Exploring Timbre with Baby

Parenting Tip:  Explore kitchen sound-makers with baby.

Why?

The distinctive quality of a sound is called its timbre (pronounced "tam-ber"). 

In Kindermusik classes, and in everyday life, baby hears a variety of sounds – scratchy sounds, booming drum sounds, individual voices and groups of voices singing and speaking, and many others. 

As Baby experiences the variety of sounds he can make with musical instruments and everyday objects, he is developing the listening vocabulary necessary for sound discrimination preceding language.  And if she plays the instruments, she learns that she can create a nice-sounding result.

How?

This week go on a scavenger hunt for interesting sound sources at home.  Then join Baby in "playing" the instruments you have found.  How are they similar to and different from the sounds you hear in Kindermusik class?

Try to find: Ribbed plastic water bottles and a wooden spoon; Stainless steel bowl and wooden spoon; Unopened single-serving dried soups: shake and listen; Small paper lunch bags

Play with the timbre of your voice while talking with your baby.  Use a high voice, low voice, scratchy voice, squeaky voice, and more.  Which timbre is the most engaging for your baby?

Using  Kindermusik (or other) instruments, play with and help your baby compare the sounds of metal jingles to wooden sticks, etc.

Listen to the Moon Dance Lullaby this week (from Kindermusik's Playtime CD).  There is a great variety of timbres to discover, both vocal and instrumental in this traditional Chinese lullaby.

Do you have a drum at home?  Find ways to make a scratching "ritsch, ratsch" sound and then a "boom" sound. Sing the "Little Green Frog" song together (also found on the Playtime CD) while playing the drum.  Find a drum for each member of your family and create a drum circle!

Try some of these moves for the Jack in the Box song – and delight in the goofy sound effects, with baby!

Want to Learn More?

On our blog:  The connection between timbre and phonemic awareness.

Kindermusik 7-Year Continuum:

Helping baby to experience multiple timbres (sounds) now, will help her have familiarity with those sounds when she chooses an instrument to explore in toddler classes.  As a preschooler, he'll have the sound vocabulary to be able to choose appropriate instruments to accompany poems, stories, and songs in Kindermusik.  As a big kid in Young Child classes, your child will use that knowledge of sounds to choose instruments for group compositions, and to know if their instrument is playing in tempo with the group.

 

Tempo for Toddlers

Parenting Tip:  Move to fast and slow beats!

Why?

Children perceive the world through their senses, and learning is most enjoyable and effective when multiple senses of a child's body are involved.  For instance, when the children are clapping fast & slow tempi, they feel the movement of their hands, hear the sound their hands make, see their own (or others') hands move, and meet to make the sound.  Multisensory learning environments - those that are rich with sensory experiences, allow freedom to explore, and have engaged parents - increase the potential for learning and are the 'three major factors...[that] lead to competency in adulthood.' - Carla Hannaford, Smart Moves.

How?

Sing along to I Love My Family!  Can you sing the song without the video?  Can you sing it faster, or slower?

Get into a comfy chair, and enjoy the Video Playdate Field Trip! 

Find a favorite song from Kindermusik's Friends & Family CD.  Unpack some instruments (maybe a new Kindermusik instrument?).  Can you play along to the song?  Does your child prefer the beat, the faster micro-beat, or the slower macro-beat? 

Enjoy the e-book 'Flip Flap Sugar Snap' together.  Have fun saying the ending rhymes together!

Want to Learn More?

On our blog: What is tempo?  And why is it important?

Kindermusik 7-Year Continuum:

Kindermusik babies have help from their adults, who move baby's body to fast & slow tempi.  As toddlers, children begin to move their own bodies, in response to fast & slow sounds.  Kindermusik preschoolers move to fast & slow, and begin to decide for themselves whether a specific song is 'fast' or 'slow.'  Young Child students (ages 5 & 6) use their knowledge of tempo to help them play as an ensemble with their classmates, on glockenspiels, dulcimers, and recorders.

 

Preschoolers & Expressive Movement

Parenting Tip:  Create dance moves for every room in the house!

Why?

Expressive movement is pretend play that's functioning in a new way - giving your child motions that they might not normally use.

