Brian Returns to Birkdale

Had lots of fun returning to Birkdale Residence. We had eight children and one adult singing and clapping. They enjoyed "I Wake Up My Hands," "Baby Shark," "The Wheels on the Bus," "All de Nations Like Bananas," and "I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas." One child did express her displeasure at the last two songs - because she didn't like bananas. Oh well! The children enjoyed learning about and playing the tambourine. They were very cooperative sharing the instruments during the jam session. And of course, the parachute was a great hit, producing lots of laughing and jumping. Looking forward to a larger group with more adults next week.

New Year, New Blog

Today was the first day back at Robertson House after a busy holiday season. I took some time over the break to create some goals for the session, yet I realized as I do every time I prepare for a class that I must be prepared to go with the flow and be open to the ideas/inspiration set forth by the people I meet. I arrived about half an hour early to help organize the room and reconnect with the various staff members who were also returning from holidays. I noticed that the room was ready to go and set up slowly reacquainting myself with the large space in which we play. I was lucky to have Jo, my RSF Co-ordinator, attend the first class and found her presence, as always, to be a wonderful calm to my sometimes somewhat excited energy. One little boy was standing outside the door and seemed rather curious and after inviting him into the room I learned his name. After giving him a name tag and explaining what RSF was all about, he excitedly said "I have to go get my mom!" He hurried off and shortly returned with a woman who brought with her three other children. She explained to me that she was the mother to five children and was expecting another (one was napping upstairs). I couldn't believe it. Can you imagine having six children?! I told her how happy I was that her family could join us and told her to sit however she was most comfortable. Well didn't she sit right down on the floor with her beautiful kids and smile! Her energy was incredible and infectious.

I started with teaching some sign language (hello, goodbye and their individual names) and got to know their interests. I discovered that they were familiar with several traditional children's songs and decided to show them the RSF CD and what songs we would try singing that day. We started with I Wake Up Hands and Sticky Sticky Bubblegum. Moving along slowly we also did Wheels On The Bus and I've Been Working On The Railroad. Animal songs are always a hit and so I taught them Sleeping Bunnies, which had us laughing when one of the oldest boys was spooked by the guitar at one particular part in the song. Then I brought out the Bean Bag and asked them what colour and shape it was. I was impressed to see them answering the questions so quickly and confidently. The oldest boy interjected at one point and said "When will you be playing the guitar again?" and I knew in that moment that he was hooked. It was a great feeling.

For IOTW I demonstrated how to play the Djembe Drum. I started by asking them a series of questions such as "Which body part do you play the drum with?" and "Where did you first hear the sound of a drum?" When the second question seemed to stump them I explained that they first heard the sound of the drum inside their mother's belly, and that in fact, it was the sound of her heartbeat. Then I played a steady "heartbeat" on the drum to make my point. I passed the drum around and asked them to try keeping a beat whether it be fast or slow. The we brought out the instruments and played Momma Don't Allow giving each group of instruments a chance to solo.

Overall it was a wonderful start to the year with a extremely attentive group. At the end, more than one child said "That was fun!" and that is always music to my ears.

Participate in New and Exciting Ways

Great fun was had by all this week - the ocean drum was a big hit. It was wonderful to see some of the younger babies start to participate in new and exciting ways, including clapping along and bouncing their heads to the beat. Some expecting mothers are starting to drop in; I’m always glad to have new people. Here's hoping they come back, either next week (our last class), or for the new session. Parting is always such sweet sorrow - the babies are becoming increasingly aware of the content of the sessions, and show their displeasure when we end certain sections, and the class itself. These guys can really play - I love this location!

Jingle All the Way!

There may not be any snow on the ground yet, but our crew of singers played to their rhythmic strengths today with lots of jingling bells! We sang some favourites today, and then took some time to make sure everyone had a set of bells to shake around while we sang songs that lend themselves to the ringing of bells, including the seasonal classic Jingle Bells. There were no one horse open sleighs to give us a lift, but everyone present still had a merry time while singing and ringing! Today was our last class before a holiday break so it was also wonderful to be able to give a couple of the moms a Rainbow Songs Foundation CD of music for their active participation over the last few weeks! Looking forward to getting back to this group again for some more great singing in the New Year!

