A Great Finish!

Last Monday's final class at Beatrice House was a great success! What a great session as well! Though it was consistently difficult to get parents involved, the kids were very engaged and enthusiastic with all the classes. Parents looked very proud when their children were receiving their certificates – this was great to see. After going through all the hits (Sticky Bubble Gum, Sleeping Bunnies, Five Little Monkeys), staff brought out all sorts of treats and we had a nice little party to end off the session. Until next time!

Shaking the Sillies!

This week's class was lots of fun, as usual. The kids (including the older ones) really seem to be getting a lot out of it. It seems like a good channel for their high energy. As usual, we really had a great time with the Sleeping Bunnies song, and had a blast "shaking our sillies out." I look forward to the last class next week!

Ding Ding Ding!

This week's class at Beatrice House was loads of fun. With a smaller class size, participants were able to generally stay focused on the songs and activities. Passing the bean bag and practicing sharing continues to be a hit, and I've seen some definite improvements throughout the session. We had a very nice moment with the Chime Bars, our instrument of the week, when participants were near perfectly in sync with the ding-ding-ding rhythm they were tasked with. They seemed to enjoy using the chime bars as fire truck bells very much.

The Fun Didn't Stop!

This week's class was as enjoyable as the last. It started off with small numbers but grew to a healthy size of 13 children of all ages. The kids had so much fun when we sang and moved to the Walk, Walk, Walk and Stop song. It seemed like a great (and much needed) focusing exercise. They also loved practicing their skills on the Chinese Gong near the end of class. Can't wait for next week!

Moments of Zen... and Chaos

Yesterday's class brought its biggest numbers yet – 23 children and 9 parents! The energy was a lot to handle, but made for some great fun, singing and dancing. We managed to find a few Zen moments with the playing of the Tibetan Singing Bowl, as well as a few rowdy moments while shaking our sillies out. It's always great to see the older children helping the younger ones to follow along with the various songs and actions. I look forward to next week's class!

Hot Potatoes and Bean Bags

This week's class at Beatrice House was a load of fun. What started as a small class quickly grew into a large group of many ages. The group showed excellent sharing skills when passing the bean bag from person to person, and got very excited when passing the bean bag turned into a game of hot potato. We also had a lot of fun playing with this week's instrument of the week – the wooden frogs. I look forward to next week's class!

Jumping Bunnies!

Today’s class was full of energy and smiles from both children and parents. Parents were very involved, for the most part, and sang loud and proud - what a treat! With 17 children and 8 parents participating, the energy was undeniable. One highlight was the demonstration of the Thunder Tube, our instrument of the week, during which all the participants watched in suspense as the Tube made its mysterious rumbles. The children were very excited when the Thunder Tube got passed around and everyone got to shake it for themselves. Another highlight was jumping around during the Sleeping Bunnies song, during which the energy in the room went way up! This was a great way to start the session and I look forward to more classes like this.

Jingle Bell Rock!

It was the smallest class yet, so I was able to really teach some things, including the scale (do, re, mi) with hand signs and a few new Christmas songs, including Jingle Bell Rock and Deck the Halls. Because of the small numbers I was able to bring out the parachute, which I don't think I've done in years. The children loved jumping around underneath and I could tell the moms were overjoyed to see the children having so much fun! We ended the class with a Christmas jam: Jingle Bells, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Frosty the Snowman. All in all a really fun and productive class!

Harmony in Music

The class started out with just a handful of moms and babies, so I was able to focus on repertoire for younger children. The class did grow considerably, but Miriam was very hands on and helpful, which was a big help to me! We sang a series of songs including: Wheels on the Bus, Roly Poly, What Are You Wearing?, Sleeping Bunnies, Little Green Frog, etc. and ended with a great version of Day-oh, In the Jungle, and Twist and Shout. I had some new moms present who can really sing, so it was fun harmonizing with them and I could see that they also really enjoyed belting it out!

Halloween Week!

The class started with just a few new mothers and babies (which was great!), however the masses did arrive and we ended up with a group of over 40 participants! I began by teaching a few fun Halloween songs – I'm Dressing Up and Five Little Pumpkins – and then went on to sing counting songs – Fast and Slow, and One Finger Keeps Moving. The group was a mix of ages and a bit wild, so I spent most of my time trying to engage the children while making sure people didn't get accidentally hurt. Somehow we managed to squeeze in a variety of songs, including Sleeping Bunnies, Roly Poly, Wheels On the Bus, and What Are You Wearing? We ended the class with a big jam, including Three Little Birds and Twinkle Twinkle.