Musicality and Music; Study and Play

• Developmental Stages
• Preskill
• Listening
• Movement
• Reading List

Developmental Stages of Musical Experiences

(from Experiences in Movement with music, activities, and theory by Pica)

2-Year Old

• Use their bodies in response to music, often by bouncing up and down
• Can learn, short simple songs
• Show increasing ability to follow directions in songs
• Respond enthusiastically to favorite songs, often asking to hear them repeatedly
• May sing parts of songs (often not on pitch), but seldom sing with a group
• Enjoy experimenting with sounds, with everything from household objects to musical instruments
• Can discriminate among songs

3 Year-Olds

• Have greater rhythmic ability
• Can recognize and sing parts of familiar tunes, though usually not on pitch
• Make up their own songs
• Walk, run and jump to music
• Enjoy dramatizing songs

4 Year-Olds

• Can grasp basic musical concepts like tmpo, volume and pitch
• Show a dramatic increase in vocal range and rhythmic ability
• Create new lyrics for songs
• Enjoy more complex sonngs
• Love silly songs
• Prefer "active" listening (singing, moving, doing fingerplays, accompanying music with instruments)

5 to 6 Year-Olds

• Can reprodue a melody
• Begin to synchronize movements with the music's rhythm
• Enjoy singing and moving with a group
• Enjoy call and response songs
• Have fairly established muiscal preferences
• Can preform two movements simultaneously (eg marching and playing a rhythm instrument)

7 to 8 Year-Olds

• Are learning to read lyrics
• Can learn simple folk dances taught by adults
• Enjoy musical duets with friends
• May display a desire to study dance or play an instrument
• Can synchronize movements to the beat of the music
• Can compare three or more sounds

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Preskills

Tame Music Without Words You Can Dance To:

Keeping Time Games

Activity! Tambourine Leader (from Up Up and Away)

Like follow the leader, leader uses tambourine to keep rhythm - walking pace, skipping pace, loud, soft, big steps, small steps.

Activity! Body Percussion Clap, stomp, snap, and pat your body parts in different rhythmic patterns. You can sing simple songs with actions or create your own patterns for children to repeat. Variation: Use household items like pots and pans for different sounds, keeping a steady beat together.

Activity! freeze dance You can easily find the video for a song to go with freeze dance - but here is a challenge for you - Make it yourself! Grab a tune that is easy to sing to and record your own freeze and dance song on your phone to play anytime you have to wait for the bus, walking in a park, get your sillies out. Helps promote control of body.

Activity! Animal Tempos Ask your child to dance but to pay special attention to how fast or slow an animal moves (fast for rabbits, slow for elephants). After matching animals to tempos, call out the animal to create a fast and slow dance!

Activity! Tempo Matching Play a matching game with sound cards or pictures of different rhythmic patterns (e.g., short-long-short vs. long-short). Children can clap or tap the patterns to match.

Activity! Jogging Tempo By the creators of Sesame Street! Find a great tempo to jog to - do it indoors an then outdoors!

Hands Doing Different Things

Activity! Tapping Game Set up two color, different shaped cutouts. At first make it pretty simple until kids get the gist and then you can add to it slowly building on their skills. Challenge them to match your tempo by tapping the different shapes in a specific way. At first, just use one hand. After you do it, let the child do it and you mimic them. Now comes the hard part - two hands. Use a different color for each hand, to help differentiate them. Tap different patterns (simple) one hand tapping one shape, the other hand tapping another shape. Once child is able to mimic, have them lead. Lastly, you can up the complexity of the game by adding more shapes and doing more than just tapping.