Aha! Gotcha!

It was great to see the core group of mothers and children as well as some new faces! Our core group does a great job of setting the example – because we're pretty far into the session, the material is slightly more advanced than might otherwise be suitable for someone who's showing up for the first day. The confidence shown by the regular attendees bleeds over, and provides a little cover for the parents who are new and shy.

It's interesting to watch apprehension bleed away, and see new parents catching themselves having fun. I almost want to stop and say "Aha! Gotcha!"

It’s also fun watching the babies get stronger and learn how to participate. Seeing very young children clap along for the first time is always a fantastic experience, and everyone notices and cheers.

One step, Two step...

One of the elements of our music classes that is most important to me is that our music has the opportunity to extend beyond our 45 minute classes. It means a lot to me that the young mothers attending can take the songs and rhymes and rhythms back home with them to use with their children. In our most recent class we engaged in the rhyme that goes, "Round and round the garden, like a teddy bear. One step, two step, tickle you under there!" Our moms used their fingers to trace a circle around their babies' bellies and then made their fingers take "one step, two step" up towards their necks for a little tickle. We talked about how their babies' reactions will change as they repeat the rhyme over and over, that the babies will quickly learn to anticipate the tickle under the neck and will get excited as they wait for it to come. Even after just doing this rhyme three times in a row, some of our youngest toddlers had caught on to the story of the rhyme and were in fits of giggles by the end. It was a wonderful sound to hear!

Goodbye My Friends, Goodbye ... See you in 2013!

Today was my last day at Robertson House, which admittedly felt odd because there were a lot of NEW faces today. Isn't that always the way??

I started the class with a different hello song (We're All Here Today) because the majority of the group was older and I knew immediately that getting to know each child as quickly as possible was important for remaining in control. I also recognized that it was going to be important to be assertive and detailed when explaining our expectations for the class.

We started off with Sleeping Bunnies, which was inspired by one participant who decided that throwing pillows around the room would be a good idea. I LOVE when I can turn negative behaviour into an inspiration for a song! After that I decided to risk it and try a rather lengthy song that gave the participants a chance to think about what animal they would like to be today (Johnny Didn't Have Any Breakfast). It is a wonderful song that allows you to see somewhat of a glimpse of each person's identity ... or if not, what animal they would like to be! LOL. I tried to convince them to stand up for Elephants Have Wrinkles and unfortunately that is where I lost slight control so I switched gears and we tried Roll The Ball and I Have The Beanbag. Both of these refocusing activities worked in a positive way and led us to the IOTW.

I decided to bring Wooden Frogs from Thailand and after showing them how to run the mallet along the spine to make a rriiibbbiiiittt sound, we sang Little Green Frog all together.

After putting away the instrument, we brought out the Jam Bag and a took a moment to go over each instrument making sure that they knew how to play it safely and properly. I got them to play a "heartbeat" for The Lion Sleeps Tonight and caught some of the moms sitting on the side singing and playing along without a care in the world. It was wonderful to see and FEEL the happiness in the room!

Unfortunately it was my last day and when I announced that I would see them in the new year, I was met with a series of groans but I made sure to assure them that I would be back in the new year ... Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013! Auld Lang Syne! 

Dance Party: Going out with a Bang

We had an action packed end to our fall session. Beginning on time and with a full house, we sang through many of the children's favourites. We stood and moved and danced until I finally brought out the Djembe, a hand drum from West Africa. We played several movement games to the sound of the drum, and the children took turns making sounds on the instrument. The grown-ups also seemed to really enjoy the rhythmic beats, as many of them were dancing enthusiastically. We had 20 children and 11 mothers as well as 1 staff on hand. The Shelter worker, who took attendance for me, left me a note saying "I swear I did not put up any flyers this week". The kids were participating wonderfully. The class started on time and everyone was geared up and ready from the very first Hello to the last Goodbye.

