Hello! This is my first time on the blog. Let me tell you a little about my background: I am currently working on my Masters' degree in music theory, I play cello and piano, I also compose and am interested in including contemporary classical music in music education. I currently teach private pre-school music and piano lessons.
You should be able to click on the picture to go to the Kodaly Society of Northern Ireland, which has more information about this method.
Here's what I like to do with my pre-K class (ages 2-5):
1. We sing age appropriate songs like Itsy-Bitsy Spider, along with hand motions. I like to integrate motions with singing, and it's important to avoid tunes that are hard for young children to sing (like The Star Spangled Banner, which has a wide range).
2. We use the Kodaly hand signs to practice musical patterns and scales. Here's what I'm talking about:
You should be able to click on the picture to go to the Kodaly Society of Northern Ireland, which has more information about this method.3. We practice drawing and clapping basic rhythm symbols (quarter note, half note, whole note, rest). The younger ones obviously have a different level of proficiency with this, so I don't push them to perform like the older kids.
4. We play simple instruments together, like tambourine, small drums, etc. and use our creativity to find new ways to play the instruments. Sometimes I bring in a "real" instrument to show them what other instruments look like.
5. We listen to music and learn a little about the way music works. We have listened to Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Stravinsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov, and I try to encourage them to think about the music like a story (they like "good guys vs. bad guys"). I also use listening time to teach them musical concepts like fast, slow, high, low, etc. Young children often confuse slow/low or high/fast, so differentiating these two is important. Currently, we are studying the orchestra. I bring pictures of the orchestra and orchestra instruments, and we practice saying the names of the instruments.
While I think this format helps them learn what they need to about music, my "book-learning" education has me at a disadvantage. I have little experience with making this fun for the kids, and I thought I was doing a good job (the kids seem involved and they look like they're having a good time) until last class, when one of the kids told me that he didn't want me to come anymore!!
While I'm not going to let what a pre-schooler says get me down, this comment does show me that I'm not doing something right. To be complete, I should mention that the main teacher has asked me to prepare a christmas program, so we spent a lot of the lesson drilling Jingle Bells, not the most exciting thing. Do any of you have any suggestions for how I can make my curriculum more exciting for my kids? Is the curriculum OK? Are there any fun ways to help kids memorize the words of the song (we normally do call-and-response)?
I hope you non-musicians have learned some from what is working for me, though! Feel free to ask me any questions about this curriculum.
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November 11, 2009 at 3:10 PM
Cara,
I think your experiences in the early childhood/pre-K environment sound very interesting. I defiantly would not let the comments of one student get you down, it may have just been an "off" day for him. I do not have curriculum experience in music or early childhood, I am certified K-12 visual art but I do have a 2 1/2 year old, and I spoke with a friend who is certified in early child hood and teaches in a public preschool about your situation. Her suggestions for keeping the curriculum fun and engaging was to keep in mind the age of the children and not focus on recall too much, if they don't remember something (like the name of an instrument) that is OK. Turn the activities into games, for example when helping them to distinguish between fast and slow turn on the music and have them dance around the rooms with scarves trying to imitate the music. Moving slow when it is slow and fast when it is fast.
You could have a similar approach while learning the songs for the Christmas program. So that you are singing the songs and "practicing" while they are engaging in other activities. Also you would also want to limit the number of songs the kids need to memorize. You can use props and visual cues like puppets to help little ones remember things. And you could even consider preparing a "song book" to send home with parents so they can practice at home. Not something they have to do, but some kids may enjoy singing the songs they are learning at school, in the car or at home and the parents may need a refresher on the words.
Just some ideas, hope there is something useful in there for you! It sounds like you are doing a great job, thank you for sharing about your classroom experiences!