For instance, the movements involved in pretending to build a house create an opportunity to use familiar movements in a new way.  Each tool movements combines a hand motion with a movement concept (tempo, direction and pathway, levels, weight, energy).  

Expressive movement strengthens gross motor and social skills, and nurtures children's creativity and imagination.  The freedom of creative movement also helps children to express their emotions and relieve some tension. 

Movement also helps children to internalize musical concepts, such as steady beat, melodic contour, tempo, dynamics, and meter. 

How?

play 'Home on the Hive!'

Next, look all around to find the objects in the House Hunt! 

Turn on 'Kitchen Commotion,' from your home CD.  Find instruments and a variety of sound-makers from your kitchen cabinets to create a family playalong! 

Cue up 'Great Big House,' and create a whole-house dance party!  How should we move, in the livingroom?  What about in the kitchen?  How should we dance in the hallway?  Or the den?  Have fun creating movements, together - AND have fun remembering which one comes next!

Want to Learn More?

On our blog:  Read Why We Rock, Bounce, Jump & Dance!

Kindermusik 7-Year Continuum:

As babies, Kindermusik kids are moved around to music by their adults.  Toddlers start to move their own bodies, in response to sound ('I'm dancing like a lion!').  As a preschooler, your child is now creating her own moves to express what she is hearing, or what she is imagining ('How should we dance in the kitchen?  What about the livingroom? Or back yard?').  Big kids in Young Child classes continue to use expressive movement to build their understanding of musical concepts, while using what they've learned through movement to then PLAY MUSIC more expressively.

 

Counting Games with Baby

Parenting Tip:  Count to the 'Peekaboo I See You' game with baby!

 

Why?

One, two, buckle my shoe. Three, four, shut the door. Five, six, pick up sticks. Seven, eight, lay them straight. Nine, ten, begin again. You did it, didn't you? Before you finished reading that nursery rhyme, you found yourself singing it, instead. It's how many of us learned those building blocks of math and reading—through nursery rhymes, songs, and maybe a few dance moves!

Learning to count by rote helps your child develop number vocabulary, memory, patterning, and sequence—all foundational skills for math.

Rolling shakers 1-2-3, counting to three and jumping up during a circle dance, or reciting numbers while playing with balls, all give your child practice counting in a fun, engaging way, which reinforces the beginning stages of learning numbers.

 

How?

Read the "Peekaboo Face" e-book, and count 1-2-3 with baby!

Bounce 1-2-3 (rest), 1-2-3 (rest) to Pop Goes the Weasel (from Kindermusik's 'Playtime' CD)!

Be a bunny, and HOP-HOP with baby, as you count '1-2.'  Turn on Hop to It (also from 'Playtime'), and HOP-HOP & count all around the house.

 

Want to Learn More?

On our blog:  Learn the Benefits of Music, in Math Learning!

 

Kindermusik 7-Year Continuum: Playing counting games in Kindermusik baby classes, paves the way for your child's success as a toddler, when she tries out her own moves and ways to play, counting 1-2-3.  As a preschooler, your child will take counting a step further, as he tries musical games where we play on beats 1 & 2, but rest on beat 3, etc.  In Young Child classes your big kid takes those counting skills, and transfers them to understanding beats per measure, rhythm, and the way that barlines organize notes into groups of beats.

 

High and Low Sounds with Toddlers

Parenting Tip:  Play with high & low sounds!

 

Why?

An activity that pairs opposite concepts (like high & low) allows toddlers to comprehend not only what something is, but also what it is not.  This helps children to clearly understand and define what each word represents.

Playing games where your voices move way up high, and way down low, allows your child to exercise his full vocal range – preparing his singing voice, and his expressive speaking voice.

Pairing high & low sounds with high & low movements, introduces a multisensory experience for your child, which strengthens her new understanding of high & low.

 

How?

Play the Grandpa's Glasses game!  Be sure to change your voice to match each character, as they receive their hat, or shoes, or glasses... :) 

Get out some instruments, and have a family playalong! Can you and your child create ways to play your instruments up high & down low?

Play 'I Love My Family' from Kindermusik's Family & Friends CD, and move your body to match the descending notes of the chorus.  What other songs have high & low parts that you can move to?

 

Want to Learn More?

On our blog:  Help your child to 'tune in' to sounds & pitches!

