Asheville Area Music Together

 
 
I have been having a great time singing and dancing in Music Together class with you the past couple of weeks, and I hope you and your children are enjoying the fun in class AND taking it home with you!  Since there's little talk-time in class, I wanted to take a few minutes to follow up with you on some of the learning opportunities that have occurred which you may not have noticed.  A little knowledge can help you make optimal use of new opportunities that will be presented in upcoming classes, as well as to support musical learning at home!

First, I want to thank all of you who participated in making up new veggies for John the Rabbit to eat in class a couple of weeks ago!  I did not create that solo-singing activity to embarass you parents, but to give your children the opportunity to hear you pipe up in your singing voice within our little musical classroom community.  What an awesome demonstration to your child that ANYONE has the right to have his musical voice heard in the group, regardless of "ability."

We had lots of fun with Rig-a-Jig-Jig this week, pretty much following the large movement activities as they are on the recording.  Next week, we'll have fun making up our own movements!  Watch your children for ideas.  The awesome thing about Rig-a-Jig-Jig and Clap Your Hands is that they are absolutely open for movement substitutions.  This can be extremely helpful for those transition activities at home!  If you dread the big "NO!!" or tantrum that comes when you say "time to clean up your blocks," try singing it to one of the above tunes.  Try, "As I was picking up my blocks..." and you can sometimes even get your child singing if you substitute silly sounds for the rig-a-jig part, like "ploppity plop, away they go..."  And you may find that you BOTH have more fun cleaning up.

Playin' in the Kitchen Well, this one's obvious.  Who needs a drum?!  Get out a bowl, pan, wooden spoons, measuring cups, etc, and have a jam session while you cook breakfast!  Babies love the sounds and tastes, and bigger kids love the silliness!

She Sells Seashells  Have you noticed that the little hand movements we do in class involve crossing the body's midline?  Processing music and midline-crossing activities like our hand movements BOTH support neural development of the corpus callosum, the structure in our brains that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres.  According to researcher Daniel Levitin, in his book This is Your Brain on Music, the front portion of the corpus callosum is significantly larger in musicians than non-musicians.

One mom complained about those high notes this week!  Last time I taught this song, it was ME complaining!  Now, after singing with my son for several years, I understand that those high notes are there for the kids.  But, nobody will know if you sing it lower at home!  : )
 
 
Movement and brain activity associated with processing new information go together - not only for kids, but for adults too!  Check out these comments from parents of active children:

"Even though my daughter is running around all the time [in class] these days, she's really learning a lot.  The other day at the table, we [were] taking deep breaths and "eeee-ing", then pounding the table!  And today in the car, she sang the Jack and Jill song for a good 10 minutes!  Love it!"

"I didn’t really think my daughter was getting anything out of the classes because she seemed to be more interested in sitting in the chairs or putting on other people’s shoes and then all of the sudden she started singing some of the songs from the class.  She will almost daily grab the CD jacket and ask to either ‘sing song’ or ‘dance’.  I’ve found it really amazing that she has soaked it all in…all the while wearing [Teacher] Cody’s flip flops!   So, I’m really happy that we gave it a try…I think we’ve both enjoyed the time together."

Not convinced?  Check out my post from March, 2009!
 
 
My son received a CD called Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies for his 4th birthday, and it's become a new favorite.  Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame had each made up some songs for his own kids, and the two friends decided to combine them to put together an album that is part Christian, part non-religious.  There are great upbeat dance tunes, sweet lullabies, and several songs in between.  Topics include tractors, rockets, bears, green beans, being bored, listening to God, coming home, and more.  The musicianship, variety of musical style, and the sincerity, love, and silliness make this album fun for ME, at least the first 2 or 3 times per day.  And I'm not pulling my hair out on the 9th time through each day...yet.   Isaac's favorite song of the moment is Tractor, Tractor, and I love Chicken Wiggle.  Thanks, Aunt Alyssa!
It's not at Amazon (has a listing and 5 stars but "not available"), but it's at iTunes.
http://www.myspace.com/slugsandbugsandlullabies
 
