Magical Movement Company: Carolyn's blog: Search results for steady beat

From The Montessori Music Room: Is It A Steady Beat?

Carolyn 3:00 AM

KEEPING A STEADY BEAT IS A BASIC SKILL OF A MUSICIAN AND IT DOESN'T ALWAYS COME NATURALLY. LET'S GIVE CHILDREN LOTS OF PRACTICE IN THE MONTESSORI MUSIC ROOM!

This Header was created with graphics from the artists at Dollar Photo Club

Over the years, I have greatly enjoyed exploring the all-important musical concept of steady beat with young children. I consider keeping a steady beat a real challenge for little ones and building skills in this area is an ongoing process in early music lessons.

Movement, through dance and creative drama play, is one of the first experiences that I offer children to develop an understanding of steady beat. In fact, with all musical experiences involving young children, MOVEMENT IS ALWAYS THE BEGINNING. Little ones just seem to move effortlessly when they hear music, especially when that music has a strong steady beat. Dance music necessarily has a strong underlying steady beat and is almost always irresistible for young children.

Photos by Jeri-Jo Idarius from Magical Movement Company archives

Recently, our Montessori Preschool Music Classes have been filled with activities featuring music that has a steady beat and also recordings of sounds with no steady beat.

Montessori style card materials in my downloadable lesson plan activities pack,

Musically Montessori: Is It A Steady Beat?

Exploring these opposites is fun for the children and gives them more and more experience with recognizing the underlying pulse (steady beat!) of music. If you are a reader of my Blog then you know that I use the wonderful early childhood music curriculum from Bushfire Press, Music Room, and those first lessons that present the concept of steady beat to the children have been very engaging and full of fun!

Not only have we enjoyed moving like robots to the steady beat of the "Robot Dance", we have also had a hilarious time moving like pecking chickens, and popcorn popping, and even a cat scampering across the keys on a piano... sounds with no steady beat!

You can offer a wonderful set of steady beat activities to your preschool children with my Lesson Plan Download Packet, Musically Montessori: Is It A Steady Beat? available from my brand new TPT Store! Just click here to check it out: TPT Store Magical Movement Company.

As a Montessori educator, I truly believe that young children learn through movement. In fact, I named my business: Magical Movement Company!

In 1949, Dr. Montessori wrote:

"It is high time that movement came to be regarded from a new point of view in educational theory. Especially in childhood, we misunderstand its nature, and a number of mistaken ideas make us think of it as something less noble than it actually is. As a part of school life, which gives priority to the intellect, the role of movement has always been sadly neglected. When accepted there at all, it has only been under the heading of "exercise," "physical education" or "games." But this is to overlook its close connection with the developing mind." from The Absorbent Mind, p. 136

A strong steady beat just makes you want to move. And, children will! Through the kinds of movement activities I have described above, steady beat will become more & more a part of the young child's developing musical abilities.

Montessori children love CARD MATERIALS that they can manipulate, order and categorize. After playing some engaging movement & listening games with these steady beat/ no steady beat cards and also a set of "command cards" that I made for this lesson, the children were easily recognizing steady beat when they heard it!

Montessori style card materials in my downloadable lesson plan activities pack,

Musically Montessori: Is It A Steady Beat?

After the children have enjoyed a music circle featuring steady beat, you can place the "Command Cards" and the "Category Cards" in the environment for children to explore during individualized work time.

Here are some fun MP3 MUSIC SELECTIONS you can download for your group to LISTEN to, MOVE to, and PLAY along with at your circle lesson:

STEADY BEAT
Robot Dancing: Robot.
Marching: March of the Toreadors by Georges Bizet
Dance Party: Do the Locomotion

NO STEADY BEAT
Popcorn Popping: Hollywood Sound Effects Popcorn Popping
Chickens Clucking & Pecking:Chickens in a Barnyard
Something like a cat on piano keys: Toy Piano Piece by John Cage

After the children have had experiences with freely moving to a steady beat and no steady beat, it's fun to try PLAYING RHYTHM INSTRUMENTS to accompany recordings of music with a steady beat and sounds with no steady beat! The children were laughing with glee at their attempts to play along with no steady beat...it's challenging and silly at the same time!

