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Do You Know What Montessori Children Like Best About Music Class?

IF YOU GUESSED PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, THEN YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!


Recently, I got out my toy microphone and became the "roving reporter" on the playground of a Montessori school where I teach music.  It was so delightful to hear the responses of the children!

Carolyn: "What is your favorite thing about music class?"

2 1/2 yr old boy: "Maracas...you have to shake them!"
photo from Adobe Stock

Carolyn: "What do you like best in music class?"

5 yr old girl: "I love playing the tambourine. My favorite one is pink with the green ribbon! I like to hear the jinglies..."

photo from Adobe Stock

Carolyn: "What is YOUR favorite thing in music?"

3 yr old boy: "Those sand things that you scrape together!"

photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius

That child was speaking of the sand blocks that we had played a few weeks before.

Just about every child was excited to tell me how much they liked a certain rhythm instrument.  I at least expected someone to say they liked the marching with flags, or my puppets for singing high and low...but, they all thought of the instruments first of all!

In our music classes we always play some sort of instrument, usually "unpitched" rhythm instruments. 

The structure of the class goes something like this:
  • Finger, hand, and vocal warm-ups
  • Hello echo singing
  • Reciting echo rhythms
  • A Movement activity
  • The Lesson: featuring a concept, composer, genre of music, or music from a particular country
  • Instrument exploration
  • Goodbye echo song
And, believe it or not, the instrument playing part of the class lasts only about ten minutes or so...but it is by far the highlight of the musical experience!

photo from Adobe Stock

So many classroom teachers tell me that they just don't want to get out the instruments for their group because the children get so excited and things get loud and a bit chaotic! 

Yet, most everyone wants to offer children more experiences with music... and rhythm instruments are one of the best ways for little ones to "make music."

Over my many years of being a Montessori educator as well as an Orff-Schulwerk practitioner, I have tried a variety of ways to bring instrument activities to young children. I've found some real winners, too. 

First off, I personally LOVE making music! But also, I have read enough studies to be certain that young children NEED to make music. (Just look at those responses to the "roving reporter's" questions above!)

It not only makes them happier, it gives them experiences that help them develop:
  1. Their cognitive abilities 
  2. Their social abilities 
  3. Their coordination abilities 
  4. Their concentration abilities, and a whole lot more!
I have seen groups of young children develop a real camaraderie when playing instruments together. 

Amazing creative ideas surface when children are exploring a new instrument.

As children become accustomed to playing rhythm instruments, they gain self confidence and most of all, they develop a genuine appreciation of music. They not only love music, they love playing music...with others!

Even the children that choose to "observe," rather than join in, benefit from hearing the music made by their little counterparts. I often see big smiles on those observers' faces and soon they decide to join us! 

Real experiences with real instruments are the best way for little ones to internalize what music is all about. The vibrations of sound are transmitted to the child through his/her own body. The child's own hands are creating the sounds that they feel and hear.

Talk about sensory learning!

The child in the picture above was enjoying the experience of actually plucking the strings of a stringed instrument during our unit on the "Strings Family" of the Orchestra. I love how he was using both hands and really listening intently to the music he was making.

So, how can you offer young children regular experiences with instruments in your music curriculum? (and not get a headache in the process!)

~ Start with every child playing the same rhythm instrument, so that the "noise" is not chaotic sounding. This means you will need  26 pairs of rhythm sticks for a class of 24 children and 2 teachers.

~ Another part of successfully offering children experiences with rhythm instruments, is setting up the "procedures"  that you want to follow during music time.

There are so many ways to do this and it is well worth your time to decide and create these procedures beforehand, just as you do in all areas of the Montessori environment.

~ Also, choose instruments that sound nice to your ears! You might be surprised to hear the difference in the sound of one brand of maracas as compared to another. 

Even the materials that the instruments are made of makes a difference in how pleasing (or unpleasing) they are to your ear!

photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius

You can learn this and more...many of my little secrets to success in your music circle...when you take my eCourse, Musically Montessori: First Twelve Weeks.

This upcoming  on-line course will give you not only pointers on HOW to enjoy music with your group but also WHAT experiences to offer your children so that they have a sequential music curriculum that builds their cognitive skills as well as their  musical abilities. 


photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius

Here are two SPECIAL DEALS for you:
  • 20% discount for the first ten people who register
   USE Promo code: FIRST10 (there are still 2 of these
   available!)
  • 10% discount until August 14th 
   USE Promo code: SUMMIT2016

I HAVE A SPECIAL GIVEAWAY TOO...CHECK IT OUT HERE!