 
All videos that relate with the wonderful Bobby McFerrin Power of the
Pentatonic Scale are now up from the World Science Festival - a GREAT amount of information about the brain/music, etc.  Daniel Levitin (from "This is Your Brain on Music"), John Shaefer, Jamshed Barucha, Lawrence Parsons & Bobby McFerrin are on the panel of this great subject.
There are 5 videos, about 12-20 minutes each.
Video 1: http://vimeo.com/5913737
Video 2: http://vimeo.com/5916122
Video 3: http://vimeo.com/5916328
Video 4: http://vimeo.com/5917285
Video 5: http://vimeo.com/5917773
 
 
I get this question from parents on a regular basis: 
I would like to ask your opinion about music lessons for a specific instrument- what age is appropriate in your experience?  And any suggestions on what instrument to start with?  I am thinking about this for my daughter who just turned 4.

As a longtime teacher of private piano and percussion lessons, and a Music Together teacher, I have some great experience with this issue and some definitive advice.

I've attempted to teach several 5-year-old private piano students, and so far in my experience, 5 is always just too young.  There are several factors that must be in place for lessons to work for anyone.

1) Basic Music Competence
2) Ability to sit still and "handle" a focused environment
3) Physiological coordination and strength to play the instrument
3) Desire to learn a particular instrument

If any one of these components are not in place, private lessons are likely to frustrate your child and result in failure.

1) Basic Music Competency MUST be in place before an individual begins formal instrumental lessons.  I can't emphasize that fact enough.  Basic Music Competence (BMC) is  defined by the ability to sing in tune and the ability to keep a steady beat with music in the environment.  You must be able to be musically accurate with your voice and your body before it makes sense to add an external instrument to the mix.  BMC can be achieved as early as age 3 or 4 if the child's early environment supports musical learning.  Consistent attendance in a fun, rich, participation-based community music-making environment will best support musical learning for kids under age 5.  Learning music in a group environment is more educationally appropriate for young children (think play-based, FUN!) AND classes are generally less expensive than private lessons.

Due to developmental changes in the human brain at age 7 or 8, if BMC has not been achieved by then, it's far more difficult (though still possible) to attain.
If a young child achieves BMC, particularly at an early age, learning to play any instrument at ANY point later in life will be FAR easier for him or her!  I have seen this time and time again in my private lessons!  Piano lessons were a breeze for me when I started up at age 7, but I had probably achieved BMC around age 5.

I now require my beginning students to have BMC before we begin formal instrument study.

2) Ability to Focus
I recently had a 5-year-old boy do a 2-week trial of percussion lessons with me.  His mom had correctly assessed that the child was musically inclined and skilled, and he was excited to "take drum lessons."  On assessment, it was apparent that the boy had attained Basic Music Competence, he was physically coordinated enough to play hand drums, and he definitely had the desire to play.  However, when he arrived in the studio, he had eyes and ears for no one and nothing but the drums themselves.  He was not in the least bit interested in my presence except to exhort me to "watch this!"  This is not a bad kid, nor was it bad behavior.  It's his developmental space right now.  This is a kid who is still needs the buffet-style delivery of musical experiences he can get from classes or other community musical environments.  If I had tried to force this boy to sit still, listen to my words, and behave, I would probably have quickly made him into an enemy of lessons, and perhaps of any further musical learning!

While my own 4-year-old is very close to BMC, he's not ready for formal lessons.  He knows the famous melody from Ode to Joy very well from listening to it hundreds of times on his keyboard, singing it, and hearing and seeing several of my students learn to play it in our home studio.  He is teaching himself to play Ode to Joy by ear on his keyboard, and he is easily frustrated when he "messes up."   He needs more time to experiment by himself, and he needs to get more fun, relaxed musical experiences under his belt before he enters the critical world of lessons.  In matters of emotional development and maturity, you the parent are the best judge of your child's emotional readiness for focused learning and critique.

3) Coordination and strength: This is simply a physiological factor that cannot be rushed. Playing an instrument with proper technique requires some fairly complex fine motor coordination and strength.  Most young children can pound effectively (!) on a piano, and this is fun and fine.  However, most good private teachers will require students to use technique applications that are widely accepted in the professional realm as correct, and many 5-year-olds simply don't have the physiological ability to apply these techniques.