We've been having music class each week for a while, and so our group is now enjoying a CHOICE OF FOUR FAMILIAR INSTRUMENTS that they have played often. I set the instruments out in baskets and each child gets to choose which instrument s/he wants to play for that day.

If your group is new to instrument playing, rather than giving them a choice of instruments, I would stick to the same instrument for each child. (ex: maracas) and preferably an instrument that is played with both hands (ex: rhythm sticks). This means you will need a set for each child AND the teachers at the circle. (ex: 26 pairs of maracas for a group of 24 children and 2 teachers)

We always begin by resting the instruments until all the children have theirs so that the children can practice being considerate musicians. Next, the children watch for me (the teacher/"conductor") to give them the signal to start playing and then everybody proceeds to play free form in their favorite way! You can read more about my music teaching techniques at this post: 13 Secrets to a Successful, Engaging, Fun Music Class for Preschoolers.

Since the children have practiced rhythm echoes in our warm up activities over the months, they have gained skills in reciting beat phrases in unison. So, when we move to our next activity, I invite the children to play one of our rhythm patterns together. There's our steady beat in operation!
Before you know it, we have a lovely little "band" playing right in our own classroom.

Next, you can play some of the above mp3 music selections (from the movement activities) and this time play along with the instruments!

It's also fun to play while singing the children's favorite familiar songs. You can change it up some by substituting "counting out" the steady beat instead of singing the words. For example, if you sing Twinkle Twinkle, count out the beat, and play rhythm sticks as well, it would be sung this way by singing/counting 1-2-3-4 over and over while tapping the rhythm sticks on each number.

(not sung: Twin kle, twin kle)
(sing:) 1 2 3 4
(play:) tap tap tap tap

(not sung: Lit tle star ...)
(sing:) 1 2 3 4
(play:) tap tap tap tap

So, the song would go: "1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4"

It's also fun for children to sing this familiar song with funny sounds, like squeek-squeek-squeek-squeek (mouse) or
mew-mew-mew-mew ( kitten)...Playing along with a rhythm instrument helps the child really hear the steady beat since the silly words are insignificant to the song and the children will be more focused on counting out the steady beat.

Early experiences MAKING MUSIC are guaranteed to give children the foundation for developing a "LOVE OF MUSIC" on into their adult lives. And, who knows where that love of music may take the child!

Above photos are by the artists at Dollar Photo Club

Thank you for stopping by to read my Blog and I hope you and your group enjoy these activities and have fun keeping that steady beat!

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Musically Montessori: Got Steady Beat? Get My New Vlog!

Carolyn 9:06 PM

KEEPING A STEADY BEAT IS THE FOUNDATION OF MAKING AND PLAYING MUSIC WITH OTHERS. Developing this important skill can be lots of fun for little children and grown-ups, too! Here is my Steady Beat "Vlog" and you can see one of my groups in action in the video at the end of this article.

Photos from Adobe Stock unless otherwise noted

Marching music has a pronounced beat that is steady and easily followed. So, I've found that this is a great place to begin introducing steady beat activities to young children.

BASIC CONCEPT: STEADY BEAT

LET'S MARCH!

In my Musically Montessori eCourse, "First Twelve Weeks", this beginning concept is introduced right away in the first week of lessons...with marching activities, of course!

It always helps children understand better when they are given visuals, along with listening, along with actually moving the body to the music.

SHOW VISUALS

Nice, large, real photos are most effective when the children first explore steady beat through marching. I like to show little ones a picture of a marching band.

PREPARE THE CHILDREN: PRACTICE MARCHING

Next we practice the motions of marching, so I demonstrate to the children and then they practice with me. I like to say, "March, two, three, four...March, two, three, four..." while I show the children how to move to the steady count, lifting the knees and using the arms to move and balance.