 

Kindermusik 7-Year Continuum: As babies, Kindermusik kids have parents & special adults who help them move their bodies high & low, to match the music.  Kindermusik toddlers begin to move their own bodies to match high & low sounds, as they imitate the movements of their significant adults.  In preschool Kindermusik classes, students begin to take charge of their own learning by providing their own ways to move high & low, and by identifying specific instruments that sound high and low.  Big kids in Young Child classes explore high and low bars on glockenspiels, and learn how higher notes appear in higher places on the musical staff, while lower notes appear in lower places on the staff.  They also learn that larger instruments produce lower sounds, while smaller instruments produce higher sounds.

 

Social and Community Development for Preschoolers

Parenting Tip:  Create a 'family band,' with your preschooler!

 

Why?

Three and four-year-olds are acutely aware of the important people in their lives.  Social behaviors are learned interactions that occur through their experiences with each of the people they encounter. 

In Kindermusik class, one of our goals is to foster community within our classes, because children learn best when they feel connected to their own adults, as well as the adults and children around them. 

Working toward a common goal (like playing music together, 'cleaning the house,' and dancing together, in the ancient tradition of communities everywhere) helps us to create connections to one another. 

This same community building and teamwork will benefit your child's future involvement in musical ensembles, where working together as a group is imperative.

 

How?

Read A House is a House for Me, with your child.  If you like, gather some scrap paper, and have a family house-building party!  Have fun watching your child add doors, windows, floor, roof, and maybe a few unexpected things to your paper house! 

For a change of pace, discover Animals at Home! 

Find some instruments, and have a family playalong! 

Choose a favorite track from Home Sweet Home, and tap, scrape, and play instruments together!  Maybe add some other sound-makers, and take turns passing them around - whoever has the frog-guiro gets to be 'the director,' for that turn.  Now trade!

 

Want to Learn More?

On our blog: Learn why the Kindermusik classroom is the perfect place for your child to practice and develop social skills.

Kindermusik 7-Year Continuum: As a baby, Kindermusik kids are delighted to notice other babies in their class!  Grown-ups help baby move and play around their fellow babies, as they discover themselves and all of those other faces in the room.  Kindermusik toddlers start to explore their own place in the group, as they begin to move around the circle on their own, and contribute their ideas to the group.  As preschoolers, children begin to 'drive' the class themselves, forming a peer group that works together to sing, play and move.  In Young Child classes, big kids take that peer group dynamic, and use it to play as an ensemble – starting & ending together, playing the same note as their neighbor, and keeping the same beat throughout the song.

 

More Sensory Play for Your Baby!

Parenting Tip:  Tap into your child's senses – Smell, touch, look, listen & taste to learn!

 

Why?

Repetition strengthens the brain. So more sensory play brings opportunities to fine-tune sensory pathways they need to perceive and comprehend the world around them.

 

How?

Get wet!  Watch a video about playing in the rain, then explore water, around the house, with baby.  Splash in the tub, feel a damp cloth, fingerpaint in the bathtub with shaving cream, then rinse it all away!

Play with paper!  Different colors, crinkling sounds, does the paper have a smell? Have fun exploring paper, using senses of touch, sight, smell, and hearing.

 

Want to Learn More?

On our blog:  Music, Movement and our Senses!

 

Kindermusik 7-Year Continuum:

Using multisensory play with Kindermusik songs as babies, leads into toddlers using multiple senses to match the steady beat (moving to the beat, watching scarves bounce to the beat, hearing the shakers shake to the beat, feeling Mommy bounce me to the beat).   Preschoolers use multiple senses during pretend play, leading into musical discovery (See the 'snowflakes' falling from the sky, hear the twinkly sounds of the bells as the snowflakes fall, hear the downward glissando on the glockenspiel, representing those falling flakes).  Big kids in Young Child classes use multiple senses to understand musical concepts they can transfer to instrument play (moving feet to 'tah' and 'tee-tee' sounds directly transfers to hands playing quarter and eighth note rhythms on the glockenspiel;  playing 'quiet' and 'loud' music games transfers to playing 'piano' or 'forte' on instruments.)

 

Value of Repetition for Toddlers!

Parenting Tip:  Say 'Yes' when your child asks 'can we do it again?' Just do it!