Activity! Finger Fun Finger games are a fantastic way to connect with a child and introduce them to basic concepts through fun and movement. To play first choose a simple finger game with a rhyme or song (like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"). Sing the song line by line and do the action, allowing time for the child to imitate you. You can make your own movements to any song, but the classics are classics for a reason - they invite finger play! Repeat the game for practice, going a little faster each time. This interactive activity strengthens motor skills and creates a joyful learning experience for both adult and child. Finger Movements (p. 55-59)

Emotive

Activity! Mood Dancing Explore how songs have different emotions - some are bright and cheerful and invite playful dancing. Others are more solom and invite slow steady movements. Spend some time exploring the songs listed. Ask the child to dance by the emotion they feel in the song.

Activity! Mood Singing Change it up! Instead of the music determining the mood, ask the child to sing a simple song in different mood states! Can they sing the itsy bitsy spider in sad way? How about a scared way?? Now happy! Try different songs in different moods!

Activity! Happy-Sad Example of how to play: Use a jumprope or tape to split the room into two. One side happy music, one side sad. Play music and have child or children move from one side to the other depending on the mood.

Listening

Activity! Thinking Cap (from Smart Moves by Dr. Hannaford)

To open up your ears! Wake them up! Try this: Unroll the outer ear from top to bottom (both sides).

Activity! Listening to Bird Songs This activity is two fold - the first is to listen and try to tell which call comes from which bird. Second - listen to the same bird make various calls - mating calls, warning calls, greetings, territorial and so on.

Activity! Ding! Set a timer for 2-5 minutes and hide it somewhere in the house. When it goes off, have child try to find it!

Activity! See Sound with a Balloon!

• Blow up a balloon and place one side of it on radio or speaker
• Place your hand on the other side

Activity! See Sound with Salt

(A bit messy!)

• On a jar or glass place plastic wrap or a thin dark cloth
• Secure it tightly with rubber bands
• Sprinkle salt on top - try a little at first, add more on consecutive tries
• Next to the glass or jar play music or make noise or speak.
• See what happens to the salt!
• Clean up after yourself :)

Activity! See Sound with Aluminum

• Create the ball - scrunch up an aluminum ball and tie a string around the ball
• Allow the ball to touch the glass (like in a picture)
• Using a spoon or knife, gently tap the glass to make a noise - not enough to break it!!

Activity! Pitch Game with Water Xylophone (4 glasses)

Activity! Music Memory Game (from ABC Classe de Florent)

Activity! Sound Maps

Print the Junior Rangers Sound Explorer booklet. Next time you hit the park, try the age appropriate activities. Have fun!

Activity! Instrument and Sound Introduction (from ABC Classe de Florent)

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Movement

From Playdancing by Lynch-Fraser; If you are working with children ages 3-8, consider adding a movement, music and dance component. Find great activities that have a mixture of all three in Playdancing! Fosters confidence, creativity, and problem-solving. Written primarily for teachers but can be adapted to at-home play. Adaptable to any age! Not a paid affiliation. Just a great book! For 18 months to four year-olds dance movement activities, check out Fraser's Danceplay.

Activity! Jelly Pool Guided Breathing (Fundamentals for ages 3-5) Controlling your breathing is very important for all physical activity, self regulation and before starting and finishing a physical activity. Lie down on your back and close your eyes. Pretend to be asleep. Imagine yourself floating in a pool filled jelly. What color is it? How does it feel? Keep your eyes close! Notice your breathing going in and out. Relax your body. Listen, but without opening your eyes. Think of what your toes are doing. Lift your toes out of the jelly pool and wiggle them, just your toes (if you can). Put your toes back in the jelly. Now pick another body part to lift out of the jelly. Go from toes to head. All eyes closed, all speaking calmly. You can just lift or do more, move your arms in a circle, tilt your head, wiggle your fingers. If child seems restless at any part of the exercise - move on to the next thing. See an example here

Activity! Shadow Dance (Fundamentals for ages 3-5)

You need light and shadows for this game - so grab your lamps, flashlights, phone light. Dim the lights and search for shadows. After finding some, focus some light and cast an intentional shadow. Play around with it by making it bigger or smaller. Ask child to make an intentional shadow. Then ask the shadow to do something - jump, stand on one foot, spin using one leg, wave its arms. Ask the shadow to become an animal (ie move like an animal). You could guess what the animal is or you call out an animal and they act like it.

