MONDAY, JULY 18, 2011
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: A Journey with Piano
What a soggy weekend! I am sure all that of you who live in the Seattle / Tacoma area were no more excited about the weather then I was. Both Jack and Amelia's make-up baseball games were canceled. That tells a lot about our summer here. The games rescheduled for rainouts, were rained out. And life goes on.
Since our weekend plans were all pretty much canceled we had some unexpected free time. I was happy to see that my lovely Amelia chose to spend some time on the piano (aka a crappy old keyboard). I had high hopes of giving the kids piano lessons biweekly this summer. That hasn't happened. Perhaps, I can argue that we are still waiting for the summer to come.
Amelia Practices at St. Luke's in May
Amelia hasn't had a lesson in 2 weeks. It showed. I was amazed how much she didn't remember in such a short period of time. We often speak about what "sponges" our children's brains are. They seem to remember everything and pick up new skills so quickly. We never think about their ability to lose information just as quickly. Amelia and I struggled to review some basics that she had forgotten. It was frustrating for us both. It was also a good life lesson.
Music is a great tool for showing kids the importance of patience and practice. While those skills aren't glamorous to a child. They are important life skills. There are some areas in life where you can easily cover up your lack or preparedness or at least fake it. If you are a beginning musician, you can't.
The set back wasn't entirely a bad thing. We both learned our lesson (no pun intended, really). I have learned that when I lack consistency, my children will follow my lead. The break also had another positive outcome. Jack (7) asked if he could start lessons again too. Jack has been on a break from piano for a while longer. This was a mutual choice resulting from student/teacher conflicts. I was very happy to see him come back on his own. If you have children in music lessons, or plan to in the future, I hope that you will learn from my mistakes:
Keep in consistent, but let them stay in control of their own progress. If they have tools, support and encouragement, they will find their own musical journey. Forcing it only makes them run in the other direction.
When the music changes, so does the dance
-African Proverb
Today I started making playlists with the kids for our big trip. They love doing this, and it is always fun to see what music they pick out. I have always felt that you can tell so much about a person by the type of music they are drawn to. Oddly enough, as I type I have a 3 yr. old running through the house singing James Browns "Make it Funky"and a seven year old belting the song "Paris(Ooh La La)" by Grace and the Potter and the Nocturnals. What does that say about my boys? Seriously, any guesses?
The past two months my older two have been obsessing over "The Voice". I am not sure that this show was totally appropriate for a 7 and an 8 year old. Just letting my kids look at Christina Aguilera felt questionable. But, I told my self that they didn't catch any of the trashy comments or questionable lyrics. Jack and Amelia were crazy about the show. Even though the show has ended, every conversation that we have still somehow circles back to "The Voice". That said, it will be of no surprise when I let them each choose 3 songs from itunes they chose: Cee Lo, Vicci, Dia, Maroon 5 and Xenia (I told Jack that he had to "sleep on"his Beverly decision).
Some old favorites mixed with some new and we have created a pretty compact piece of entertainment. However, music is great for travel for more then just relieving boredom. It helps to block out noise, lets you to retreat inward from the claustrophobia of the plane, and lifts your mood (or brings it down depending on your song choice). Once the plane lands it is still a fantastic tool. A softer playlist helps children to wind down, while moving to something upbeat will help them to release some built up energy or stress from travel.
It's true, unless you are going backwoods, you will surely have access to the radio or a computer. Still, bringing a familiar set of songs from home can be very soothing. Especially, should homesickness or travel anxiety set in. If you aren't crazy like me don't have time to make multiple playlists for everyone in the family, Pandora is a good friend. We listen to a lot of pandora in our house. If you do to, you know that they recycle a lot of songs. While that may be boring for adults, kids love the repetition.
If you haven't used it before, check it out: www.pandora.com
Don't forget to pack some music for yourself. You don't even have to put and Kindermusik, Raffi or Wiggles on it!
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Higher or Lower, A Musical Game Show
There are many musical "ear training" programs out there. They are great for kids and adults who wish to learn or fine tune interval and chord fluency (and much more). I decided to apply the same concept, game show style, to a quick little activity with my 3, 7, and 8 year old. It was simple, silly fun for a morning that was spent in pajamas and avoiding housework.
Here is what we did:
The Prep
- Each child decorated two signs. One labeled "higher" the other "lower".
- The kids were then lined up in a row and blindfolded (sounds ominous, I know).
- The contestants were introduced and the rules explained.
The Game
The contestants listened to a series of intervals (played on a laughably old and outdated keyboard) and raise their "higher" or "lower" signs to describe what they heard.
What they liked the best
Admittedly, this game was too simple for the older 2 and the 3 yr. old didn't quite get it. They still had a lot of fun.
- The big game show voice was a hit (with the kids only, as it made me cringe)
- My kids LOVE being blindfolded. I'm it sure why, but it made them crazy
- The game was simple so they got all of the answers right. A nice ego boost.
Alternative for younger kids or simple settings:
The silliness of the game show may allude your young child, but the simple principle will not. From a young age, kids can learn to listen and identify sounds. This aids in musical awareness and development. You can find a huge selection of animal sounds or various musical instruments on the web. Simply, find the pictures to correspond and making it into a matching game.
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Painting to Music
Jack, Age 6, paints with water color to U2, “Shadows and Tall Trees”
Kids love to be in control. They thrive on making their own decisions and seeing their ideas put into action. A few weeks ago I had an afternoon of art and music with my children (ages 3, 6 and 8). I chose the project and put some ground rules in place (I like to be in control too!). But, the kids kept their hands on the creative reigns.
Here’s what we did. I asked each child to pick out a favorite song that they would like to create art to. Then, they choose their medium: Water color, pastels, crayon, marker, or charcoal or pencil. Finally, they all created a masterpiece while listening to the song they had chosen. The rest of us watched the creation unfold.
I was apprehensive of how turn taking would work with this activity. I may have just been extremely lucky, but all three were respectful and patient. Not surprisingly, having the opportunity to have all eyes on them was one of their favorite parts.
Amelia, Age 8, painted with water color to Chopin’s Waltz #7 in C sharp minor
The activity was such a hit that we decided to turn it into a Father’s Day project. This time, the kids all painted simultaneously to BB King’s “Cost to be the boss”. Only I found the humor in this as a father’s day song (“you act like you don’t want to listen when I’m talk’n to you). I will frame them this week and the kids will wrap them up for Sunday.
Part of my success was due to a few rules I created beforehand:
*No one can choose the same song
*Everyone sits and watches the other artists.
*We will only play the song twice. They could finish on there own after everyone had a turn.
*We cleaned up after each turn (okay, that was mostly for me, but it helped to minimize distractions)
Liam, Age 3, used tempura paint and Bob Marley’s “Is this Love”
Quietly watching my children as ideas danced in their eyes and out of their fingers was a pure joy. I hope that you can find time to try this at home too.
Afterwards, a good daily wrestling match.......
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