 

Why?

We all appreciate predictability. Repetition provides comfort and stability.

Repetition helps your child learn and remember, strengthens new brain connections. So when asked to repeat – say Yes!

Repetition leads to mastery – like practicing on an instrument leads to mastery of that instrument.

 

How?

Sing a favorite song, like If You're Happy & You Know It.  Add lots of extra verses to the song – ask your child for ideas!

Read that favorite bedtime story one more time.

Make a Feelings Shaker!  If your child wants to do it again, why not make one for a friend or sibling?

 

Want to Learn More?

On our blog:  Read Do we have to do this, again?

 

Kindermusik 7-Year Continuum: In Kindermusik baby classes, we expose baby to many new objects and experiences – and new neural connections are then made in his brain!  In toddler classes, we revisit these objects, songs, ways to move, etc, and add extra twists to them ('Mommy is playing her egg shaker – can you show her a different way to play?').  As preschoolers, children revisit those experiences and objects again, but are asked to use them in 'pretend play' scenarios, where they can use their imagination and creativity to add to our musical play.  For big kids in Young Child classes, children learn songs as games/movement activities, then they repeat those songs and add sounds on their instruments using specific notes.  Then they discover how to read those notes and rhythms on the staff, and repeat the song on their instrument!

 

Preschoolers and Crescendo/Decrescendo

Parenting Tip:  Get louder & quieter with your preschooler!

 

Why?

As children experience and listen for tempo (fast or slow?), dynamics (loud or soft?), and melodies (up or down, high or low?), they are developing the critical skill of being able to distinguish between sounds – an ability that is absolutely vital to reading.

Listening and paying attention are naturally encouraged in music activities where children are encouraged to interact with, engage in, and respond to what they are hearing in the music, rather than just passively participating.

 

How?

Read the e-book 'Rain Song' with your child.  Can you use voice sounds, or instrument sounds, to emulate the crescendo (getting louder) and decrescendo (getting quieter) of the rain?

To make crescendo (kreh-shen-do) and decrescendo (day-kreh-shen-do) sound effects, try some 'Do-It-Yourself Weather Sounds'

 

Want to Learn More?

Try singing the 'Crescendo' song, and  the 'Decrescendo' song!

 

Kindermusik 7-Year Continuum:  Kindermusik babies experience loud & quiet sounds as their grownup tiptoes and stomps with them, and demonstrates playing instruments in loud & quiet ways.  As toddlers, Kindermusik kids begin tiptoeing & stomping, themselves, as they follow what their grownups are modeling.  In Kindermusik preschool classes, students are learning musical terminology for loud & quiet, like forte, piano, crescendo & decrescendo.  Big kids, in Young Child classes, begin to apply those musical terms to songs they play on instruments – like glockenspiel, dulcimer, and recorder.

 

Multisensory Learning for Babies

Parenting Tip:  Dance & play to your Kindermusik songs, with baby!

 

Why?

Sensory play that engages in more than one sense, helps build neural connections and supports language development, cognitive growth, fine motor skills, and problem solving skills.

Learning that involves multi-sensory crossovers and sense-memory is more likely to stick. It's like glue to the brain.

 

How?

Use sign language with baby! Sign language is multisensory – you can see it, feel it in your own hands, and hear the words as we speak them while signing. That's a big reason why it's so helpful for language development.

Play the 'Spider on the Floor' game, and include some tickling!  It provides tactile stimulation, social development, and body awareness.

Play a favorite song, and bounce, dance, move, make sounds, and play! To add suspense, count with your fingers to '1…. 2…. 3!!' when starting something new with the song.

 

Want to Learn More?

On our blog:  Learn how multisensory = more memory & more skills!

 

Kindermusik 7-year Continuum: 

Using multisensory play with Kindermusik songs as babies, leads into toddlers using multiple senses to match the steady beat (moving to the beat, watching scarves bounce to the beat, hearing the shakers shake to the beat, feeling Mommy bounce me to the beat).   Preschoolers use multiple senses during pretend play, leading into musical discovery (See the 'snowflakes' falling from the sky, hear the twinkly sounds of the bells as the snowflakes fall, hear the downward glissando on the glockenspiel, representing those falling flakes).  Big kids in Young Child classes use multiple senses to understand musical concepts they can transfer to instrument play (moving feet to 'tah' and 'tee-tee' sounds directly transfers to hands playing quarter and eighth note rhythms on the glockenspiel;  playing 'quiet' and 'loud' music games transfers to playing 'piano' or 'forte' on instruments.

