Sweet Stories from Class - Laila

We just finished our Summer classes.  What a hoot this summer was.; lots of everyone's VERY favorite songs, Trot Ol' Joe, Su La Li, and John, the Rabbit!   Teacher Laila was telling me this amazing story from a mom in one of her classes, and I said, "you HAVE to write that down". 

"I had a mommy come up to me in tears in class one day because her very young daughter was singing a song from one of our CDs. She had a video of this little sweetie singing in the middle of the mall, belting out the song like it was her job. What I found so incredibly touching about this is this mother simply couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t a moment she expected, and it took her by complete surprise. You see, this mommy, who is very enthusiastic and fun in class, still has a hard time singing without feeling uncomfortable. For her to hear her daughter singing without shame and enjoying herself was a feeling she hasn’t yet been able to have herself. Have you ever seen a parent experience their child doing something they have never done? It’s amazing. And although this mommy still hasn’t completely found her voice yet, I can see her having more and more fun in class every week."

Music can be so powerful in a child's life!  Thanks for sharing this story from class, Laila!!

Making Music with My Family

Talk to any Music Together teacher and they will surely say . . . "I have the BEST job in the world!"  Getting to work with families of young children is amazingly rewarding, meaningful, and FUN.  We always share about the importance of making music with your family at home; not just putting on the CDs, but actually MAKING the music yourself. I truly believe this is great for bonding and community and fun!

Even though I really think this is important and good, I've noticed as my children have gotten older making music with them is not as easy.  I recall my daughters as adolescents would often not appreciate family singing or my attempts to get them to join in, even just around the house or in the car, but especially not dancing in the almond butter isle at Trader Joes when a Cure song would come on.  My dog loves singing with me and the chickens definitely tolerate it, my husband is a great sport at going swing dancing, but active music making with the children has been more difficult. 

Now, I have teenagers!  I also have the Music Together bumper magnet that says, "My Family Makes Music Together"; and it's felt like little bit of truth-stretching until recently (even though pets are considered part of our family).  After returning home from a long weekend to New Orleans with this daughter and seeing tremendous amounts of wonderful live music, including an all-girl momma-daughter-grandma jam band, I thought it would be fun to make a band with my friends and daughter.
 
Spiderbaby, our band, started practicing last fall with my good girlfriend, her daughter, my daughter and me; it's been a fun adventure with some ups and downs, and learning to navigate feelings, attitudes, song choices and such.  It was mostly for fun, playing our favorite Toasters/Specials/Cake/Patsy Cline/Johnny Cash songs, but this Friday we had the most crazy-good opportunity to play a real gig (fund raiser for Coalition Against Domestic Violence) at Rips.  It has mostly felt satisfying to make music that I really adore for my own personal enjoyment, but it also clear any guilt about that my bumper-magnet on my car being for REAL:  "My Family Makes Music Together" (and not just the ones with four legs or feathers)!

♪  Kathy

Music Together Teachers ROCK!

This weekend, we hosting a Music Together LLC Teacher Training at our Kids.Play.Music. studio.  I learned SO much!

The  three day training was lead by an amazing clinician (and now friend) from Las Vegas, Melanie Ron.  I was fortunate to get to sit in on much of the training of newbie teachers who had come from all over the country to immerse themselves in the cutting edge principles of early childhood music & movement:  how to develop a song, understanding music development in birth to age 5, how to support parents in nurturing musical growth, practicing leading a group and how to support a new generation of musically competent children.

We also had a few seasoned teachers coming back for "refeshers"!  They were sitting in on the training after having taught the Music Together curriculum and delving deeper.  

I was so inspired and amazed at the breadth, thought, research, and support that goes into teaching Music Together.  New teachers take away a whole new paradigm for looking at young children & music, but even seasoned center directors get to take away a PLETHORA of knowledge.  It was inspiring to get to listen to this very familiar information in a new way, but it was also affirming to be part of an organization with such love and integrity.

One of the new things that I learned was in regards to  "EXECUTIVE FUNCTION.  I learned that our Music Together classes support a child's pre-frontal cortex which is in charge of a person's executive functions.  This is SO exciting because it involves planning, attention, mental flexibility;  all of which leads to a better chance a success in school.