4) Desire:
At least in the beginning of lessons, it's important that the child WANT to learn to play a particular instrument for lessons to be successful.  After time (and with age), a child can get bored or weary of lessons, and that's a topic for a different blog entry.

To Sum Up
Don't be in a rush to get your child into private lessons!  Parents know that learning music in the early years is important, and all parents want to give their kids a head start.  They're often in a hurry to get their kids started in lessons as early as possible.  However, gaining Basic Music Competence should be the all-important goal in the early years.  This is best achieved through music at home and in the community with beloved adults and peers and through fun group or class-type settings.  Get your child involved in music-making: especially at home, but also in school, at church, and/or in a Music Class.  I achieved my own musical competence through constantly singing with my mom and sisters at home, and from weekly group singing in church from a very young age.

Once BMC is in place, (ideally before a child's musical aptitude stabilizes--around age 7), a person can begin formal lessons at ANY time in his life and expect a reasonable level of comfort.  If BMC is not in place before instrumental lessons are begun, the student will likely experience frustration and/or embarrassment in the lessons, and may struggle to maintain motivation to practice and continue lessons. 

Last points: There are some early piano and violin-learning programs (Suzuki) and individual teachers that may be appropriate for young children--but  because they include many of the fun elements that Music Together also uses to support BMC: a playful movement-rich environment to promote fun and rhythm, a group setting with a participatory orientaton (rather than performance-oriented), and lots of singing to support continued tonal development.
 
 

I was already a professional musician and teacher before I took the Music Together training. But I had little experience with young children and little knowledge of how they learn music and how important it is that they DO learn music! During my training weekend,  I learned so much about early childhood learning and music development -- and why everything I was trying to do at the preschool where I was teaching music WASN'T WORKING. And I learned how to fix it!

The Music Together Teacher Training gave me the inspiration and tools I needed to start my own Music Together center. Asheville Area Music Together has become an important source of income for our family, and I'm so thankful for the way Music Together has connected me and my family with so many beautiful families in this area. Plus, my training gave me new insight and ideas for adding singing and movement and FUN to my private piano and percussion lessons with my school-age students.

The dearest positive result of my training, though, is that I learned how to engage my son musically; he was an infant when I took the training. The fun and beautiful bonding we've had through music since the training, his love of music and of certain Music Together songs, his amazing musical ability at age 3.5 (he can sing at least 50 songs with tonal and rhythmic accuracy), the way music has become a part of our home life and has saved my sanity countless times ... It's all worth every penny and every minute I spent in the Music Together Teacher Training course!

For more information about cost, schedule, etc, visit the national Music Together website.

 
 

It has been my experience that many families stop bringing their children to Music Together when they pass out of the toddler phase. I understand that preschool and other classes sometimes cause a conflict in scheduling, but I also think that children often start to express a reluctance to come to music class. Parents are understandably reluctant to pay for a Session of classes that their children aren't excited about. However, the music class environment continues to be important for older children but for different reasons than for toddlers and babies. Older preschoolers often have attained a certain level of musical competence (meaning they can sing in tune and keep a steady beat to a song that they hear). But at this age, it's common for preschoolers to start to notice others in the class, and they suddenly realize that they can't make music with the same ease as the adults in class. Of course this promotes a certain self-consciousness and return to shyness, or that they would prefer to avoid an event where their purpose or *place* isn't clear.

Preschoolers benefit greatly from support of them continuing to make music in a group setting and especially of honoring their ideas and leadership. If your preschooler starts to express a reluctance to come to Music Together, have a non-pressure talk with him to see if he has any specific issues that challenge him. Of course, the parent is going to know best in these situations, but I do urge you to consider

* Feelings of self-consciousness are normal, but they can persist and worsen if your child isn't encouraged to push on through the challenge. As long as Music Together class isn't actually traumatic for her, there's much benefit to be had from supporting your child's attendance through the difficulty. As with any age, there's no need to pressure any amount of active participation! It's enough to be there and see the adults participating joyfully and un-selfconsciously. After a few weeks, she may venture into the circle again and find a new participation role more fitting to this new stage of maturity.