Activity! Balancing Act (Fundamentals for ages 3-5)

Stand up straight, arms to the side, legs together, eyes closed - count to 10 (if you feel dizzy, open your eyes). Eyes open, lift one knee up, so you are standing on one leg. Leg down. Raise arms like an airplane - close eyes. Open eyes, arm down. Other knee up. Knee down.

Activity! Yarn Walk

Works well with two children - one child walks the ball of yarn around the room, in and out of objects. Once the room starts to look a bit like a spiderweb, second child finds the beginning and starts to ravel up the yarn back into a ball.

Activity! Walk This Way (Self-Awareness 3-5)

You need a drum or tambourine - Start with a 4/4 beat and ask child(ren) to walk 'this' way. Try high, low, slow, go, stop, forward, backwards, top, bottom, rocking, locking, knocking... Ask for suggestions! Give child(ren) enough time explore the movement, change directions, keep the rhythm.

Activity! A Place For Quiet (Self-Awareness 3-5)

Tell child there is a place in the world where they can go anytime they want, a place where you can go to find quiet. Dim the lights, sit on the floor, close your eyes and listen. Try it for a minute. This is a great activity before bed or when you need to calm down. Try it with your child!

Activity! Space Finder (Self-Awareness 3-5)

Ask child to find a big space to get into, a medium space and a small space. After you have enjoyed this, explore corners, high and low places. After you enjoy this, try to make a space maze using cartons, boxes, tunnels and so on.

Activity! Character Dance (Language Awareness 3-5)

Have child(ren) choose a book they like. Read it together. Look at the pictures (if there are any). Choose a favorite character (same for all children or a different one each). Ask child to create a dance that either represents the character in general, the character as portrayed in this story, or even the character in a new story. Ask child to talk about what they chose and how they decided what to do. Try this with nursery rhymes as well!

Activity! Painting Music (Language Awareness 3-5)

Play child three or four instrumental pieces. Have them choose their favorite one. Provide paints and paper and ask them to "paint the music." They can try to capture the feeling of the music or the strokes and movement of the music. Hang pictures up after they dry and talk about them. Put on the same song, and this time dance to it. Try the same exercise with a different piece of music.

Activity! Talking Tapes (Language Awareness 3-5)

You need a recording app or a real life tape recorder. Start by asking the child to say their name, as you record it, then immediately play it back. Then ask them to tell a little story about themselves and what they did that morning. Ask to make a little play dance to go with the story - then play the 'story' and let child do the dance. Try adding this to your night time ritual as a good way to remember what happened in the day and get some of your wiggles and giggles out!

Activity! United (Interpersonal Skills 3-5)

For this activity you need an elastic band big enough for two children to stretch at least 3 feet away (about 90 cm). You can try it again with a hula-hoop. One child is the leader and the other responder, follower. Trade jobs. Did you like being the leader? Was there anything you didn't like about being the leader? Did you like being the follower?

Activity! Finger Puppets (Interpersonal Skills 3-5)

Craft material are needed to make the finger puppets. Make at least two. Create a voice for each puppet. Have the finger puppets talk to each other and act out a familiar story. Challenge child to make one puppet move but not the other. Ask if the puppet friends would like to dance together. Ask for likes and dislikes.

Activity! Knee Touches (Fundamentals for ages 6-8) Works well as a group activity, but need enough room so that they don't bump into each other. Challenge - get from one side of the room to the other while holding your knees! Is there only one way?? Can you think of at least three different ways to demonstrate knee holding? Can you run, hop, jump or sit keeping your hands on your knees? Why (not)? Repeat activity with elbows on knees! Repeat activity with hand on head, elbow on hip, toe on ankle, hands on back, foot on butt, hand on elbow...

