Music is a Universal Language ~ from Laila Hirtz

Each semester means new beginnings as a Music Together teacher. We may have repeat families, or classrooms that are very familiar, but each new class has their own feel, pace and energy. You never know what “mood” each class will bring.

This last fall, our center was invited to teach outreach classes through First Things First at Maricopa Integrated Health Services in South Phoenix and Maryvale;  at first, I wasn't sure how the classes would work. Most of our families attended did not speak very much (or any) English (and my Spanish is horrible!).  While this may seem to be a negative, it was really a hidden blessing. It proves to me and my families each week that music is a universal language, and we don’t have to speak to each other to make music together.

It DID work!  We communicated in so many ways and especially through the music.  We made eye contact, we mimiced each other’s behaviors, and we had fun together! We used big and little arms, loud and soft voices, and watched each other for cues. At first, the children were the ones communicating with me through touches, waving of their arms and loud noises. They would get my attention and mimic what it was they wanted me to do, and I always understood. Seeing me have such fun with their children encouraged the adults to do the same, and soon we had a wonderful community feeling and rapport with each other, even if it was not through words. 

Our class experiences were a terrific way of proving that music can be its own "language"!!   We sang vocables (“la la la” or “do do do”) and also the regular lyrics to songs.  And when we threw in verses of “Jack In The Box” or “Mary Had a Red Dress”, it was so apparent that the families had been listening to the CD's! We even had English learning happening through music.

This way of communicating may seem like it was a minor feat, once we were in the middle of the semester, it was huge! I felt a deep closeness to the families, and had heard many (translated) stories of music making and musical behaviors of the children at home. The families knew all of the songs; they even sang loud enough that I could barely hear myself - which is every Music Together teacher’s dream. 

Music is a Universal Language

from Laila Hirtz

Early Childhood Music Specialist and all around super fun human bean!

Play! Play! Play!

"Why does my child sit in my lap all through class but as soon as we get home, she does EVERYTHING:  sings the songs, dances the dances, uses the motions, pretends to be the teacher, makes our Tupperware into play-along instruments?"  As the director of our Music Together in Phoenix, I get to hear lots of great questions and  comments about coming to class, however this is the MOST frequently shared observation!   Parents sometimes feel frustrated if their child is not "doing it" during class time.  All of the teachers wisely know and share that this is "very, very normal and please, please keep singing". 

It's very natural for some children to take in information they've absorbed in class and then "practice", play and experiment with it privately in the comforts of their own home.  Play is important for a child's learning because it is the primary method young children use to grow physically, emotionally, cognitively, socially and musically.  It is not always about having fun; it can be very intense!

When children play with music, they are developing the complex skill of singing in tune and accurately express rhythm in their bodies.  We recommend giving young children ample opportunities to play freely on their own and with you, the important grown up their lives.  In Music Together, we love the play-along time when instruments are free chosen and children get to experiment and "play" with all the musical experiences from the previous 9 songs.

I've recently been reading about how important play is for BIG people, as well!   I had just read a fascinating article from the "World of Psychology" on the importance of play for grown ups:  http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/11/15/the-importance-of-play-for-adults/ and remembered how crazy FUN it was to get to play with our fellow Music Together in Phoenix teachers last weekend at the Children's Museum's Grown Up Play-date PROM!  I am including a few pictures to share how much total fun it was.

In our classes, we often will include a song that is intended for adult play, ie. a "tapping on your neighbor in the tight-circle" song that gets impossibly fast or passing eggs-changing directions randomly to create fun chaos.  I LOVE to see the children's faces watching their parents PLAY; I think this kind of role-modeling is great for children.  While my children are past this early stage now, I did involve my 16 year old daughter in hair-do/tacky-prom outfit preparations and was super amused when she gave me back....."make good choices, MOM" that I always tell her as my cute date (husband) and I were heading out the door.

We ♥ play!!

Hard Wired for Music

 

We are hard wired from birth for many things: language, physical development, social-emotional skills and . . . music.

 

Children are born music makers!  Children are born to sing and move; infants even as young as a few months of age can show rhythmic and tonal responses to music. Babies will often coo or sound on the resting tone of a song (usually the last note).  Toddlers can bounce to the beat and preschool age children can learn entire songs.  If this is so, why do we have such a large amount of adults who do not feel comfortable singing “Happy Birthday” or dancing in public?  The answer lies in a child’s early childhood years.

Little musicians need to be musically nurtured to develop their potential.

