Lesson #4
Make sure the music is being played daily in your home (or car). Even while the kids are playing and/or not really focusing on the music itself, they will internalize what is happening in the background. Their brain has the ability to listen and take it in. Remember, they are designed to extract information from their rich stimulating environments!! Daily music exposure is so important for so many reasons. If you don't get to it during the daytime, let them quietly listen to the music as they fall asleep.
Jungle Rhythm
Today when we played Jungle Rhythm, we moved to a steady beat, divided and subdivided a beat and it was all done through play! Your students didn't even realize they were subconsciously learning how to perform rhythms! Now this is how music should be taught!
Bill Grogan's Goat
This song has great musical value. We feel the beat and clap on the internal (non-sung) beats. Every time we "play" this activity the students are internalizing how to organize rhythm into time. This is a very complex music skill, but can be done at such a young age!
I've Been to Harlem
Teaching the ear to hear and distinguish between ‘happy’ (major) and ‘sad’ (minor) chords is our objective of this song. We can teach a child to compose their own music based on how they are feeling and how they want the listener to feel. This concept builds sensitive music listeners and caring intuitive individuals. Yep, your right... music actually teaches life lessons and builds character!
Identifying minor songs is a majorly important skill! Read why here...
Also, watch this video with your student about major and minor!