“Pattern Fish” by Trudy Harris As you may have guessed, this story is all about patterns. Each fish, or other sea creature, has a distinct visual pattern or two or three colors. And each also has a sound pattern. This is repeated a few times, leaving the last sound of the pattern for the next […]
This article of mine originally appeared on the site Creativity Portal: How to Help Children Stay Creative By Abby Connors Picasso famously stated, “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Anyone who lives or works with young children knows they truly are artists, buzzing with creativity, […]
To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. – Joseph Chilton Pearce I’m continually amazed at the creativity of the young children I teach, but I shouldn’t be. Children have one of the prime prerequisites for creativity – they’re not […]
“Matilda the Gorilla” recorded by Lynn Kleiner from the CD /book “Jungle Beat” Young children love to pretend to be all kinds of animals, but something about monkeys and gorillas is particularly appealing to them. Maybe it’s the wild jumpy noisiness! “Matilda the Gorilla” is a delightful song with a lilting rhythm that’s irrestistible for […]
Are you ready for a rip-roarin’ good time? Because stories don’t come much more rip-roarin’ than this. Based on the beloved folk song, but with many more (and much sillier) verses, this picture book will delight your students and get them singing and moving. The little gal in this story doesn’t just come round the […]
This week I read a story with an elephant on the cover. As I usually do, I showed the class the cover of the book first and we talked about it. “Who knows what this animal on the cover is?” I asked. Quick as a wink, a girl shouted out, “An elevator!” Later in that […]
This article of mine appears in the new (August 2014) issue of New Jersey Family. Play Dates What’s the right age to begin music lessons? BY ABIGAIL CONNORS One of my most vivid childhood memories is running home after my weekly piano lesson so I could try out my newest piece on my home […]
This 2012 study indicates that making music in a group may promote empathy. Music of kindness: playing together strengthens empathy in children A year-long study on childrens’ music-making indicates that playing music in groups on a regular basis greatly improves a child’s ability to empathise with others. We believe music to be one of the […]
“Un Pulpito” by Charlotte Diamond available on iTunes “Un Pulpito” is Charlotte Diamond’s Spanish version of her wonderful song “Slippery Fish.” I think it’s even more fun than the English version! In “Un Pulpito,” children use their hands to act the parts of a sardine, an octopus (pulpito), a tuna fish, a shark, and a whale. The […]
The rabbit is one of those animals that are so difficult to fit into “Old McDonald” and other songs and games since we don’t know what noise it makes. This book explores that timeless question! The main reason I like this book for music class is the rabbit’s rhythm as he thumps his foot – I […]
Music (and Science) For Young Children 