This article originally appeared in TEMPO Magazine, the magazine of the New Jersey Music Educators Association, in October 2009. Where Does Music Come From?: Teaching the Elements of Music to Young Children Using Rhythm Instruments Rhythm instruments play a unique role in the development of young children’s musicality. When students are tapping on drums, shaking […]
A study from the University at Buffalo indicates that music activities promote oral language, literacy, and reading readiness. “Music is one way that children can learn rhythm and rhyme of text, be exposed to new vocabulary and learn to discriminate a variety of sounds,” states on eof the researchers. – See more at: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2013/01/021.html#sthash.SxAGzrtj.dpuf […]
“Put Your Hands Up In The Air” by Hap Palmer available on iTunes So many children’s recordings, especially those meant for movement, are overly complicated, or just plain go too fast for young children. Instead of a fun experience, the children just feel confused or frustrated. That’s why “Put Your Hands in the Air” is one of my favorites, particularly […]
We’re Going on a Picnic! by Pat Hutchins In this very cute, silly story, Chicken, Duck, and Goose are going on a picnic, but they can’t agree on a perfect spot for it. As they walk along searching forthat elusive “just right” location, they sing “We’re going on a picnic, we’re going on a picnic” (I […]
I didn’t have any Fourth of July stories so I’m going with George Washington – hey, he’s patriotic, right? On Presidents’ Day I like to ask my older students (the fours and fives) if they know who George Washington was. The answers are always entertaining. Me: Does anyone know who […]
This article of mine appears in the July issue of Teachers Net Gazette. What are your summer resolutions? A Teacher’s Summer Resolutions By Abigail Flesch Connors I know! Summer isn’t resolution time! Summer is for chilling out and kicking back, not for getting all serious and resolution-y! But I have to confess, I’m a natural-born resolution-maker, […]
Let us take our children seriously! Everything else follows from this… only the best is good enough for a child. – Zoltan Kodaly Zoltan Kodaly, the Hungarian composer and music […]
“Baila Baila” by Isa available on iTunes I love the Venezuelan singer Isa. Her style is fresh and fun. This is, of course, a song for dancing – “baila” means dance in Spanish. Most of the words are too difficult for children to sing along with, but every verse has a slow part that features parts of the body, such as “rodillas” […]
The Baby Beebee Bird by Diane Redfield Massey This is one of my students’ all-time favorites! The little beebee bird, new to the zoo, wakes everyone up with his silly song – “Bee-bee, bobby-bobby.” I make up my own tune for this, but any tune would work, as long as it’s high-pitched and annoying! Children will be singing the bird’s […]
Once I read a story about a leopard. To introduce the book, I told the children about leopards and emphasized their lovely spots. I must have said the words “leopards” and “spots” twenty times. When I started the first page, which showed the leopard, and said “Once there was a leopard,” a little boy called […]
Music (and Science) For Young Children 