It was nice to see some past clients who were able to join the RSF class due to it being a PA Day. We had a nice large group again today, and the energy was contagious! Everyone was really excited to see and try out the Tibetan tingsha bells and the Nepalese singing bowls.
Today we started the new, revised session at Redwood, and it was all about the things we eat. Raindrops and sunbeams turned into lemon drops and jellybeans, then we got stuck on ourselves with Sticky Bubblegum. The theme almost continued into our special instrument: a bowl! Not for soup, but a singing bowl from Tibet. We had everyone feel the vibrations on the bottom of the bowl as we took it around our circle. It was a good way for everyone, from babies to grown-ups, to experience the music.
The kids were very excitable this week. Lots of running around the class, which was occasionally distracting, but luckily the grown-ups were there to help keep everyone together or take anyone who needed a breather outside the room. We continued singing songs about body parts, but this week we sang love songs to body parts, like Everybody Knows I Love My Toes, and My Belly Button. We finished off with You Are My Sunshine, and a parachute version of Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Everybody was feeling the spirit of Valentine's.
This week was a great group for building connections between parents and kids. While there were some kids who were super engaged, a few shy ones were helped by the grown-ups in the room, and eventually everyone was singing along. This is a very supportive group, so shy people are never an issue because they always have the support of their friends and caregivers. We had enough grown-ups to help with the big parachute at the end of class, and the kids were beyond enthralled. One of the parents even said that he hadn’t seen his daughter that excited in a while.
Today’s class at Robertson House was small but we managed to cram some good learning in! Since the group was small and a bit older, it was an opportune day to do some focused exercises. I was pleased to see all participants follow their cues with the wooden frogs during Little Green Frog. They all enthusiastically hit the wooden frogs right on the beat! Great to see and hear parents and kids playing music together.
Today I brought Rainbow Songs Animal Week to Birkdale. I brought animal ears and stuffed animals for the kids to wear and hold onto. We sang lots of animal songs, including I Had a Rooster, Baby Shark, Crocky Crocodile, Elephants Have Wrinkles, and Sleeping Bunnies. The kids loved the animal theme week.
A number of people were sick with the cold this week, so we had a bit of a smaller group at the Plaza hotel. However, there were some very eager kids (three of whom were attending for their first time). The kids picked up the lyrics very quickly, and were particularly delighted by songs with tempo changes, like 1 and 2 and 3 and 4, and a sped-up version of Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes. The kids connect to the songs physically just as much as they do lyrically, and I will be sure to incorporate lots of movement songs into future classes.
This week at Robertson House was full of smiles and awesome singing. I also noticed some great listening skills! It is always encouraging to see young kids with so much energy, dutifully engaging in song through words and actions. I witnessed this first hand during our “Rainstorm” activity. Parents and kids carefully mimicked my actions to create a cacophony of rainstorm sounds. I look forward to another great class at Robertson House next week!
Today I brought the Brazilian agogo to class to elaborate on the Latin beats that we learned last week with the cowbell. We explored the two tones that the agogo instrument makes and practiced keeping the beat to some Latin tunes. The kids were super excited when the music came on and some of the caregivers and kids got up and started to spontaneously dance about!
I'm so impressed by how far the kids at Ernestine have come in their rhythmic participation. They were clapping along for the Hello song before it even began! We did a number of counting songs, and the kids were proud to show how quickly they could count. Then there was a sudden spike in energy and I rearranged the class to include every bouncing song I know (which were all very well received). By the end of the class, I think everyone (parents included) was ready for a well-earned nap.
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