Birthday Bonanza!

It was one boy's birthday, so the shelter was bouncing around as everyone prepped for a big party. Since folks were still getting ready when I arrived, we started things off with the older kids. Today was a rhythm focused day. I showed the kids the difference between quarter, half, and eighth notes using the rhythm sticks, tapping and vocalizing with “Ta” and “Ti-ti” sounds.  When the rest of the kids and parents joined us, the energy increased about 200%. We sang all of the birthday boy’s favourite songs about trucks and buses, and shared the ball around the room. We had an extra long jam, and by the time I left, the room was boiling hot from all the activity!

Fun All Around!

This was a very lively class, with a good amount of parental participation without me having to encourage them too much!  Everyone particularly loved “Walking, I’m Just Walking Along”, and the kids listened very well to all the actions and didn’t get distracted by the various toys as we walked around the entire room.  Grownups were singing along to “3 Little Birds” during the jam as the kids went wild, and we finished off with “I Feel Good” during the parachute. Feeling good indeed!

Infectious Enthusiasm!

Though things started off a bit shy in the class, as parents and kids filtered in over the first few songs, the energy started to pick up. In particular, there was one parent who was new to the class, and he was clapping, smiling, and shouting “alright!” during all the songs.  His energy definitely translated to the other parents in the room, which is always a magical phenomenon.

Babies Learn To Dance!

We had mostly babies in our class today with the exception of a (very helpful) 2 year-old. This made for a peaceful class in which we could explore a little more of the baby repertoire. It was lots of fun to see the parents guiding the babies’ legs as they learned to dance while laying on their backs. These kinds of activities really help moms and their kids to bond through music and movement. I love seeing these moments! 

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Repetition is so important when learning music. One of my favourites to repeat is Crocky Crocodile. The children and adults at Humewood House have had time to learn and become familiar with the song. Now whenever we sing it together everyone is free to play and have fun with the song! I love seeing adults getting into the spirit and doing all of the actions, and the kids love it too and show it by "snapping" right back "Snap! Snap! Snap!" 

Thunder struck!

Yesterday evening was an all-around great class! The current group at Arise is engaged and excited for our classes! The group loved doing the call and response section in “Everybody Knows that I Love my Toes,” standing up and turning around for “What are you Wearing” and doing silly movements with the “Hokey Pokey.” We also had a lot of fun doing different kinds of movements with the “Walking Song.” The highlight of the class however was when I brought out the Thunder Tube as the instrument of the week. They were very intrigued! As always our jam was super loud and boisterous now that two older kids have joined the group - they are wonderful drummers! 

Helping Hands

There was a lot of connection today between parents and kids, as well as older and younger siblings.  This is great, as it lets me work more rhythm and clapping songs into the mix, with the older ones leading the babies and toddlers in their actions.  Songs like “I wake up my hands with a clap clap clap” were enjoyed by all, and the older kids were very engaged in their lefts and rights during the Hokey Pokey.  I worked on hand positions for the recorder this week, and Henry played us some tunes, as he is already far ahead in his recorder learning.

Tall Tall Trees!

I had a great time visiting the class at Plaza Hotel this week! The kids there are so attentive and seemed to really soak up the music as we moved through the class. We finished the class by doing some stretches to The Tree Song and singing about all four seasons. It felt like a family yoga class and was lots of fun! 

Twist and Shout!

Despite some wandering little ones, we had a great class at Robertson this week. We started with some focusing exercises and moved on to a lot of movement songs to keep up the energy. Our grand finale was a raucous dance party twisting and shouting to the Beatles under the parachute. All in all, a very fun class! 

A New Perspective!

Today at Humewood House (HH) we had a change of location. This was such a great decision. More children were able to participate and more parents attended as well. The staff at HH were excited to receive their RSF CD to play in their classrooms! This was a class where I could feel the love an support from the parents and caregivers as they dove into the music and fun with a lot of positive energy! It so wonderful to have the extra support, and was uplifting to hear all the voices singing together.