October can be a month of opposites. Where I live, sometimes the weather is warm in October, and sometimes it feels quite cold. Sometimes the wind blows softly and sometimes it’s loud, whipping and whistling through the trees. Sometimes the leaves move fast, dancing and whirling, and sometimes they float … Continue reading
Introducing children to musical opposites is a great way to introduce basic musical concepts such as tempo, dynamics and pitch. It’s also a good way generally to introduce the concept of opposites. Children can learn about the concept of opposites with my song, “The Opposite Game,” which is on my … Continue reading
This is for all the music teachers who have endured a “bad day,” especially at the start of the school year. I have been teaching music for young children for more than twenty years, and those days still happen to me. One of them was today. But upon reflection, most … Continue reading
The days are ticking down to the beginning of school. I hope all teachers of young children are excited to get everyone learning right away with … SONGS! If anyone needs a reminder about the value of music in early learning, here’s why music is an ideal tool, especially for … Continue reading
Singing songs from Africa deepens cultural understanding as children learn that the continent of Africa is not a monolithic place but home to 54 countries, widely diverse cultures and perhaps as many as 2,000 languages. Many African songs are also just fun to sing, often carrying special energy and joy! … Continue reading
What better way to celebrate spring than with singing? Well, frolicking in the great outdoors, of course, but singing is great fun, too! I wrote my “Song of Spring” with four-year-old children at a Boston area school. We talked about things we like to do in the spring and used … Continue reading
Counting is often one of my themes for early childhood music in early March because … I’m counting on spring! Here are a few of my favorite counting rhymes. The first one features snow, because here in New England, the snow is still coming down in March 🙁 Five Little … Continue reading
“When children dramatize, move to, or create music to represent a story, they become actively involved in working with the ideas in the story … As they translate the words to art forms, each story comes to life. Indeed, the act of transforming or translating is fundamental to attaining understanding … Continue reading
A few days ago, I experienced a small Christmas tree disaster, truly a first-world problem. I was on my own putting up the tree, and could NOT get it to stand up straight. I must have tried for an hour, straining my hands on those screw-things on the stand, tightening … Continue reading
It was a bit too cold on Thanksgiving this year in New England, a reminder that real winter is just around the corner. You can find some of my favorite winter songs and stories on this blog. Leo Lionni’s classic story of Frederick the mouse is always great. You can … Continue reading