* Your child is likely to have challenges with other settings or tasks in the future. If your child has difficulty with a certain school subject later on, chances are he won't get to just quit. You'll sit and talk with him and gently let him know that you'll help him and support him through the challenge so that he can succeed.

I always love to get suggestions from the children in class for movements, lyrics, and sounds that the group can make. I think the older children are the most likely to have some creative ideas. However, in the noise and activity of class, it can be difficult for them to speak up or to be heard. Please advocate for your preschooler when she has an idea to share with the class. You may need to make the suggestion yourself so that I can hear it, but you can certainly attribute the idea to your child. "Emerson would like for us to make train sounds."

The bottom line is that you know what is best for your child, but please consider these thoughts when determining whether to continue to bring your preschooler to Music Together. They DO have their place! We just have to help them find it.

 
 

Music supports all kinds of learning, -we use our voices, listening skills, motor skills, our emotions, spatial reasoning, language skills. It expands thought into an expression from the heart. Most of all, it lifts us up out of ourselves and allows us to go to a place beyond words and gives us a sense of the beauty and joy of life. I believe it helps to make us happier, more compassionate, more satisfied and expressive human beings and enriches our life experience.

Music isn't something where we go from point "a" to point "b" and then we are finished. Musical development is something that continues all of our lives. I'm still developing musically as are all the adults in our classes, as are all of the children.

Judy Woodson
Director, South Coast Music Together

 
 

Can and should your child sit still in Music Together class? Not necessarily and not necessarily.

In each new enrollment season, at least one parent who is interested in enrolling in Music Together will express concerns about bringing her busy busy child to a class environment. I always try to reassure these parents and encourage them to bring their little movers to class.
It's understandably difficult for parents of "busy kids" to see other children just sitting quietly and "politely" in the circle watching the teacher. These parents wonder if their own child (who's turning somersaults in the corner) is getting anything out of music class...or they worry that their child is distracting others.

Worry no more! Of course it's very age-appropriate for children to be on the move...all the time! Movement and learning go together--it's been shown in neurological research, and more and more schools and businesses are acknowledging this fact and honoring it by incorporating physical activity into their curricula and programs. The Music Together program makes it possible for all types of learners to participate in or at least observe a variety of types of physical activity during each class--large gross motor movements and small fine motor movements, fast and slow, quiet and loud. Children are welcome to wander about and freely choose when to actively participate or passively participate through watching and/or listening. Children who sit quietly in the circle simply tend to be more visual and/or aural learners, while the movers tend to be kinesthetic learners.

Sometimes a child will seem totally disengaged from the class activity...sitting in the corner, looking out the window, playing with an unrelated object in the room, etc. But a child under the age of 5 is not capable of completely separating his attention from his environment. Even if his active attention is on a chair in the corner, the child's brain is noticing his parent's voice and actions, as well as the sounds and activity of the rest of the class. If you get close, you'll often hear the child in the corner humming or singing to himself. And parents often report that these seemingly disengaged kids will sing just as beautifully as you please...in the car on the way home from Music Together class!

What to do if you have a "busy kid?" Continue to participate in the Music Together activity! Kids under 5 are tuned into their parents' voices and actions more than those of any other person. Your child knows what you're doing even if she seems not to be watching. Alternatively, engage your child in whatever part of the room he chooses to be and in whatever way is appropriate to his current stage of development. If your child grabbed an egg shaker and headed for the hills, go to him and sit and shake your eggs together. If your child headed off to turn somersaults, go sing to him, turn some somersaults yourself (or just watch), and tap his back to the beat.

To balance this info, let me say that safety is a priority in Music Together. While hopping, dancing, waddling, crawling, walking, and most other forms of movement are fine, there is no *running* in class. Generally, children are able to moderate their activity when given an alternative. "You may not run in class. Would you like to bunny-hop or waddle like a penguin?"

 
 

One of my Music Together parents sent me this link to a welcome address to the parents of the freshman class at Boston Conservatory given by Karl Paulnack, pianist and director of music division at Boston Conservatory. It is well worth the read, both for musicians and "music consumers" (that means everybody!). Thanks so much to Gail for passing this along to me!

http://www.symphonymusicians.com/WelcomeAddressbyKarlPaulnack/tabid/87/Default.aspx