Kindermusik helps children become better listeners & learners!

The children are imitating the 6 blind men in the story on their way to the Rajah's palace.  The scarf "blindfolds" help them imagine what life is like for someone who can't see.

During craft time, we explored several different kinds of textures and used words to describe them much in the same way the Blind Men used words to describe what they "felt" when they touched one part of the elephant.

"Tell Me A Tale" Camp Day 3: Six Blind Men and the Elephant

 

Home Activities:

1)  Read the story of the Six Blind Men and the Elephant together.  Together discover the words that the blind men used to describe the Elephant.  What is the "truth about elephants?"

2)  Sensory Exploration:  Using a drawstring bag, put in items with various textures:  Smooth (fabric, sock), Sharp (comb, fork), Thin (Rope, Yarn, Shoelace), and Round (small ball, bead, etc.)  Invite your child to put a hand in the bag to feel the object without seeing it.  Encourage your child to explain what they felt and guess what it is.  Talk with your child about using their sense of touch as a way to understand their world, especially if they cannot see with their eyes.  We played this game in class today and they did a very good job using "describing" words to talk about what they were feeling inside the bag.

 

Lesson Focus:

Authentic Indian Instruments –  Today we learned about authentic Indian instruments, including the Tabla, Sitar, Bansuri, and Shenai.  

For pictures and more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_musical_instruments

Sitar - is a plucked stringed instrument. It uses sympathetic strings along with a gourd resonating chamber to produce a very lush sound. Predominantly used in Hindustani classical, sitar has been ubiquitous in Hindustani classical music since the Middle Ages.

Bansuri - The bansuri is a bamboo flute used in the North Indian system.  It typically has six holes, however there has been a tendency in recent years to use seven holes for added flexibility and correctness of pitch in the higher registers.

Shenai - The shenai is a double reed instrument used in Hindustani classical music. Originally an outdoor instrument used for temple celebrations and weddings, it was brought into classical music in the latter part of the last century, along with other instruments such as the bansuri, a bamboo flute, which had previously been seen as folk instruments.

Tabla - The Indian tabla, a two-piece percussion instrument, is the principal rhythmic accompaniment to most North Indian classical and light music.  The Tabla consists of two upright drums that are played with fingers and palms. Tablas are arguably the most complex drums in the world.

Exploring the concepts of Smooth, Sharp, Wide, Thin, Round, and Tall as they relate to textures, movements, and musical instrument sounds.  Listen to “The Elephant” on your Home CD.

Listening to be  “Better Learners”:

Becoming focused and discriminating listeners will help children become better learners.  It is a joy to open their ears to new worlds of sound and encourage them to become careful and purposeful in their listening.  How are we learning to focus our listening?

o      Today, the children listening to music as they took a blindfolded walk around the room. Listening without seeing allows us to experience a heightened sense of hearing; the ears become keener when the eyes are not engaged.

o      On Day 1, children listened to the sounds of the animals as represented by voices and instruments; they compared the differences and noted the similarities of range, tone, and color.

o      On Day 2, they listening to authentic Gamelan music, recalling similar familiar sounds from personal experiences with various instruments.

These rich listening experiences help to build a vast listening vocabulary and a sensitivity to aural detail that makes the world all the more multidimensional. 

Our focus on Folk Dancing continued today as we learned the "Paw Paw Patch" folk dance.  We'll be doing more with that dance tomorrow!