November 3rd -- December 15th

Here's what we listened to:

Nov. 3rd: "John Kanakanaka" Dan Zanes and Friends Little Nut Tree
"Zip-dee-doo-dah" Maria Muldaur Swingin' in the Rain

Nov. 10th: "Jig Jog Gee" Father Goose It's a Bam Bam Diddly
"Dil Lay Gayee" Bhangra: Original Punjabi Pop

Nov. 17th: "Merrily We Roll Along" on the Smithsonian Folkways Children's Music Collection
"The Freeze" from Kids in Motion by Greg and Steve

Dec. 1st: "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker
"Let's Make Some Noise" & "Haru Ga Kita" from Raffi's Everything Grows

Dec. 8th: "Kuai Le,"A Christmas Jig/Mouth of the Tobique Reel," "Panxolina: a Galician Carol" from Yo-Yo Ma & Friends Songs of Joy and Peace

Dec. 15th: "Jammin'" Bob Marley and Friends,
Khelipe E Cheasea from Golden Horns, Boban and Marko Markovich

Music, Art and Feelings

As you might know, children's emotions can be strong and passionate, especially in the first five years. Toddlers are in the process of learning how to control their emotional impulses, and preschoolers are developing more self-awareness. When we give children tools, like language, they can use them to practice self-control. They can practice taking action with words instead of hitting, or crying and screaming on the floor. Learning emotion-related language helps kids to associate words with behaviors and feelings, and  encourages self-awareness, and how to identify feelings and label them.

A drawing from our class.

One way to open the door to the language of feelings is with music. I like to give the kids some paper and crayons and play music (without lyrics) for them to color along to. I ask them open ended questions about how the music sounds. "Does this music sound happy or sad? Slow or fast? Mad or excited? What color goes with those feelings?" I let them color without talking as well, just giving them a chance to be self reflective and listen to the music while coloring. I use a variety of music during the same sitting so the children can hear the difference between the pieces of music.

A drawing from our class.

You can use this activity when kids are feeling calm or even when they are having strong feelings, as a way to redirect potentially inappropriate actions fueled by those strong feelings. Turning feelings into actions helps children to more easily deal with them. Here are few music suggestions:

Vivaldi's Four Seasons ("L'Estate/ III. Presto" is a good one)
Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt ("In the Hall of the Mountain King" is energetic)
Camille Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals
Aaron Copland's Rodeo ("Saturday Night Waltz" is a gentle one)

You could even join the children in coloring along to music. It might be a good stress buster!

A drawing from our class.

Sept 15 -- Oct. 13, 2012

Here's what we listened to:

Sept. 15: "King Kong Kitchie" from Dan Zanes' + Friends, Rocket Ship Beach

                "Here we go, Zudio" from Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem on
                Many Hands, Family Music for Hati

Sept. 22: "Wonderful" by Pascal Parisot from Putamayo's French Playground
                
                 "La Lizeta" by Candido Fabre Y Su Banda from Cuban Dance Feet on Fire

Sept 29: "Old McDonald" The Black Lodge Singers on More Kids' Pow-Wow Songs

               "Danza de Concheros," & "El Chivo" from San Patricio by Ry Cooder & The Chieftans

Music Can Encourage Shy Children

Some children in my classes are quite shy. Some are hesitant at first and then break out of their shells, some remain shy throughout the course of the classes. It is just fine to be quiet and shy, and even if your child is shy, he can still make music! In fact, making music in groups can aid shy children by providing less pressure to be "on" or in the spotlight. They can make music in a community setting where everyone is encouraged to participate to their own level of comfort. Songs that are well known put people on the same playing field. Songs can also address emotions that can be difficult to express for shy children.

As a teacher, I like to encourage children to participate, but never force them. They can learn a lot by watching, and because our chairs are in a circle, they can still feel like part of the group. Even if your child sits outside the circle watching and listening, there is a chance that the next class they will sit in the circle, and by the last class be more comfortable than you ever thought she would! Since our class is a parent/child class, it helps shy children to feel safe when their parents are there as a comforting presence. Parents can lead by modeling how to participate with confidence.  The less you force them to say, dance in the middle of the circle, the more they may think of dancing on the edge on their own. Exposing your shy child to new experiences like a music class can put them just out of his or her comfort zone enough to grow and develop healthy social/emotional skills.  

If you have a shy child and wonder whether to sign up for a class, know that Wiggle Clap and Sing is a joyful, thoughtful and loving place to play music!

