I love the Backyardigans!

With 4 kids, I have watched ALOT of kid shows.  ALOT. And I definitely have my most favorites and my least favorites. (The Doodlebops were at the bottom of my list.)  At the top of the list are Backyardigans and Little Einsteins (see previous blog on that one!).

We're actually watching Backyardigans right now as I type---the episode is Elephant On The Run--- and once again, it's a good one!

Here's a short list of why I love the Backyardigans:

1. There's no baby talk. Baby talk bothers me.
2. They sing well. Not flat, not sharp.
3. They each sing in their own range. Ex: Tyrone sings an octave lower than Tasha sometimes
4. Their dance steps are usually in perfect time with the beat of the song.
5. Their dance steps help the kids to understand the mood of the music.

I'm sure I could go on and on, but for now I'll stop at 6 reasons. :)
I'm being summoned by my youngest to come to the couch and watch the rest of the episode with him!
Until next time!
Audrey

My Favorite TV Show for Kids---Disney's Little Einsteins

Disney's Little Einsteins has been around since 2005, and it is by far my favorite TV program for young kids....especially young musicians.  They cover musical concepts like steady beat, loud and soft, higher and lower,  as well as musical terms like Allegro, Moderato, Andante or rest.  Some of these sound awfully familiar to my regular followers, because these are terms and concepts that I talk about quite a bit!
I have even been bold enough to encourage school music teachers to spend a few dollars of their yearly budget, to purchase the DVD set of this show.  While it is intended for a preschool audience, it easily carries over to a kindergarten and lower elementary school aged child as well.  It works especially well for those days that a school music teacher is absent and has a substitute.  This way if the sub has to play a movie, the students are still being exposed to music standards in the classroom.  This is another win-win situation!
To watch episodes online: go to
http://disney.go.com/preschool/videos/nc/?playlistID=459723#/preschool/videos/nc/

Slip in a Musical Term Here and There...

I love the idea of subliminal messages and "learning through osmosis"--especially when it comes to teaching kids words and ideas w/o them knowing it!

Sometimes music lessons or music class can be overwhelming to students of all ages,  when they see the amounts of terms, phrases, symbols, signs, concepts, methods, etc that are needed to be learned.
Some concepts and terms can be added to daily life, thus teaching the definition of those concepts and terms w/o ever using a flashcard or opening a book.

An easy term to start using with your children is "rest".  Now the musical definition of rest is, an interval of silence corresponding to one of the possible time values within a measure. I like to tell my students that it simply means silence. 

I started using the word "rest" as a buzz word meaning quiet, when I was teaching in an elementary music classroom.  There were 31 kids and they were all talking at once and not responding to my shush-ing.  I used my hands to make a "cut-off" motion like a conductor would, and said "rest" in a firm voice.  The combo of the hand movement and a different word than what they were used to, caught them off guard and silenced them.  From that time on, rest was our buzz word for quiet. 

I started using it with my own children when they were young and would bang on the table or their high chair tray.  One day there was so much commotion that I tried it and sure enough it caught their attention too.  So when those kids were old enough for me to begin teaching them piano, the concept of rest was already in their brain!

If you have an idea of a musical term or concept that can be used in daily life, please leave it in a comment.  I'd love to hear what you have to say!!

Metronome - Across the Curriculum

As promised, here are some metronome uses - across the curriculum: 

Math:
*flashcards - esp. multiplication facts or subtraction/addition facts

Language Arts:
* spelling lists - Just like in the movie "Akeelah and the Bee", try spelling the words to a rhythm.  First nice and slow and then speed it up!
* long lists of words --when I was in school we had to learn lists of helping verbs, linking verbs, prepositions, etc.

Social Studies:
*Memorizing the 50 States and capitals --

Christian studies or Bible:
*Memorizing the books of the Bible
*scripture memorization

These are just some that I've used a metronome with.  What creative way can you think to use a metronome? Comment and share with me!