“The job of adults is to make sure natural curiosity is supported and not squashed. Curiosity cannot be directly taught and doesn’t have to be; it emerges and can be nurtured.” – Anne Mitchell […]
“Tue Tue” recorded by Nico and Morlunah available on iTunes I just love this piece. It’s very exuberant and happy, and has a very strong beat. It’s suitable for improvisation with rhythm instruments and with movement. I created my own simple dance to “Tue Tue” which I use with fours and fives, based on motions […]
“Hiccups for Elephant” by James Preller Have you ever wondered what would happen if an elephant got the hiccups? Well, thanks to James Preller, we now know that some very silly things could happen! All of Elephant’s friends offer their own home remedies for curing hiccups, such as standing on his head, drinking water fast, […]
This article is excerpted from my book “Teaching Creativity” and also appeared on the “Creativity Portal” site (creativity-portal.com). Think Outside the Catalog When I look through school-supply catalogs, I shake my head at the amount of money some people are apparently willing to pay for little fuzzy pompoms, foam paper, feathers, sequins, stamps, stickers, and […]
“Talent is the desire to practice.” – Malcolm Gladwell, “Outliers” I don’t know when I realized this, but at some point in my teaching career I realized that all my amazing ideas for music activities for young children – or what I thought were amazing ideas – didn’t always translate into amazing lessons. In […]
“Cumbamba” by Jose Conde on “Jazz Playground” CD by Putumayo I first discovered the music of Jose Conde on the unbelievably fabulous CD with the absolutely fabulous name of “Salsa for Kittens and Puppies.” (I’m sure I’ll be writing more about that later!) Conde is a Cuban-American composer and musician and this piece is just […]
“The Crickets” from “Mouse Soup” by Arnold Lobel “The Crickets” is a perfect story for music time – funny, well-written. easy to follow, and very musical. It’s one of the stories in “Mouse Soup” by the great Arnold Lobel, about a mouse who puts off ( and escapes) his eventual inclusion in a weasel’s soup pot by […]
The following article of mine originally appeared in Teacher’s Net Gazette in November 2011. How Should We Teach Creative Thinking? Ask a Four-Year-Old By Abigail Flesch Connors Young children are the “experts” when it comes to creative thinking. Here are some tips I’ve learned from the young children I’ve taught to foster creative thinking in students […]
I would tend to think that anything that makes children fell happier and better about themselves and life in general, like music, would naturally improve their behavior. Aren’t we all nicer when we’re happy? Well, this study gives scientific backing to this idea – and indicates that music helps young children with problem-solving skills, too! […]
“Sarasponda” on “Too-da-la” CD by Kindermusik available on iTunes This old favorite is a very easy movement song which I’ve used successfully with toddlers through kinder- garteners. There are three verses with different movements on the words “ret-set-set” – clapping, patting thighs, and stamping feet. It includes a “surprise ending” which is not difficult for even the […]
Music (and Science) For Young Children 