After class, another supervisor mentioned that people had been calling the office since 5 o’clock to ask whether there would be Rainbow Songs this evening. It is clear that these kids love the program. Most of the mothers love the program and more and more are participating each week. I feel like we have made some important breakthroughs despite any difficulties this term. While there have been some ups and downs, it is clear that this program is a success and that they do not have any other programs that encourage mother-child bonding in the way that we do. M asked me about the new year and said that she would try to find a student to come in to facilitate. I would love to continue with it in the New Year.

We've Got Rhythm!

Another great class at Jessie's Centre! This week we had a few babies and a slightly older four year old guest. Our four year old was a blast to have join us! She sang along to everything, even if she didn't know it, and made lots of great suggestions. For instance, after singing the first verse of The Itsy Bitsy Spider, this joyful girl immediately called out, "And now the great, big spider!" And after that verse she called out "And now the teeny tiny spider!" She knew all the actions and exactly how to make her voice sound very big or very small. She was an excellent role model for our babies who were caught up in her exuberance. One of the babies attending had us all laughing with his well-developed dance moves; whenever he stood and had someone hold his hands, his hips were automatically swinging from side to side and he had a huge smile on his face. It's no wonder, however, once you meet his mom, who has incredible rhythm! During our jam session she took hold of a tambourine and really brought our session to life with some perfectly-timed rhythms. Hopefully they'll all be back next week to continue to lend their excellent singing, dancing and playing to our class!

A Private Lesson

Something rather strange happened at Robertson House today. I entered and it was very quiet ... TOO quiet. Usually it is bustling with activity but today there was literally NO noise. I asked my friend Marcia at the front desk what was going on and she said that a number of residents had moved out over the weekend and new ones were staying in their rooms, perhaps feeling a little shy and overwhelmed. I felt my heart fall slightly only because I knew that some of my participants were gone however I was excited to see if there would be any new faces!

I set up the room and sat down with my guitar, taking my time to tune properly. My friend and staff member Lisa decided to go knock on doors to let new families know that there was a music class happening at 2 pm. Unfortunately as the time passed I was uncertain as to if ANYONE was going to be brave enough to attend! I spotted a little boy sitting in the cafeteria with his mom and I approached them introducing myself. The mom looked quite shy and simply said, "maybe".

I returned to my room and waited. Lisa returned with a long face and said that she couldn't convince anyone new to join her. At that moment I looked into the hallway and saw the little boy staring at my guitar. I knew by the look in his eyes that even if his mom didn't want to come to class, HE would make sure of it. She started to put on his jacket to leave and he pointed at me. The mom looked at me and then back at her son and asked, "How about we go...." Before she finished her sentence he was sitting beside me looking up at her. It was SO funny! I decided in that moment to run the class with only one participant. I had to read him very carefully because when I started the Hello Song he suddenly got very shy and looked like he wanted to leave. I decided to bring out a prop to divert his attention and used a turtle puppet named Henry. It worked like a charm. I taught him a chant called Turtle In My Shell which allowed him to practice peek-a-booing out of the shell, tickling different body parts. I kept things flowing with other easy tunes to learn (Itsy Bitsy Spider, Old MacDonald, Mr. Sun, If You're Happy And You Know It) and when I saw him getting a little antsy we moved around the room to another familiar tune, I've Been Working On The Railroad. 

IOTW was the Agogo. Even though it was a tiny class it was still fun to move around the room as I taught the basic meringue step to the two participating grownups while having the little boy accompany us with the Brazilian instrument. He was GOOD at it too!

For the jam, I asked him if he had a favourite song and he said "Doe A Dear" which thankfully I knew so we sang it a couple of times all together. I ended up showing his mom the signs before hand so she should could try the actions.

I was happy to have done the class with just one participant because he seemed to have a wonderful time and responded amazingly to the private lesson experience!