Besides those things I mentioned yesterday, I could switch to rhythms. Now I will gently bounce the child to a beat. The child is not able to do anything to a steady beat yet, but I can again model that, teaching the child what that feels like, letting the child experience it. So I’ll bounce … Continue reading The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 7
General Music
The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 6
Today, I would like to share some specific music activities that anyone can do with a class of very young children. These activities can be done by early childhood educators who are not music educators, by caretakers and certainly by parents. They are all designed to build musical skills and concepts in young minds. Because … Continue reading The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 6
The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 5
Yesterday, I began discussing an article by Pascale. I will begin today with that same article. Although Pascale was writing to individual parents, there are several points we can put to use in our classrooms. Put children in the presence of music. If you can, bring live music into your classrooms. It can be a … Continue reading The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 5
The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 4
Just as a child starts to speak after listening to others speak, so too a child starts to sing, chant, and move after listening to others sing music. Through the voice, children develop the ability to sing and chant, which is the equivalent to speaking in a language. Because we are interested here in music, … Continue reading The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 4
The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 3
There are practical implications to just the impressive array of musical thinking even the youngest children are capable of. Because young brains are so musical, they must be given every opportunity possible to experience music and to grow in musicality. Edwin Gordon, a pre-eminent authority on music psychology and early childhood music, has emphatically written … Continue reading The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 3
The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 2
Since Friday, I have been sharing a presentation I gave at two conferences of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). In this session, I gave an overview of what the very youngest human minds can do musically, and how early childhood educators who are not music teachers can still include music in their programs. Today I … Continue reading The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 2
The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 1
Over the next days, I will be sharing a presentation I gave at two conferences of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). In this session, I gave an overview of what the very youngest human minds can do musically, and how early childhood educators who are not music teachers can still include music in their … Continue reading The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 1
Some Thoughts on Good Classroom Practice
Successful teaching must include preparing and practicing good instructional strategies. Because a classroom of children is an environment in which students must successfully and constructively interact with each other and the teacher, preparation and practice must address the social and emotional needs of students, and include a level of challenge that helps students respond to questions, provide … Continue reading Some Thoughts on Good Classroom Practice
It Don’t Mean A Thing
In all of American popular music, there has been two distinct "feels;" straight feel and swing feel. The swing feel became popular in the 1930s and 1040s with the big bands of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, the Dorseys and others. Until then, jazz styles including dixieland and ragtime, had a straight feel to them. In … Continue reading It Don’t Mean A Thing
Getting Directions
When I used to go on family vacations, my Dad always had a map handy. He had it all folded so that the portion of the map he needed was visible while the rest of the map was folded underneath. Then, he's hold the map so that the direction he was driving was facing the … Continue reading Getting Directions
mister a music place 
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