getting great at using the pitch bender and filter sweep knobs on the keyboard, so I've been encouraging him to explore the synth sounds available. He also loves the keyboard sound effects. I'm always amazed at how much focus our student gives to working through his learning hurdles, and he always comes out on the other side with lots of creative energy to improvise with, so we did a lot of guided improv to round out the session. Unfortunately our other student had to cancel last minute to go to an appointment, but it was a lovely end to the session with one student nonetheless.
This was our last class of the session and the kids were on their best behaviour! It really seemed like a connection was made over the last six weeks, and the kids had lovely things to say at the end of class. We cycled through everything we've learned in the session, from games to song repertoire, to vocal warm ups, to percussion, with enough time at the end to do a few rounds of passing dance moves and rhythms around the circle. Hope to spend more time singing with this great group in the new year!
Our music class was super fun this week. We made rhymes with Down by the Bay, and danced to Elephants Have Wrinkles. All the participants were engaged, and another highlight was all the movement around the room with The Bicycle Song.
We had some new families join the class this week which included a set of toddler twins and another toddler. The average age of the class was younger and so I pulled out some popular toddler tunes including, I Wake Up My Hands, and Six Little Ducks. A highlight however was the instrument of the week, the Chinese gong. One of the older students joined in at this point, and all the children enjoyed trying their hand at the gong. We then did a group sound meditation to the sound of the gong. It was a lovely class all around!
We began with a check in to see how the group felt like engaging in music today. The general consensus was to spend some time listening to music. We began by listening to I Can See Clearly Now by Jimmy Cliff, many group members sang along as we all followed along with our lyric sheets. Then participants were invited to write down a song that is meaningful to them that they wish to share with the women in the group. The songs were collected, and one by one we listened to everyone's contributions. We discussed the meaning of each song in between listens, and group members were invited to share why they selected this particular piece of music. Discussions included topics like appreciation, and connecting with others across the world. Many of the songs suggested were known to other group members so there were many participants who sang along to the music. During the last listen of the group, a few group members got up and began dancing with the children in the room. We all smiled and laughed as we sang, danced, swayed and listened together.
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