FIRST CLASS STARTS AUGUST 28th
New lesson each week

Here is the line up:
Musically Montessori: First Twelve Weeks
         Lessons


I am so looking forward to this Musically Montessori eCourse. And, I would love to make music with you, too!  You can check out my style of teaching at my Musically Montessori Workshop that is still available for a whole year at the Trillium Montessori Summer Summit

Thanks for visiting my blog again, and I hope you got some inspiration and lots of helpful information!

Advertising Disclosure: Magical Movement Company may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. Thanks for your support!









  












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Montessori Baby-Ed: Learning About Music and The Arts, The Montessori Way!

WHEN MY FRIEND, AMANDA, SENT ME THIS PHOTO OF HER NEWBORN WITH HER PRESCHOOLER PLAYING THE MBIRA (AFRICAN THUMB PIANO) I HAD THE PROOF THAT ALL AGES LOVE MUSIC. JUST LOOK AT THOSE LITTLE SMILES!

The family members in these photos are working with the materials in my "Nido Basket #1" from my series, Montessori Baby-Ed: The First Month. Their baby was born in early May, so in this photo he is about 1 month old and his brother is 3 yrs old. 

I was so excited to see how Amanda put the principles of Montessori to work right away. She requested a kid-friendly Mbira, so that her preschooler could be involved in Baby's "education" and you can see how engaging this simple musical experience can be for both ages! 

Here we see one of the most important hallmarks of the Montessori method of education: 

MIXED AGE GROUPS
How about this for family music making! Even the dog is in on it...I can just imagine that he will be howling any minute. What a lucky little baby to be surrounded by folks of different ages bringing music to him!

Also, Amanda has been using some of the more subtle ways to expose her little one to music learning...another hallmark of Montessori: indirect aim of the activity.  Here is her little babe with his music note bib. 

INDIRECT AIM OF THIS ACTIVITY IS
 TO SEE MUSIC NOTATION IN THE ENVIRONMENT

Big brother is also absorbing the visuals of music notation through an everyday experience, like feeding his little brother!

THE "ABSORBENT MIND" OF THE CHILD 
AND THE SUBTLETIES OF A MUSIC NOTE BIB

We already know what an important role sensory learning plays in the cognitive development of the young child. Montessori wrote extensively about the child's need for  stimulation of the senses and I think that big brother is not only giving Baby some sounds to hear, but also his little brother can actually feel the vibrations of the sound.

SENSORY STIMULATION FOR BABY

"Chapt. 9 The First Days of Life: If what we have to do is to help man's mental life, then the first lesson we must learn is that the tiny child's absorbent mind finds all its nutriment in its surroundings... Especially at the beginning of life must we, therefore, make the environment as interesting and attractive as we can." The Absorbent Mind,  by Maria Montessori p. 97
Dr. Montessori often pointed out the importance of beauty in the environment for children of any age, but especially the newborn. This Montessori Tetrahedron Mobile is a lovely way to stimulate Baby's aesthetic sense along with the visual stimulation so important to the development of the child.

STIMULATING THE VISUAL AS WELL AS 
THE AESTHETIC SENSE

Amanda told me that her little one seemed to prefer the Montessori Tetrahedron Mobile over the Munari Mobile. She said that he spent up to 30 minutes focusing on this mobile, and she was careful not to interrupt his concentration.Of course, one of the main tenants of the Montessori method is allowing the child to explore an activity for as long as s/he chooses. So, we Montessorians try our best not to interrupt the baby (or child!) while s/he is engaged so intently.

UNINTERRUPTED ACTIVITY HELPS DEVELOP 
A LONGER ATTENTION SPAN IN THE CHILD

Amanda's children are hearing two languages at home and so, this little one is also getting exposure to the subtleties of each language.  Being wrapped in a rich language environment filled with the beautiful sounds of several languages not only brings wonderful sensorial and cultural experiences to the child, but also gives the child an edge in language development. 

The Preschool child is still figuring out that there are often 2 or more words for the same concept, such as "hat" and "cap" or, "cat" and "feline"...however, bi-lingual children recognize this concept early on because they have experienced virtually every word in their world as having two ways to say it!

SENSORY LEARNING AND LANGUAGE ARTS
It is amazing the cognitive benefits children derive from a multi-lingual family life! I saw this recently when I was visiting my 9 month old grandchild who has a Nanny that speaks to him often in Spanish. When my daughter was feeding him, she asked her little one if he wanted more, then she asked him in Spanish, "Más?" 

My grandchild immediately stopped eating and had a look of deep thought on his face. Then, he turned and looked in the direction of his Spanish Nanny across the room. It was so obvious that this nine month old baby already recognized the difference between the sounds of the English language vs the Spanish language. And, he not only noticed the difference, but he also associated the Spanish (spoken to him by his Mom) with his Spanish Nanny and looked for her in his environment!