Here is a helpful article about parenting shy children: http://www.shakeyourshyness.com/parentingshychildren.htm

July 14 -- August 11, 2012

This session we listened to:

July 14: "John Kanaknaka" from Dan Zanes and Friends Little Nut Tree & 
            "Mambo Yo Yo" - Ricardo Lemvo from Putumayo's Afro-Latino

July 21: "Jamming" Bob Marley from B is for Bob
            "Flying Machine" from Father Goose It's a Bam Bam Diddly!

July 28: "Red, Red Robin" Rosie Flores from The Best of the Land of Nod, 
               "Didi Tera Devar Diwana" from Dum Dum Diga Diga,
               "Saturday Night Waltz" from Aaron Copland's Rodeo

August 4: “Crawfish Song” Buckwheat Zydeco A Child’s Celebration of Folk Music

                  “Carnival of the Animals” Camille Saint-Saens

August 11: “The Freeze” from Kids in Motion By Greg & Steve
                "Merrily we Roll Along" Lord Invader With The Calypso Orchestra on the Smithsonian Folkways Children's Music Collection
                

May 19th -- June 23rd, 2012

Here's what we listened to this session:

May 19: "John Kanaknaka" from Dan Zanes and Friends Little Nut Tree & "Battu" - Angelique Kidjo Putamayo's African Playground


June 2: "Jamming" Bob Marley from B is for Bob & "Zip-a-dee-doo-da" from Swingin' in the Rain

June 9: "La Lizeta" from Cuban Dance - Feet on Fire & "Jig Jog Jee" from Father Goose It's a Bam Bam Diddly!


June 16: "Bonjour, Bonjour - L'Autobus A Vapeur" from Putamayo's French Playground & Mozart's Horn Concerto


June 23: "Here We Go Zudio" from Many Hands: Family Music for Hati

April 14th -- May 12th

This session we listened to:

April 14: "Battu" - Angelique Kidjo Putamayo's  African Playground & "John Kanaknaka" from Dan Zanes and Friends Little Nut Tree 


April 21: The Black Lodge Singers "Old MacDonald" on More Kids' Pow-Wow Songs & "La Lizeta" from Cuban Dance - Feet on Fire 


April 28th: "Kwela Man" A Johhny Clegg and Juluka Collection & "The Flight of the Bumblebee" Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov


May 5th:  "Dil Lay Gayee" Bhangra: Original Punjabi Pop


May 12: "Jamming" Bob Marley from B is for Bob & "The Rainbow Connection" - sung by Sarah McLachlan from Gather Round: Songs for Kids and Other Folks

Music and Motor Skills

You hear the terms "fine motor skills" and "gross motor skills" a lot when it comes to young children. Fine motor skills are small muscle actions like writing or tying shoes; gross motor skills are large muscle actions like walking, kicking, or reaching. When we sing songs with actions and when we play our rhythm instruments, we have opportunities to develop these motor skills. Dancing helps with balance, holding mallets helps with grasping, rhythmic music can help encourage the natural rhythm of walking and running. There are a plethora of skills a child can gain. Developing motor skills can help kids to be kindergarten ready and music can help!

March 31, 2012

Today we listened to:

"Jammin'" 12" remix by Bob Marley

"You-you-zha" from Chinese Lullabies, Bejing Angelic Choir

"Here we go Zudio" by Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem from Many Hands, Family Music for Haiti

March 24th, 2012

Today we listened to:

"Let's Make Some Noise" from Raffi's Everything Grows


"La Lizeta" from Cuban Dance - Feet on Fire 

March 10, 2012

Today we listened to:

The Black Lodge Singers "Old MacDonald" on More Kids' Pow-Wow Songs

Danza de Concheros, El Chivo from San Patricio, Ry Cooder and the Chieftans

February 18th, 2012

Today we listened to:

"La Lizeta" on the album Cuban Dance Feet on Fire

"You-you-zha" on Chinese Lullabies (Bejing Angelic Choir)

February 11th, 2012

Today we listened to:

"Merrily we Roll Along" Lord Invader With The Calypso Orchestra on the Smithsonian Folkways Children's Music Collection

January 28th, 2012

Today we listened to:

"Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" on Swinging in the Rain (Maria Muldaur)

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Japanese

January 21st, 2012

Today we listened to:

The Black Lodge Singers "Old MacDonald" on More Kids' Pow-Wow Songs

"Chappa Chappa"  from Aditya's Dum Dum Diga

January 14th, 2012

Today we listened to:

"Polly Wolly Doodle" on Dan Zanes' Rocketship Beach