Musical Activities for Preschool Children––Part 3 of 5 Articles / Music Views Posted by PKelly on Jun 09, 2005 - 01:32 PM |
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PART 3—Coordinated movement––Getting more of the body involved. In part 1 [1] of this article about musical activities for preschoolers I described using the natural sounds around us to stimulate the senses and get kids really listening. In mimicking those sounds, their pitch and rhythms, kids start to hear music in nature. Whether they then hear a pop song on the radio or a symphony in the concert hall they’ll now have a framework for listening to those sounds. In Part 2 [2] we got the body involved and learned how to move to music, count beats and construct a square pattern by marching in a set meter to music. In part 3 we’re going to go yet a step further and add in some structured improvisation that is designed to stimulate creativity while at the same time promote coordination throughout the body. These exercises will also help teach a child to shift weight from one side of the body to the other. This will really gets those brain synapses firing! THE EXERCIZE Right! First, let’s go back to marching the square pattern we set up in Musical Activities for Preschool Children Part 2 [3]. Just to refresh, we were marching while listening to music with a 4/4 beat pattern (counting 1,2,3,4, - 1,2,3,4, etc.) and after each 2nd 4 count we would turn to the right (or left, as you wish) until we had completed a square pattern in the room. So, choose some good 4-beat music and you and your child get into the mood by refreshing the square pattern a few times first before we advance. Okay, now that we’re warmed up let’s get to the new stuff–– Start by asking your child if he or she can imitate the walk of a chicken. If they are not sure how to go about it, you demonstrate first. Start with just the arms and make the wing motions, elbows out, flapping up and down. Once you’ve got that down pat try making those wing motions along with the music, one flap per beat. Don’t involve the feet yet––one thing at a time. After your child is comfortable with that march the square pattern again along with the music, this time adding the chicken wing motions. Do this several times around the square until it becomes second nature. When you’re both ready, stop and prepare the next step: This time practice moving your head back and forth the way a chicken moves and invite your child to join in. When you’ve both got the hang of it add the feet. Move around the room now flapping your elbows and moving your head back and forth, sort of like the Funky Chicken dance if you’re old enough to remember that one. Feel foolish? Well, that’s what having kids is all about, isn’t it? I have to mention that all of these exercises should be done in the spirit of fun and never presented as a proper lesson. The less pressure to perform that is brought to bear on your child, the better. The more he or she feels that they are free to experiment and have a good time the less inhibited they will be. That’s when the best results will be achieved here. Okay, time to practice with the music! Back to the 4/4 square pattern and this time with the chicken movements. If you or your child gets confused just stop, have a laugh and begin again whenever it feels right. Add chicken sounds, too, if it helps get you in the mood. Buck-bucks or pawk-pawks, whatever. Feel free to loosen up with the movements but do try to keep your movements with the beat of the music. This is a great rhythmic coordination exercise and will greatly help develop balance in the body, shifting of weight in time to music and diverse movements of arms, legs and the head. Once you’ve exhausted the chicken movements, try some other animals on your own. How about an elephant? Monkey? Kangaroo? |
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This article is from Walking Oliver http://www.walkingoliver.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.walkingoliver.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=236 Links in this article [1] http://www.walkingoliver.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=218&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 [2] http://www.walkingoliver.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=227&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 [3] http://www.walkingoliver.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=227&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 |