Getting Kids To Sing!

LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LAAAAAAAA!

Most kids are naturally interested in music and will sing and respond to it.  I have taught babies up through high school aged children and here are SIX tips to get your children to sing.

1.  Start early!  From the moment they are in utero, sing.  Sing to them as babies.  Tons of parents complain, "I'm not a good singer!" but your baby DOES NOT CARE!  Your baby heard your voice from the womb.  They LOVE your voice.  Your voice is your voice. 

2.  Music Classes!  Early music classes for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and young school age children are packed with so many beneficial activities.  Many times they are gaining more skills than just music skills which make them a popular choice for many parents. Children should not be expected to perform but they should be surrounded by musical activities that encourage them to join in on their level.  A baby will enjoy rocking or bouncing to the beat and babbling along to the music.  A toddler will enjoy moving their bodies and starting to add their own voice.  Preschoolers and school-age children can explore using their voices, instruments and bodies in the music making process.  Children shouldn't be forced to participate and they can experience the class in many ways.

3.  Singing!  Sing with recorded music.  Sing acapella.  Just sing.

4.  Be Creative!  Let your child fill in the blank.  Sing a phrase and leave out the word and wait for their response.  Create new verses.  Create new rhymes.  Clap.  Move.  Play instruments.  Dance.  This all encourages musically.

5.  Explore The Voice!  One of the things kids love is singing in different voices.  With my preschoolers we often experiment singing in loud and soft voices.  Sometimes we sing like robots or monsters.  We sing fast and slow.  You can take the simplest songs to explore the voice.

6.  Consistency & Repetition!  I always start with a Hello song and end with a Goodbye song.  My preschool kids can sing the Hello Song REALLY well and it makes me SO proud!  It wasn't always like that.  For the first few times, they were pretty quiet but as the year progressed they gained confidence.  We also sing to each friend which they truly look forward to.  Consistency and repetition is the key.  Sometimes we can't stand to hear a song ONE MORE TIME or read a book ONE MORE TIME but that's all the kids want.  Kids learn best from consistency and repetition.  Go ahead and sing that song again!  Your child's brain is learning so much and gaining more and more knowledge. 

The most important key is to make music making a part of your life.  Play music, sing songs and encourage kids to join in.  Any kind of music helps but it's best to choose a variety, Build their confidence.  As babies grow into toddlers and young children, we sometimes zap that confidence.  Start young, build that confidence and let them know there is "no wrong note".  The more they sing and create, the more they develop their voice and confidence.  

Make music making fun and positive!

If you are interested in classes, programs or parties through First Roots Music, visit us at www.first-roots.com   

How we work together in Music!

One of my many goals I have in mind when developing music class activities is finding ways to enhance their overall musical development.  For younger children, I want them to experience learning about music by listening, watching and actively engaging in activities.  As children get further in their musical studies, creating music is really like having your own team.  Each member of the team is valuable to create the overall sound.

We start this in one of the most simplistic ways:  working together.

By learning to hold one side of the scarf while a friend holds the other side, we begin to build teamwork.  Then we add a small beach ball and the duo needs to roll the ball back and forth.  This is often a challenge because kids are naturally excited about parachutes, scarves and beach balls and now we need them to focus their excitement on a task with a friend.  Trust me, this is big for preschoolers!  Since it's summer time, we listen to music that reminds us of the rolling waves.  The goal, work together to get your ball rolling back and forth like the waves.

This focused and concentrated work really help build so many valuable skills in music and in life.  You have everything from teamwork, verbal and non-verbal communication, moving to a steady beat and fine and gross motor skills!

Sometimes we have so much fun playing and moving to music, we over look the amazing value it contributes to life.  Come and explore all the benefits of teamwork and moving appropriately to the music.  

  

Hello & Goodbye: The importance of names!

Once upon a time I worked my first elementary general music job.  Prior to that position, I had only worked with older elementary, middle school and high school instrumental students.  The only general music class I had was 7th grade.  I wanted to be a middle school/high school band director, after all.  Here I was in a new school teaching something I never thought I'd want to do!

Oh, now we can all really laugh as 

I'm Ms. Jenni 

the musical toddler whisper!  

Back then I had A LOT of music classes in the school I was in.  I had to take attendance every class and I felt like the 50 minutes they had music each week made it nearly impossible for me to remember their names.  Plus it's very hard when you're trying to manage a class saying, "Hey, kid in the orange shirt!"  Then I started to sing hello to the kids each week using their names.  Every kid.  Every class.  It helped!

One of the things I still do is sing Hello!

Today I was teaching one of my preschool classes and they sang my hello so beautifully with great energy.  I just had that moment where I played the guitar, listened and smiled.  They have come so far and truly were enjoying making music and singing to each other. 

If I have toddlers or big kids, I try to get to know there names and use them throughout class.

At the end of class I sing Goodbye to all the kids too.

I feel that singing Hello and greeting them each time I see them, using their names throughout class and singing Goodbye using their names makes them feel that they are a part of class.  It also makes them feel that I truly care.  (I do!)  Knowing their names really helps with the overall dynamics of class because I can point out the children that are good models and the other children can follow suit. 

Don't over look the importance of learning and using names!