As a child I remember my church, preschool and school would always have a box of instruments. They would pull them out, ask everyone to grab an instrument, turn on the music and march around. The box would be filled with cymbals, drums, rhythm sticks, triangles, sand blocks and tambourines. We would all eagerly rush to the box to pick out our favorite. I never remember really learning about the names of the instruments but this box of instruments seemed to be a staple in the classroom.
This lessonwe were also working on turn taking so we would sing the song and each child got a chance to play the triangle.
As an educator, I am always watching, assessing and ready to alter the lesson.
Sharing is always a difficult concept, especially with young toddlers, but I found that they were all watching and eagerly waiting their turn.
When it came to getting their turn, I could see this spark in their eyes as they held the triangle with one hand and tapped it with the metal stick. The look was often priceless. You can see how proud they were to get the instrument and hear it's sound coming. They each played it with such excitement.
It's something so simple. A triangle. An instrument. Yet it was magical to them.
That's what instrument exploration is about. That opportunity to hear and see cause and effect. When I tap loud, it's loud. When I tap gently it's soft. When I tap fast, it's fast and when I tap slow, it's slow. It's also one of the most natural ways to experience a steady beat and rhythmic patterns.
Each time I see a class, from babies to big kids, instrument play and exploration has such an important part. When we look past the fact that they kids are playing instruments and truly watch them, you see how much they are learning. The beauty of instrument play and exploration is watching the learning unfold with the light in their eyes and the expression of joy on the face.
Won't you try a class at our studio and give your child the joy music has to offer?
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