Activity! Yoga (Fundamentals for ages 6-8) If you are a yoga instructor and would like to create a short yoga video demonstrating the following poses: Relaxation, shoulder stand (periscope), locust, bow, fish, plough, posterior-stretching (fishhook), "sit-down" twist, cobra and pouncing lion - for kids - please contact me

Activity! Represent My Dance(Self-Awareness 6-8) Draw a simple line drawing on paper. Now ask child to represent the drawing in a dance. Design can be taped to the wall or floor. Simple movements should be used like walking, hopping, sliding. Try to use your whole body, head, toes, hands, legs, knees and elbows (butts too!). Now try a curvy line drawing and a new dance! Reflex how the drawings and dances are different?

Activity! Movement Detective (Self-Awareness 6-8)

Pose problems or challenges to the child and ask them to figure out the solution - How could you get across the room without using your feet? Pick up (object) without using your hands. Put on a hat without using your hands! Climb stairs without using your knees.

Activity! Weather Dancing (Self-Awareness 6-8)

Find a weather report - 'today - partly cloudy, chance of rain/ tomorrow - sunny, windy, but cold' Now try to represent it in a dance. How do you create movements that speak for the weather? Which instrument could you use for each one? You can try this with any short description! Horoscope, sports page, etc!

Activity! Don't Touch Use tape or chalk to mark out 6 by 6 meter square for a large group (18) to stand in without touching (smaller for smaller groups). Play music and ask them to dance freely. Then call out tiptoes, outstretched arms, backwards, crawling, heels, hopping. Then play faster tempoed music. Then make the square smaller.

Activity! Fine Art Dance (Language Awareness 6-8)

Let child find some fine art pictures that they like. Talk about why they like these paintings or sculptures. Allow them to pick music and props and to prepare a dance- after discuss impressions and feelings both of the art and the dance.

Activity! Dancing Opposites (Language Awareness 6-8)

Have child generate opposites. Then choose a pair that they want to work with. They can create a dance that includes both or two different dances, one for each word. Talk about the opposites they chose, why, what do they mean, and what the dance was about.

Activity! Together Paint, Together Dance (Interpersonal Skills 6-8)

On a large piece of paper, have two or three children create a painting together - abstract in nature - by splashing colors and mixing them about. Ask questions about the nature of the colors, the design and working together. When painting is dry, ask the group to make a dance to represent the painting - but this time, to move as a group, unlike previous activities - consideration to the togetherness should be incorporated.

Activity! Three Action Machine

Have three players work together to create a machine (made out of three actions) that completes a given task. Each one dances one action. Play music as the machine works to complete the task (ie wash a window, cook something, build something, make something). You could have other players guess what the machine is doing.

Articles:

• Movement activities for early childhood / Carol Totsky Hammett
• Meaningful movement for children : a developmental theme approach to physical education / Hubert A. Hoffman, Jane Young, Stephen E. Klesius

Qualities of Movement

(From Experiences in Movement by Pica)

Sustained Sustained movement continues through time and space without stopping and requires considerable control. Although movement at any speed can be sustained, this quality is usually associated with slow - even slow-motion - movement

Suspended In suspend movement, the body often acts as a base of support, above which one or more parts are temporarily interrupted in their flow of movement. For example, swinging arm that stops momentarily overhead before swinging again.

Swinging Swinging motion takes the form of an arc or a circle around a stationary base. It generally requires impulse and momentum, except perhaps when the swinging part is merely released to the force of gravity.

Percussive Percussive movement is punctured and accented. A head moves percussively when it drops sharply forward and then returns to center. Feet move percussively when they run. Hands and arms move percussively when they rapidly strike the air.

Vibratory This quality relates to tremulous or quivering movement, like leaves quivering in the wind or a rattle. Body parts that can depict vibratory movement might be a rapidly shaking head, trembling hand, shimming shoulders.

Collapsing Like a puppet released from its strings or a building being demolished. For the body, control is necessary to avoid injury. The whole body or body parts can collapse.

All skills can be made more interesting with toys, tools or imagination.

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Reading List