Let’s Make Some Music!

Did you know that music helps teach children math? Yes, it’s true! When young children are given the opportunity to listen, sing or dance to music they are developing an understanding about rhythms and highs & lows in tone. This understanding helps children with patterning (red, green, red, green) and sequencing skills (first, second, last).

So dust off the record player and let the concert begin. Try listening to Italian Opera, Mariachi Bands from Mexico or Bag Pipe Players from Scotland. Your local Kern County Library has records, cassettes and compact discs available for check out.

Here’s some other ideas for “jazzing” up your music time:

    guitar: Attend a real live concert! It’s always interesting to watch musicians play and sing. One of my all time favorite children’s singing duo is coming to Bakersfield in March: Greg and Steve. This event is an hour of pure fun. Greg and Steve are energetic and entertaining. The audience is involved in all of their songs. Listen for MY favorites: “The Chicken Dance”, “Big Fun” and “The Three Little Pigs”.

    guitar: Moving to Music: Play music and dance. Encourage the children to move their bodies in different ways and describe the way they are making their bodies move (swaying from side to side, tapping toes, snapping fingers, rotating shoulders, etc.) This activity has the added benefit of exposing children to new language.

    guitar: Ribbon Dance: Give children a scarf or a long, trailing piece of crepe paper. Play music and dance with your ribbon.

    guitar: Marching Band. Here’s some ideas for homemade instruments:

    Check your cabinets. Lots of “instruments” don’t require any work at all. Things like drums can be made out of empty oatmeal containers, upside-down buckets, etc. Aluminum pie tins make great cymbals and an empty paper toll roll makes a great horn.

    Make shakers from toilet paper rolls. Pinch one end of the roll shut. Staple. Fill the toilet paper rolls with small, noisy items like small pebbles, beads, dried macaroni, etc. Pinch the other end shut and staple. Cover ends with masking tape. Decorate with stickers or markers, if desired.

    Cover two empty boxes of soap with sandpaper. The sandpaper makes a wonderful noise when you rub the two boxes together.

    Make a set of spoons by taping one end of the tablespoons to a piece of yarn. Duct tape the other end of the yarn to a long wooden block. Hold the block in one hand, allowing the spoons to hang down. Using a long serving spoon to play.

    Make a guitar from an old box of tissue, a paper towel roll, rubber bands and duct tape. Cut a hole in one end of the box just large enough to squeeze in the paper towel roll (this is your handle). Wrap the rubber bands lengthwise over the box (to make the guitar strings. Duct tape everything tightly.

Thank you to Lisa Albert from the EPTSS Division for this month's activity!

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