 

Toddlers Love to Go Aaaaand STOP!

Parenting Tip: Play 'stop & go' and 'fast & slow' games, with your toddler!

 

Why?

'Control of the body is the first kind of control children have over themselves, and is the first step toward the development of internal control, or 'self-discipline.'  Activities that encourage the child to focus, listen, then react through movement, or non-movement, develop a strong sense of internal control.' - Sue Stinson 'Dance for Young Children

Learning the steps of a simple dance is a way your child can practice self-control, but remembering a sequence of steps is just the beginning.  Your child also needs to plan and regulate his own movements, based on the movements of others around him.  She needs to persist, even when she doesn't get the steps, the first time around, and she needs to keep calm enough to observe and process what's happening during the dance.  (There is abundant opportunity to practice these important skills in any Kindermusik class). 

Research has shown that these self-control skills are important for your child's success in school, and throughout his adult life.

 

How?

Feel the Music!  It takes self-control for your child to move slowly, in the first segment.  For the faster parts, try hitting 'pause,' once in awhile, to make it a stop & go game! 

Watch a Drum With Me activity.  Then, play a 'follow the leader' game with the drums (or household containers)! 

Turn on a favorite track from your home CD, and play a game of 'freeze dance!'  When the music plays - DANCE!  When the music stops (when Mommy hits the 'pause' button), FREEZE like a statue!

Add some 'aaaaand STOP!' moments to your day-to-day life, with your toddler… (maybe when she wants to run through the aisle at the store? ;) )

 

Want to Learn More?

On our blog - read about new research, suggesting that Teaching Self-Control Leads to Academic Improvements!

 

Kindermusik 7-year Continuum:

Kindermusik babies (with help from adults) and toddlers (with modeling by adults) play stop and go games, move fast & slow, and practice taking turns.  As preschoolers, students use their experiences with stop & go games, to regulate their own responses to music ('move slow when the music is slow';  'everyone will get a turn to share an idea – let's hear Billy's idea first';  'now it's time to sit in a circle – come join the group!'), as Kindermusik big kids, students use their maturing self-control skills to organize their own materials, and set up their glockenspiel & mallets for play.  They also use that self-control to wait until it's time to start the song, and to play in time with the group.

 

Sorting & Categorizing Sounds with Preschoolers

Parenting Tip:  Create sound effects for a song – like the Mud Puddle Dance!

 

Why?

Sorting and categorizing sounds strengthens listening acuity and the ability to hear and understand.

In addition to fostering your child's budding musicianship skills, this leads to better phonemic awareness and boosts reading abilities.

 

How?

Discover fun indoor activities to participate in when the weather outside is frightful ;)  (Like 'kleenex snowflakes,' and 'paper plate ice skates!'). 

For more snow fun, make a snow globe!  Once the snow is falling, turn on the 'Snowflakes Are Falling' from Kindermusik's "Outside My Window" CD, and sing along! 

Cue up a song, like 'Mud Puddle Dance,' or 'It Rained a Mist,' from Kindermusik's "Outside My Window" CD.  Can you use jingle bells (or other sound-makers from around the house) to add some pitter patter, drip drop, or splash rhythms, as the music plays? 

 

Want to Learn More?

On our blog - read how rhythm skills may be a predictor of future reading disabilities, and how music can act as an early-intervention strategy for children with those challenges!

Kindermusik 7-year Continuum:

Kindermusik babies enjoy exploring instruments, and discovering how to make sound, through cause & effect.  Toddlers explore instruments, and discover multiple ways to keep the beat with those instruments.  Kindermusik preschoolers decide which instruments to use to make different sound effects (Sparkly metal sounds for the sun?  Rolling shakers on the floor to create rain showers?  Tapping a cymbal to create thunder?) As big kids in Young Child classes, students choose sound makers from home to create an appropriate musical backdrop to poems, like The Weather Story (about the cycle of a thunderstorm).