Likewise, I remember when my other grandchildren were preschoolers and spoke both Japanese and English in their home. At the age of 3, these little ones understood to speak Japanese to Matsue, their Japanese "Baba" and also, they knew to speak English to Carolyn (that's me!) their American "Grandma."

Nowadays, they translate for both of us grandmothers when we have family gatherings!

I hope you have gotten some valuable information from this article and have enjoyed the darling photographs as much as I have!

I invite you to check out my Montessori Baby-Ed series by clicking HERE. 
Month number 1 from Baby Yoga Cards at I Believe in Montessori

Thanks again for visiting my Blog and please take a look around, I think you'll find lots of other helpful articles.

And, this post is part of the Montessori Monday Link up at the Living Montessori Now site, where you'll find gazillions of resources from Montessori educators all over the world. Click HERE to visit the LINK UP.

Advertising Disclosure: Magical Movement Company may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. Thanks for your support!
















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Time to "Jazz up" Your Classroom, Montessori-style!

HAVE YOU BEEN THINKING THAT IT'S TIME TO PUT SOME "PIZAZZ" INTO YOUR PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM? MUSIC IS A GUARANTEED SUCCESS!
Scroll down a little to see my video of the children making music and more in the Montessori music room.
I know you just might be thinking that I have a bias about music! Okay, that is true, but is anyone really going to deny that young children love making music ? 

You can start your school year out with a jazzed up Montessori music curriculum that will impress not only the children, but their parents as well.

I will show you the way to create an engaging, fun, and sequential music program that helps children build cognitive skills as well as develop a love for music that will last a lifetime! And, the best part of it all, is that I incorporate the Montessori method into every lesson so that you and the children will succeed!

You are warmly invited to check out my little slideshow below that gives you a glimpse of the Montessori music room and how much fun it really is... 




Not only does my Musically Montessori eCourse give you a video presentation of a new music lesson each week, but you will also have a PDF to download.  That PDF will be chock full of lesson activities, suggestions and printables for follow-up shelf works, and links to resources and music.

During this twelve week course, you'll have a chance to work with me as your coach! From my many years of working with children of varying ages in Montessori environments from rural to urban to international settings, I have gleaned the best of my music lessons for you, so that you can learn how to create a successful music curriculum for your group.


The first lessons will feature the concept of "steady beat" in music, one of the most important components to a successful musical experience no matter what age you  happen to be!

My playful approach engages little ones with interesting movement activities as well as fun listening lessons and games that show the contrast between a steady beat, such as a march by the French composer, Bizet,  and no steady beat at all...like the sound of popcorn popping!

I'll be featuring music from Tchaikovsky and Mozart right off the bat, since these composers have so many songs that children already recognize. And, Montessori children love to hear the real music terms and the actual names of the composers. These little ones are always fascinated with how these great musicians figured out how to make their music and children greatly enjoy marching to a steady beat so that this important music concept is incorporated into the body through "muscle memory." 
  
Then, you can set up some simple, yet informative, shelf works that enhance the music learning on an individual basis during work time in the classroom. I have lots of easy-to-assemble activity ideas and even printables to help you get set up for the week right away.

And, if you are signed up for the Trillium Montessori Summer Summit that starts TOMORROW (!) then you will have a special introduction to my approach to music education when you join my Musically Montessori workshop on Wednesday the 20th at 5:00 PM EST. 

What's great about the Summer Summit is that you can actually watch my workshop anytime you desire for a whole year! So, if you happen to miss it on Wednesday, you can rest assured that it is waiting for you when you have some time to hang out with me...

JUST IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T SIGNED UP FOR THE SUMMIT, HERE'S THE LINK: Trillium Montessori Summer Summit.

Did you know there are more than 40 vendors in the Summer Summit virtual exhibit hall? And, everyone is offering special sale prices for their products during the summit! Everything in my TpT shop is 20% off and I have a coupon code for 10% off on my Musically Montessori eCourse! The code is SUMMIT2016.

I would love for you to check out my site and also...SIGN UP FOR MY GIVEAWAY: I'm giving away 2 spots in my upcoming Musically Montessori eCourse! 

And, if you have already signed up for my eCourse and you just happen to win one of the spots in my eCourse giveaway...I will:
  • Refund your money OR
  • Credit you for my eCourse #2 Musically Montessori: 12 Weeks with the Orchestra which starts in January 2017.
Here's the link to read the syllabus and preparing for my course: Musically Montessori eCourse: First Twelve Weeks.


What an exciting week ahead for us Montessori educators! I am really looking forward to being inspired by so many amazing presenters in the summer summit. And, I have already signed up for several of the Giveaways! Looking forward to "seeing" you there.

My post today is part of the Montessori Monday Link up at Living Montessori Now, and there are lots of great articles to check out there with amazing resources from all over the world. CLICK HERE!


Advertising Disclosure: Magical Movement Company may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. Thanks for your support!




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