Early Birdies Blog - Atlanta music lessons: piano, guitar, violin, voice, and more

Tuesday

Jan192010

Good Reads for the Wee Ones

Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 12:30PM

My favorite books to read to the under-five set are books that entertain, teach, and also have a musical component. The children love when I read stories that have a tune, opportunities to echo, or a rhythmic beat. Unfortunately, there are not a plethora of storybooks for young children that accomplish all of these things, so I’ve accumulated some recommendations in this post for your reference. A great picture book can go a long way. You might end up having to read some of these books every night because your child demands it. So get ready, get set, and here we gooooooo!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? by Eric Carle

I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello by Barbara S. Garriel

Punk Farm and Punk Farm On Tour by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

Over in the Meadow Traditional, illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats

Quiet LOUD by Leslie Patricelli

Pirates Don’t Change Diapers by Melinda Long and David Shannon

We’re Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Pete the Cat by Mr. Eric (Eric Litwin, a local Atlanta children's musician)

This list is just the beginning. I’m always on the look-out for great books to read to young kids. An additional musical component is also nice to complement the material I’m teaching. If you have any additional recommendations, please drop me a line! Happy reading.

Tara Chiusano teaches guitar and voice at Eclectic Music in addition to developing curriculum and teaching our Early Birdies programs. Her personal website is http://www.musicwithmisstara.com.

Americans don't have to be on American Idol in order to sing

Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 8:25PM

Tara Chiusano

Tara ChiusanoThere was a time before the Internet, television, and video games where people had to put effort into entertaining themselves, and spent more time with their families. Yes, I know it’s difficult to remember such a time - many of us weren’t even alive then. Gatherings would revolve around a musical instrument, typically a piano or a guitar, and people would sing familiar songs together.

Experiencing live music and actively participating in it is infinitely different than passively sitting on the couch watching people sing on American Idol. Plus, only watching people who have amazing singing voices sets unrealistic standards for our own voices.

In these modern times, folk songs and nursery rhymes are typically only being taught in early childhood music classes - they are no longer passed down from generation to generation. Our song heritage is fading. Our folk dance heritage is completely lost. There are fewer instruments in the home. How many people do you know who can play music “by ear”?

The Early Childhood Music and Movement Association says, “It is in this vacuum that the field of early childhood music education was born. Early childhood music education is now bringing back those songs, rhymes, and dances from our combined heritages. By introducing a beloved repertoire of songs and rhymes, early childhood music teachers are now serving as the family song leader.” In the preschool music classes that I teach, the sing-alongs that I lead, and on the recordings that I produced, I am dedicated to preserving the music of our heritage. I sing folk songs, teach nursery rhymes, lead circle dances, and play games that my mother and my grandmother know from their childhood.

As a result of the way our society has changed, most parents and children I work with are hearing these folk songs for the first time. That’s why a music class is essential - both for you and your child. It will be a sad day when no one knows the song, “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” You might find that you learn a few new songs or remember ones from your childhood that you almost had forgotten.

We need to preserve these songs so that our grandchildren and their grandchildren will know them. Spending time making music with your family is so much fun and very rewarding, and a part of our cultural heritage that deserves to be resuscitated.

Sources:

Early Childhood Music and Movement Association. Early Childhood Connections Leadership Bulletin, Vol.8, No.2, Spring 2003. Published by the Foundation for Music-Based Learning.

Tara Chiusano teaches guitar and voice at Eclectic Music in addition to teaching and developing curriculum for our Early Birdies programs. Her personal website is http://www.musicwithmisstara.com.

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Saturday

Jan092010

Babies are born musical

Saturday, January 9, 2010 at 2:03PM

Tara Chiusano

So what about infants? What do they get out of going to a music class since they can’t sing yet or learn words to songs?

Mother's heartbeat: baby's first music
The thing is that babies are wired to be musical the minute they are born. The first beat they hear is their mother’s heartbeat. Dr. Lee Salk once wrote in a report to the World Federation of Mental Health, “From the most primitive tribal drumbeats to the symphonies of Mozart and Beethoven, there is a startling similarity to the rhythm of the human heart.” Salk was a child psychologist whose work first won national attention in 1960 when he published the results of groundbreaking research indicating that the sound of a mother’s heartbeat has a calming effect on a newborn infant. In other words, a baby's first comfort comes from their response to music.

Singing
Babies also vocalize sounds like “ba,” “oo,” and “ah.” When babies make these sounds they are actually trying to sing! We typically ignore these sounds, and only listen for words like “mommy” and “daddy.” The second a child speaks a word we instinctually repeat it back to them. That is how a child learns to speak.