It is true that a child who is exposed to many languages will gain the phonemes of the many languages and conversely, a child who is not given adequate verbal stimulation will grow up with a limited vocabulary.  Similarly, to develop musically, a child needs to be in an environment with a wide variety of musical experiences.  The easiest and most natural time for a child to gain their basic music competence is between birth and age five.  During these years, the window for developing accurate rhythm and singing in-tune is wide open.  If a child’s musical atmosphere in their early years is filled with rich music experiences, a child will be fortunate to grow up with all the music potential they are born with! 

Children get their disposition for being a music-maker from their parents.

How do I nurture this inborn music in my child?  Many parents are worried that they themselves are not musical and might destroy their little one’s possibilities of being a confident music maker.  Actually the very opposite is true.  A child gets his disposition to be a music maker by seeing the grown ups in his life joyously make music.  If your child sees you having a blast singing and cutting up the rug, they will see it is safe and they may even imitate you.  Parents are the best music models for their children!

Ways to nurture your child musically.

There are many easy ways to incorporate music into your child’s life:

·        Sing, sing, sing!  Sing in the car with the radio, make up songs (or change the words to familiar songs) about whatever you are doing with your little one, changing diaper, going to the store, eating some broccoli.  Lullaby time can be the most precious time, singing your child off to sleep with love. 

·        Dance, dance, dance!  Put on your favorite dance music and move your bodies. It’s fun to invite friends over and dance together.  While playing a CD in the car is a good, your child is buckled in tight and can’t get the large movement experience that is important for rhythm development.

·        Play, play, play!  Get out the pots and pans and have a jam session to some fun and inspiring music that you enjoy.  Wooden spoons on plastic bowls and shakers of dried beans in a sealed up water bottle can make some interesting sounds for children experiment with.  Children benefit by having difference sensory experiences of tapping, shaking and scraping.

 
If you find yourself wishing for more ways to play with your child with music, join one of the great early-childhood music programs in town.  Children learn best when they are in a relaxed atmosphere that is non-performance oriented, developmentally appropriate and lots of fun for both the children and the adults. 
 
Active music making is a whole brain experience.  It helps children regulate their emotions; it can soothe the soul and sometimes bring peace to an over-cranky toddler.  Lastly, music is a meaningful way to bond with your child.  Have fun, be silly and thanks for reading our blog!

by Kathy Rowe, Music Together in Phoenix
http://www.MusicTogetherInPhx.com

Singing & Dancing Children

The fun, yet frenzied, Monday Night Music Together class: it's a little bit on the smaller side for our typical classes (5 children and with one make up family), but last night's benefit was getting to really see (and hear) the children's music responses!

We have a family "making up" and coming to class for almost the first time.  Mom and Dad marvels at how pre-walking, baby Cale immediately started rocking his little torso with our "Hello Song" while he squealed with happy sounds.  Cale's strong rhythmic response did not stop until the very end of class.  The whole class took notice and we sang a verse on his happy yowl sound - Cale smiling as if to say, "yes, that's MINE!"

A set of adorable soon-to-be 4 year old twin brothers (also with both Mom and Dad) immediately start to moving parts of their bodies to the beat.  J.J. leads the class with his pointer finger as we warm up with "whooo" sounds going higher and higher and then quick down to the ground.  Colton is sitting really close to mom; he's smiling but says "no thanks"; we follow Dad's finger "whew, whew, whew" up and down.

Jack and his Mom are holding hands rocking side to side like a HUGE bell for the "Ding Dong" song; Jack taking the lead!  We switch to a "row boat" motion, still with parents/children holding hands.  I hear mommy voices, daddy voices AND children's voices - it's so awesome! 

Noah is smiling big when it's time to going on our pony rides and bounce on the grownup's laps!  He has wandered across the circle and so I get to take a turn being Noah's "pony" for "Ride O"!  At the end of the song, he initiates the next verse by bouncing his little bottom.  It's time for fast running horses! 

Siobhan, the only 3 year old with a vocabulary of a middle adolescent, is coming in to class and quickly joins in!   The whole group moves up to dancing as we transition into our "Betty Martin" tiptoe song.  Siobhan picks jumping for the next verse!  Mom & Dad all follow along as we all dance & sing, "Hey Siobhan, Jumping, Jumping....".  She is the one that explains the concept of sharing to her newest best-friend, Jack.

Our weekly 45 minutes of JOYFUL family music is most definitely not about children performing; nor do we ever worry about the children "getting it right".  The awesome grownups in class model for their little ones, and typically the babies babble, the toddlers toddle, preschoolers practice and play along.  It's always empowering to acknowledge the musical behaviours we see in class and celebrate these milestones with the families!   We agree that ALL CHILDREN ARE MUSICAL!