I am excited for all the new creative teachers that I met that are going out to do this awesome (and fun) work, and I am really excited to go teach this week!

Five FUN Reasons to Join Us for Summer!

We are so excited about our summer classes starting today at Music Together in Phoenix.  Summer is always the "Best Of...the Nine Collections" and this summer has some of my very favorite songs; "Trot Ol' Joe",  "Maria Isabel", and "She Sells Sea Shells"!!

Here a FIVE FUN reasons to join us making beautiful music this summer:

1.  Music making is a whole-brain experience that supports the growth and development of a child's pre-frontal cortex which is in charge of the brain's executive functions (planning, problem solving, attention, mental flexibility, etc).   
2. Families get a choice of joining for all 8 weeks of summer fun, or choosing a flexible 6 week option and informing us of the 2 weeks they will not be attending!   If you miss a class, two make ups will be provided.
3. The first five years of a child's life are crucial for their music development; this is the easiest time for children to gain basic music competence (singing tunefully and keeping accurate rhythm).
4. 45 minutes of joyful music making with your child EACH and every week!
5. It's INDOORS with air conditioning!!!

We hope you can join us!
Kathy Rowe
Music Together in Phoenix

Ridin' In the Car video from around the world (from Music Together, LLC)

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!!

Rhythm and Movement

Have you ever noticed how young children move to music?  Young babies will stretch out their arms or wiggle their legs; sitting babies will often rock their little torsos, toddlers move their little feet and start tapping/clapping, and preschoolers start putting the whole thing together sometimes showing accurate rhythm through dancing and moving around the room!  It's a beautiful progression and the key is MOVEMENT!

Young children need movement to growth their rhythmic development!  At Music Together in Phoenix, we often notice that children move freely outside the circle.  As long as safety is not an issue (and it's not chasing), we celebrate this movement.  Last week, I noticed three year old Jensen moving his "train" to the beat while we were singing a song about a donkey, "Tinagalayo".  It was exciting to see little feet matching the micro beat and adjusting to our nuances in the song.  If we would have forced this little one to sit and "do it right", I believe that his learning would have stopped (as well as not being developmentally appropriate).  He was showing his rhythmic response to the song!

At home, it's fun to provide a plethora of different outlets to support a young child's rhythm development by singing, dancing and movement to recorded music.  An infant being danced with in Mommy or Daddy's arms, benefits by the kinesthetic experience of feeling the grownup's rhythm and beat.  In class, we rock our bodies back and forth, tap legs, clap hands, and dance to the beat.  Children respond to adults modeling the beat for them and respond from having this rhythm visible - it's as though they can "read" it in our bodies.  So, when you are making up songs in the car, putting on fun music for play time, enjoying a quiet lullaby at bedtime, remember to move your body!

 

Hippety, Happety, Hoppety!

Hip, Hip, Hip, Hippety (2 + 2 + 2 + 3)
Hap, Hap, Hap, Happety (2 + 2 + 2 + 3)
Hop, Hop, Hop, Hoppety (2 + 2 + 2 + 3)
Hippety, Happety, Hoppety (3 + 3 + 3)
CLAP, CLAP!  (2 + 2))

Did you know this fun-awesome chant we're using for Spring, uses the same asymmetric meter from Dave Brubeck's  "Blue Rondo Ala Turk"?    According to a recent story I heard at my daughter's jazz concert, Dave Brubeck was in Turkey listening to street musicians.  After asking about the origin of this unusual music, the street musicians said, "this rhythm is to us, what blues is to you."  Thus, the name "Blue Rondo Ala Turk"!   

This might seem like a super complex activity for children under age 5, right?  Actually, children's brains are open to learning lots of complex rhythms and meters.  The first five years of a child's live, they are absorbing all that is in their environment.  In class this week, we played with this fun and invigorating HIPPETY, HAPPETY, HOPPETY asymmetric meter chant while bouncing the babies, toddlers and preschoolers on our laps, including some "tickle me" verses and "hugging me" verses as well!  Play can be VERY complex work, but it's always fun.

Watch Dave Brubeck's quartet playing the "Blue Rondo..." song and see if you can hear similar patterns!