How come, then, do we not echo their "singing" sounds? I have heard many a baby sing the “root note” of a chord in my classes - that is, they are matching pitch. Sometimes I hear them try to sing the cadence of “Old MacDonald”, singing some form of “E-I-E-I-O.” Singing to your baby and mimicking her sounds will help encourage the development of her singing, and eventually speaking.

Rhythm
Babies also feel rhythms in their body. Have you ever seen a baby bounce to the beat of a song? Or nod their head to the beat? Or wave their hands in rhythm? It’s subtle, but it’s there. In the early years, from birth to approximately age six, a child will express music differently than adults. This stage is called the “music babble” stage.

Now that you know how musical babies can be, you will probably be more in tune with the sounds your child makes and you might even recognize when you hear him singing! You will continue to pick up on children's musical cues and encourage them to further express themselves.

Sources:
H. Moog, The Musical Experience of the Preschool Child. London: B. Schlott 1976.

Edwin E. Gordon, Learning Sequences in Music: Skill, Content, and Patterns. Chicago: G.I.A., 1988.

Catherine Manegold, “Dr. Lee Salk, Child Psychologist and Popular Author Dies at 65.” The New York Times. NY, NY. 1992.

Tara Chiusano teaches guitar and voice at Eclectic Music in addition to developing curriculum and teaching our Early Birdies programs. Her personal website is http://www.musicwithmisstara.com.

Simple toys leave room for creativity

Friday, January 8, 2010 at 6:58PM

Tara Chiusano

Tara ChiusanoIn this day and age of video games and commercial toys, it's hard to find toys that don't talk, walk, sing or dance on their own. However, it's possible to entertain a young child or a baby with only a scarf, ball, and egg shaker. Simplicity is key. Here are some simple ways to play with children up to five years old.

Supplies you'll need

a ball (not too small, but appropriate for a child under the age of 5)
two egg shakers (you can buy these at Target or make your own using plastic Easter eggs and putting rice or small beans inside them, sealing the edges thoroughly)
square pieces of flowy fabric - go to your fabric store and buy some fabric to make into scarves, like the kind magicians or jugglers use
a drum (Remo’s got some good drums for young kids, click here to buy)

Some simple activities

Ball games: Just roll/bounce/throw/kick the ball to your child and then back again. if they are under 4 years old, they will love this.

Say this rhyme:

Aka baka soda cracker,
aka baka boo,
aka baka soda cracker,
I roll the ball to you.

If your child is learning to crawl, also try putting the ball at one end of the room and cheer your child on as he or she crawls to it.

Egg shakers: Shake these eggs to any music that has a good beat. Play your favorite CD in the background and shake away! Shake ‘em high, shake ‘em low. Shake ‘em fast, shake ‘em slow. Play with different beats, rhythms, tempos, and dynamics.

Here’s a good poem:

You put the oil in the pot and you let it get hot.
You put the popcorn in and you start to grin.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle x2
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, POP!

Scarves: Peek-a-boo is a really fun game to play with these. This activity is best suited for children under two years. Sing lullabies and chants while moving the scarf up and down or side-to-side.

Older kids (two to four) will enjoy using the scarves to play pretend. Make sounds of the wind and swish the scarves from side to side while running around the room; put a scarf on your head and pretend to be a ghost; become a “tickle monster"; throw scarves up in the air while dancing around to your favorite song; play dress-up by making the scarf a cape, pirate hat, or ballerina skirt; have a pretend bull-fight with the grown-up holding the scarf and the child pretending to be the bull.

Pretend the scarf is a washcloth while chanting this rhyme:

Scrub your dirty face x2
With a rub-dub-dub and a rub-dub-dub
Scrub your dirty face.

Scrub your dirty head,
Scrub your dirty nose,
Scrub your dirty feet,
Scrub the dirty wall...[etc.]

Drums: Any song can be accompanied by the drum. Just keep a simple steady beat going throughout the whole thing and you’re good to go. If your child is under 2 yrs. old, you’ll need to help them play the drum.

Good songs to use:
This Old Man
A B C’s
Hickory Dickory Dock

Children two to four years old can play the drum in creative ways. Try having them pretend they are making the sounds of a thunderstorm. First it starts off quiet with the little patter of rain (tickle the drum), then it gets louder and louder, and the pounding get really loud (drumroll), then it gets quieter and quieter, and the rain goes away.

Turn the drum over and pretend it’s a bowl that they are stirring soup in. Stir while chanting:

Chop, Chop Chippety Chop
Take some from the bottom and some from the top.
What we have left, we’ll put in the pot.
Chop, Chop Chippety Chop

I hope these ideas will inspire you and your child to come up with your own creative ways to use these simple toys.

Tara Chiusano teaches guitar and voice at Eclectic Music in addition to developing curriculum and teaching our Early Birdies programs. Her personal website is http://www.musicwithmisstara.com.

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