We had such a fun music class this week at Nellie’s. The three participants had a blast with Wheels on the Bus and Old McDonald. We also had lots of dancing and movement.
Hokey Pokey and Hands Together, Hands Apart were our movement songs of the week and the room was filled with giggles and joy as we danced and froze following the songs.
This was a really special class. It was the first gorgeous day that really felt like spring, and when I arrived the kids were playing field games on the grass, and when they asked to do music outdoors, it was a no brainer. We made a big circle, and did a lot of rhythm games, as well as some call and response vocal explorations. With the bag of percussion instruments, we divided the circle into two halves and took turns with each side making beats on the 1 and 3 and 2 and 4, respectively. However, the speakers didn’t quite blast the guide music loud enough, so after some free play time with the instruments, we brought the circle in and did some close listening to one of the kids’ favourite songs, and they once again surprised me with the details they connected to in the song. Great ears!
I am so grateful when students share exactly what is on their mind. My thoughtful ukulele student doesn't shy away from sharing their wants and needs. Although they are very quiet when asked a question, they always answer honestly! This means we can play and have fun together and we both know we are on the same page!
Once again, we had a full room for our music session this week. The participants were super engaged and requesting their favourite songs.
One of the best moments was the song Sleeping Bunnies. A hopping and excited group of kids set the pace to a pleasant musical moment. Some kids were sad when the class ended and wanted more.
This week's class included two young girls, one was feeling quite grumpy and shy, and the other was up on her feet wanting to dance and sing. It was interesting catering to both energies. A highlight of the class included Elephants Have Wrinkles, in which the energetic child was keen to sing with me and repeated after me with clarity and volume! It was fun to see her enjoy this even though she was the only one singing along.
This group continues to be energetic and fun! We did a bunch of fun animal songs this week and also brought back the Ocean Drum to give everyone another chance at trying it out. The highlight however was paying tribute to Harry Belafonte in the jam with In the Jungle, and Jamaica Farewell. We also danced to Jump in the Line with the parachute. At one point a mom ran under the parachute unprompted to show us her dance moves. It made all of us laugh with joy. This is a great group!
Jamming with these musicians is always the most fun. The kids of all ages get up and sing and dance and share. Often there are conflicts over instruments, or classic kid disputes, but they work together to resolve any issue so we can get back to making music! Music Matters, it's showing these kids how to work as a team with their siblings.
Today was another class with an overflow of energy, but slightly more challenging to contain. We did our regular physical and vocal warmups, then repeated last week’s rhythm passing exercise, with a few variations. Then we did a body percussion exercise that was almost like a rhythmic tongue twister. It was the first time we’ve done rhythm with a metronome, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the kids focused on keeping in time with one another. With some disruptions - we had to have a bit of a talk about the importance of listening - but we practiced that by listening to one of the kids’ favourite songs and picking out musical elements that stood out to us. The kids have really good ears!
During this week’s music class the kids knew what they wanted. Right at the beginning they were requesting songs and wanted to sing Old McDonald and Sleeping Bunnies.
Besides our usual fun times with the songs, they also loved that I commented I could see the bubbles they were blowing before I got there from the street upon my arrival. We talked about how awesome it is that everybody in the neighbourhood could tell they were having so much fun by seeing the bubbles flying everywhere.
Today I welcomed a new student to our class! They were so focused on the ukulele. Their dedication to learning was inspiring. It won't be long until we are jamming to our favourite songs!
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