THE JOURNEY OF THE NOBLE GNARBLE May 29, 2019 Show #3 4:00pm Howe Honors Choir Musical Director: Ms. Susan Harden

THE JOURNEY OF THE NOBLE GNARBLE May 29, 2019 Show #2 2:40pm Howe Honors Choir

I have often heard people say that they are not “musically inclined”, or “not good at music.” As a music teacher for almost 30 years, I have seen a variety of skill levels in students young and old. The truth is that musical skills can be developed.

Many children enter pre-school and kindergarten with a love for singing. Some like to utter words with a lilt or rhythm, but do not necessarily catch onto the pitch right away. In essence, they sing the wrong notes, but they still “sing”. They don’t usually know that the notes are incorrect which is an important piece missing in their development. Some children do not change the notes/pitch at all (monotone) and often times are more shy about singing. Matching their own voice to what they are hearing is not always easy and it is important to determine if the child is having a hard time manipulating their voice to match what they hear or having a hard time hearing the pitch. Children need to hear their own singing voice.

Some children have a good sense of rhythm, but do not yet match pitch. Some have a good sense of pitch but do not keep a steady beat or rhythm. Some have problems with both pitch and rhythm and some are quite solid at both. Those students stand out quickly in the music classroom and are often times more advanced academically than other students at that moment. I believe music is both innate (a gift) and can also be a result of musical parents/teachers who worked with the children early on. Some children can self-correct their own tuning, style and musicianship, which is at a high level for a young child.

I teach a number of music classes, an after school choir and an after school drumming club. There is some overlap in students who are invited to both after-school clubs but I sometimes find students who are less developed or “mono-tone” in their singing/pitch but do very well with rhythm, so I invite them to join the drumming group. You see, being “good at” music does not always mean that you are a great singer, although it certainly helps. Rhythm, pitch matching skills and musicianship can be developed and it is best to start at a very young age. How can you help as a parent? Play (and sing) music from around the world for them when they are infants/toddlers. Add music that is very different from the western music or kids songs that you might ordinarily listen to because the musical structures and sounds are diverse. Help develop their ears to hear things like quarter tones and scale/chord paterns in middle eastern music and polyrhythms and change in meter in the music of India or Greece. These sounds expand their prior knowledge and opens up their musical capacity. You may marvel at how children pick up the sounds and rhythms so naturally even when it seems complicated and unfamiliar. It does get more complicated and less natural for adults so start as early as possible. Allow children to explore (within reason) moving their bodies while the music plays. This will help them to be less shy and more expressive as well as help develop their coordination and spacial awareness. Vocally, work with your children to make their voices go up and down, high and low, soft and loud before they start going to school. Work with them on their speaking, singing, calling and whisper voices, and when it is appropriate to use each. (A side note: whispering is not healthy for our voices so do it sparingly) Sing notes with your child and have them match the notes or short phrases. Let them know if they are too high or too low. Help them to sing with confidence. Immediate and accurate feedback is important. Some children will have a limited vocal range at that age so take care to keep the songs in their range lest they hurt their instrument. You would be surprised at how many children’s songs are on the internet that are not in the range of a child’s developing voice. Music teachers start with songs using so-fa-mi (g-f-e, fixed do) because that is a comfortable, normal range for the child’s voice. Expand from there.
When working on rhythm march with them to the steady beat of songs and help them to put their feet on the floor with the beat. Watch carefully to see if they are just walking in a marching style or they are actually marching to the beat. There is a difference and it is important to get them on the beat. Again, immediate and accurate feedback is important. Use songs with different tempos (speeds) so they have to listen for the beat and change with the new tempo (speed). Clapping is easier than marching because they do not have to deal with the timing of their legs going up and down and forward propulsion (locomotor). If they March behind you, have them try to keep a certain distance behind you too. That is actually a skill that will translate into better driving as an adult as the spacial awareness and timing is more developed and vital to braking. There was a study done that shows musicians to be better drivers for this very reason.

I hope this has been helpful. There is a lot you can do to help your children musically and every little bit counts! Have a great day everyone and happy singing!

Ms. Harden