Preschool (3 - 6)
Development
Language development
- Language is developing rapidly, refining communication skills
- Movement
- Development of coordinated movement
- Independence
- Exploring, freedom to choose
- Sensorial experiences
- Continuing to learn through the senses
- Self and Purpose
- a more conscious stage of development
Activities
- Auditory Discrimination
- Exploring different sounds
- Listening and exploring instrument sounds
- musical instruments are available for the child to use
- Think about what instruments you would like to place in the classroom and show the children how to use them with care
- Listening games, percussion instruments, sound games
- Dynamics: and intensity of sound
- Listening to different instrument, music, poetry (moving to it as well)
- Learning language for loud, soft etc.
- Timbre (quality)
- Musical instruments, sounds in the environment, music in the classroom
- Jazz - smoky
- Some classical - crisp
- Rhythm
- Have the child put their hand on their heart to feel their heartbeat. This is great introduction to Rhythm.
- Introduce body percussion, the initial way to create rhythm
- What kind of body percussion can you make?
- Clapping, tapping, or gently slapping the thighs
- Call and Response songs/echo - Kye Kye Kule from Ghana
- Introduce the lyrics and melody first and then add the movements
- Explore different types of instruments, listening to poetry, dancing, moving
- Walking, running, skipping on the line to music, feet tapping, clapping, swaying during songs
- Embrace the child’s natural movements when hearing music
- Style
- Listening to different types of music
- Classical, jazz, folk, pop
- Share music from your own culture or other cultures both live and recorded
- Singing
- Simple songs and melodies/folk songs and nursery rhymes
- Singing is such a great expression of self: singing with and without accompaniment
- Dynamics of music
- Singing softly then loudly
- Timbre - listening to various types of music - jazz, blues, folk songs, etc.
- Music Appreciation
- Independent listening to selected music with a CD player and headset
- Listening to different types of musical instruments live or recorded
- Visiting musicians, using musical vocabulary
- Reading stories about composers and musicians and introduction to the Orchestra and World Music
Other ideas:
Transitions: If you’d like to have your lunch, sit in the circle (clap, clap), etc. sung to If You’re Happy and You Know it.
End of the day: Goodbye my friends it’s time to go, I’ll see you again on ___________!
Standing in Line: Riddle, Riddle, Riddle, Ree…do what I do after me…tap, tap, tap or clap, clap
If you decide to gather children for a once a week class, while still offering musical experiences in a variety of ways in the classrooms, I’ll share what I generally do:
Sample Lesson plan:
- Welcome song
- Non-pitched percussion - introduce a shaker egg, or a rattle
- Play it and let the group experience it
- Great time to talk about listening skills
- Show how to hold it and explain that you are going to pass it around the circle and everyone can……? you set the guidelines
- Let everyone know that you will be putting this in a basket on the shelf and anyone is welcome to explore it…set the guidelines. What are the expectations?
- Sing a familiar song
- Introduce a new song
- Call and response or a folk song, nursery rhyme, fingerplay, etc.
- Sing the song first then break it up into small sections
- Let the children know you will sing first and they will echo you afterward
- It’s helpful to point to yourself when you sing and point to the group when they do
- Do this until you can start putting all the sections together and they can then join you in the song
- Movement
- Introduce a movement song game
- Teach the melody and the words first and then add the movements
- Let everyone know the guidelines before you start so you can practice a little containment ;)
- When all of the sections and movements are coordinated, continue the song together
- Wrap up by singing a goodbye song, or a song of choice that you can use each time you have a music circle. It’s nice to have a consistent beginning and ending to the group time.
Always observe your group - they may need movement before introducing a new song!
Episode 11