ADD A PROP: MINIATURE FLAGS

Miniature flags are often an integral part of the Cultural Area of the Montessori Preschool Classroom, and waving flags lends itself very well to marching! You can give each child at Music Circle a miniature flag to wave while marching along to the marching music you play on your classroom sound system. Here is the link for a great classic: Mitch Miller's "Marching Music for Children" and here is the one from Bizet: George Bizet's "Marche de Toreador".

Photo from Magical Movement Company Archive

In my Musically Montessori eCourse, "First Twelve Weeks" we use the music from the Classical Fun Singalongs cd that happens to be a free download that comes with my eCourse. I have been so fortunate to work out an agreement with the authors of this music (one of my favorite music cd's) and in this lesson, we use the music from Bizet's "Marche de Toreador."

PLAY WITH A STEADY BEAT

I love using rhythm sticks to play along with Steady beat activities and the children do too, of course! If you've read my blog in the past, you know that my favorite rhythm sticks are these from Basic Beat (from Amazon) pictured below:

Recently, we enjoyed this lesson using "Music Babies" as an alternative to rhythm sticks. My groups have been making music with me for some time now, so it was fun to have a different experience with this marching music. If you are just starting out, I highly recommend playing rhythm sticks along with marching music and then at another time, you could offer a fun variation, like "music babies".

I like these simple muslin dolls (from Amazon) for my groups. However, you could even have your children bring in their favorite stuffed animal toy to school one day as a substitute for "music babies" so that you don't have to invest any money with this fun extension for the lesson.

Little children have yet another way to experience and explore steady beat!

Photo by Kiran Sharma

WATCH OUR VIDEO

Kiran from Kiran's Montessori Preschool in Pleasanton, CA. has a lovely little group of children who really enjoy our music class each week. She took the video footage of our wonderful steady beat activities that you will see in my Youtube video below!

"Musically Montessori: Steady Beat" at Youtube

Do you need some shelf works to go along with your Music Circle "Steady Beat Lesson?"

INDIVIDUALIZED SHELF WORK,

MONTESSORI-STYLE

I have some fun activities you can create for your group as large group, small group, and individualized work that focuses on the music concept of "Steady Beat."

This Lesson Plan Activity Pack ($4.) is available at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store at this link: TpT Is It A Steady Beat?

This one is a FREE Resource for my Subscribers at my Freebie Collection.

FREE! Steady Beat Montessori Command Cards

You'll find lots of free resources at my website, including my newly revised eBook, "Musically Montessori, First Lessons" ($12.99 retail)

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I am so happy to have you visiting my blog today and I hope you have gotten lots of ideas for your group to have fun exploring Steady Beat with Marching!

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Music Benefits the Child: Trains, Steady Beat & Academic Performance!

Carolyn 3:42 PM

TRAINS, STEADY BEAT, & ACADEMICS

Trains are still a big favorite with children, even if the only train they ride is the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)!

Riding on a train with Mom

Photo from the artists at Dollar Photo Club

Lucky for us early childhood music teachers, trains have many sounds and motions that can relate to formal music concepts, like "Steady Beat" or "Accelerando" and even "Staccato" vs "Legato." (Click on the links to read more about these musical terms.)

Photo from the artists at Dollar Photo Club

Trains offer a great example of the term in music for quickening the tempo, gradually getting faster, or "Accelerando."

Then there are the sounds of "toot-toot" from the train horn that correlate beautifully with the musical term, "Staccato" or short, pronounced rhythm.

The term, "Legato" (meaning smooth, connected notes in a piece of music), is perfectly illustrated by the "whoo-oo-oo-oo" sound of the train whistle.

Of course, the clickety-clackity, clickety-clackety sound of the train going down the track is great fun for playing around with steady beat. Young children enjoy pretending together to be a train, and this adds another element in the musical game: everybody keeping a steady beat together!

Photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius Photography from Carolyn's Archives

Currently, there is a lot of interest in the positive effects of early musical experiences for children and how this can effect learning in the more academic areas, reading, writing and math. I found a study done by developers of the High Scope curriculum used in many early elementary programs across the nation.

From the website for HIGH SCOPE
http://www.highscope.org

Movement, Music, & Timing

Timing in Child Development

By Kristyn Kuhlman and Lawrence J. Schweinhart

AbstractThis study investigated the metronome and musical timing of 585 four- to eleven-year-olds in Effingham, Illinois....Timing in Child DevelopmentA child's timing — ability to feel and express steady beat — is fundamental to both movement and music, affecting both sports skills and musical performance, as well as speech-flow and performance of timed motor tasks. In addition, children's timing has been found to be positively related to children's overall school achievement, as well as mathematics and reading achievement (Weikart, Schweinhart, & Larner, 1987); self-control; and gross-motor skills (Kiger, 1994; Mitchell, 1994; Peterlin, 1991; Weikart et al., 1987). Many children enter elementary school lacking the ability to identify and express a steady beat. One study revealed that fewer than 10% of kindergarten children could independently feel and express the steady beat of recorded music (Wright & Schweinhart, 1994). Fewer than 15% of first graders tested had this ability (Mitchell, 1994). Fewer than 50% of the children in grades 4 through 6 could walk to the steady beat of a musical selection (Kiger, 1994).

The article goes on to reveal:

Timing studies have examined children's personal tempo and its relationships to age, handedness, gender, and school achievement. Children's personal tempo improves with age (Ellis, 1992; Jersild & Bienstock, 1935; Osburn, 1981; Petzold, 1966). There is little evidence that children's personal tempo is related to handedness (Grieshaber, 1987), nor does it appear to be related to gender (Petzold, 1966; Walter, 1983). Children's personal tempo has been found to be correlated with achievement test scores of children in grades 1 and 2 (Weikart et al., 1987); gross-motor skills and reading group levels of children in grades 1, 3, and 5 (Kiger, 1994); and the language and mathematics performance of children in grade 1 (Mitchell, 1994).

I found this part of the study to be very important in our work with young children and how developing the skill of carrying a steady beat can directly effect a child's cognitive development in a positive way!

It is worth noting that in this study, metronome and/or musical timing were more strongly correlated than household income and parents' highest level of schooling with children's ability to pay attention. Schools that want children who pay attention can do little to affect their household income or parents' schooling. They can, however, offer training programs in timing. Although the significant correlations between timing and ability to pay attention do not guarantee that improved timing leads to improved ability to pay attention, it is highly plausible that it does. Similarly, children's metronome timing was statistically significantly correlated with their participation in special and compensatory classes. These are high-cost programs, much higher in cost than programs that train teachers to provide children with activities to improve their timing. If improving children's timing could reduce their need for special or compensatory classes, it is plausible that such teacher training (e.g., Weikart, 1995, 1998) could eventually pay for itself in this way.

Children's timing is important in its own right. It is important because it is a key factor in sports, music, and dance, in speech and general life functioning. Movement educators have also detected signs of a relationship between improvements in children's timing and improvements in their reading. If further research confirms such a relationship, the perceived educational importance of timing programs will increase, and we will have obtained one more tool in our efforts to achieve our national goal of having all young children complete third grade with the ability to read.

Enter: Magical Movement Company!

"Carolyn & kids" in music class have gazillions of experiences with keeping a steady beat---"timing." From musically moving to all the dynamics of sounds & motions of trains to tapping out the pattern of pitter-patter of raindrops with rhythm sticks. Walking to a steady drum beat, then tiptoeing, marching, and even running as a response to the drum beating, are engaging activities for young children that continue to offer experiences with establishing that inner "timing" we call keeping a steady beat.

Carolyn leading children in a steady beat activity with a drum!

Photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius from Carolyn's Archives

Child leading the class in a steady beat activity with a drum!

Photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius from Carolyn's Archives

Steady beat with echo games

A great way to have fun with a child while practicing keeping a steady beat is playing echo games in which you, the adult, clap out a simple pattern such as CLAP--CLAP--clap-clap-clap (Or one--two--tie my-shoe) and then ask the child to copy (or echo) your beat. In order to keep the pulse going, establish a signal that shows the child it is your turn and then a signal that it is his/her turn. That way you don't have to interrupt the flow of the steady beat by saying "your turn..." Eventually, the child will want to be the leader in this game, and it is also fun for you to follow his/her lead too.

Watch for more on the importance of clapping in next week's blog!

Photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius from Carolyn's Archives

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What's Happening in the Montessori Music Room? Marching with Music from Georges Bizet!

Carolyn 10:40 AM

BIZET'S "MARCH OF THE TOREADOR" IS A FUN WAY TO PRACTICE KEEPING A STEADY BEAT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ADD MINIATURE FLAGS OF THE WORLD FOR THE CHILDREN TO WAVE!

All photos in this post are from the artists at Dollar Photo Club unless otherwise noted.

These days, in our Montessori music classes, the children are ready for learning the basic concepts of music.
One of the first lessons in music education is about keeping a steady beat, and we all know that if you put on some marching music, people will start marching without even thinking about it!

The best way to learn about steady beat in music is to actually move to the beat of music being played or sung. Clapping, stamping, tapping, snapping fingers or clicking tongues...and of course marching! These are all ways children can practice keeping a steady beat.

What is wonderful about marching music is that it is often counted out in a four beat pattern ("March, two, three, four!") and the beat is very pronounced and easy to hear.

Children have usually gone to a parade by the time they are in Preschool and so they have seen and heard a marching band. So, when I introduce this music lesson featuring steady beat, I like to show the children a photo of a marching band and tell them we are about to listen and march to some marching music!

I have a collection of miniature flags from all over the world and so I invite the children to march to the music while carrying a flag! I show them how to hold the flag up high and wave it gently in a dignified manner.

Many Montessori classrooms already have a set of miniature flags and I highly recommend a flag reference book, since the children will want to know the names of the countries the various flags represent. Here is my favorite flag reference book:Amazon Smithsonian Guide to Flags of the World.

I have collected miniature flags over the years from many sources, but Montessori Services is my favorite. You can actually order individual flags from them and not have to purchase a whole set. Here's that link: Montessori Services Geography Resources.

Next, I demonstrate to the children how to bend the knees and lift the legs for marching. I count out the beat and say, "1, 2, 3, 4...March, 2, 3, 4", and I lift alternating legs while I count. We all practice a bit and if you show the children a picture of the position for marching, they will probably understand the movement immediately. However, this is a developmental milestone when a child can really lift the leg up high and keep the beat steady while marching. In our classes there are 24-36 children, and so we "march in place" and this works just fine.

Now, its time to do our marching and so I turn on the cd and we march and march, waving our flags elegantly in the air! I play this music for about a minute so that the children stay focused and don't get too tired of marching!

Photo by Carolyn at Magical Movement Company

Here is a youtube video of a fantastic orchestra playing this wonderful march from Bizet's opera, "Carmen."

After our important musical movement activity, I have the children sit down while still holding their flags. I invite them to prepare for listening to the marching music of Bizet again and this time we will move our flags in front of us and keep the beat with the flags instead of our marching feet!

I always show the children a picture of the composer we are learning about and they are always intrigued when they see an actual picture and learn the term, composer. Here's the picture I use (from public domain) for the French composer, Georges Bizet.

Once again, I play the cd of this music for about a minute and the children greatly enjoy waving the flags to the steady beat of the music.

Later in the lesson, we passed a drum around the circle and each child showed us their way of playing a steady beat pattern on the drum.

If you don't have flags in your environment, children can still greatly enjoy marching to Bizet's music. I recommend JUST marching (without props) with groups who are young or new to the preschool classroom environment.

Marching is also another fun way to practice movement on "The Line" in the Montessori style environment. You can read more about Montessori "Line" Activities at my posts here:Musically Montessori #3: Let's Begin With Movement on the Line

and here: The Montessori Line a Place for Movement: Obstacle Course!

I am delighted that you have visited my blog and I hope that you have enjoyed this article. If you have the inclination, I would love to hear your ideas! Just put a comment in the section below and I'll respond right away.

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Preschool Music Fun with "Robot Dance" and "Music Babies"!

Carolyn 9:21 PM

WATCHING LITTLE CHILDREN DO THE "ROBOT DANCE" IS ALMOST AS ADORABLE AS PRACTICING RHYTHMS WITH "MUSIC BABIES"!

Photos in this post are from the artists at Dollar Photo Club

Keeping a steady beat is always an important part of music education for young children and it does take practice. However, there are so many fun games for practicing this important skill!

This week in our Montessori Preschool music classes, the children enjoyed a steady beat activity from the Bushfire Press, "Music Room" curriculum (my favorite!) Here's that link: http://www.bushfirepress.com

Our activity was based on a "Robot Dance" to music with a pronounced steady beat. Of course, there are lots of popular tunes out there that keep a steady, driving beat and if you introduce the concept of dancing like a robot, then you're guaranteed a fun time! So,if you aren't using the "Music Room" curriculum, you can just put on your favorite dance music instead.

I usually practice my lessons before presenting them to the children, and so I stood in front of a mirror at home and tried my robot dance beforehand. I wanted to make sure that I really did look like a robot dancing!

As with most music and movement activities, it's important that the teacher "model" the components of the activity in a lively and dramatic manner. "Robot dancing" is fairly easy to "get dramatic" with, and once the children saw me...they went to town!

There were lots of happy faces and lots of very controlled movements...another added benefit of dancing a steady beat in a robot style! Keeping the movement sharp and crisp takes coordination & muscular control on the part of the children. (and me!) And, adding the "drama play" component of moving like robots makes it fun to do and adorable to watch. While we're dancing I sometimes say: "Stea-dy-beat...stea-dy-beat..." to give more juice to the learning adventure!

For us Montessorians, we know that the importance of movement on the child's development was always emphasized by Dr. Montessori. In 1967, she wrote :

"...Mental development must be connected with movement and be dependent on it. It is vital that educational theory and practice should be informed by this idea."

You can read more about this topic at this link: Montessori Movement Matters Book Intro (one of my favorite books!)

If robots weren't enough of the adorable factor this week, we also had more steady beat experiences with our "Music Babies":

These are little muslin dolls that I introduce to the children as "Music Babies", so that they get the idea that we will be doing musical activities with the dolls. I purchased my "music babies" in lots of twelve from this supplier:

Sunshine Crafts.com Muslin Doll

First, I demonstrate how my "music baby" can sit in my lap and I can move it's "hands" to clap. Then, we clap a steady beat, or a fun rhythm like "ti-ti-ta". See more about the "ti-ti-ta" rhythm at this post:

"Freeze Dance" with a "Ti-ti-ta" Twist

You can also check out this quirky video I made about rhythm patterns and hear the "ti-ti-ta" fun on this post:

Music & Little Children Keeping a Steady Beat

And, if you want to see & hear more of my quirky videos there is a little collection at my website page: "Stuff for Kids"...just click here:

Magical Movement Company.com Videos for kids

We even sang some of our favorite songs with our "music babies" moving to the beat...sometimes making the baby's "hands" clap together, sometimes having the baby "jump", or "walk", and sometimes we even "rocked" the babies to the beat. We took our babies up high like "flying" when we sang the song "Flying Man" from the music curriculum by Tamara O'Brien, called "We're Orff."

You can find this fun song & activities to download as an eBook here: Bushfire Press, Orff Resources

I got the idea for our "music babies" activities from some wonderful youtube videos on Eurythmics (the Dalcroze Method of teaching music). Fritz Anders has some amazing ideas that he has recorded and here's the one about using "music babies"!