Play in Music
The Learner Expectations
CREATIVE EXPRESSIONGeneral Learner Expectation
The child explores self-expression through creative thought and through language, art, movement, music and drama.
Specific Learner Expectations
The child:
* explores and experiments with patterns, movement, rhythm, sound and music
* begins to recognize and respond to elements in music, such as rhythm, melody, harmony, form and expression—including tempo, dynamics and tone colour
*responds to the beat in music through such movements as walking, running, hopping, skipping and repetitive, rhythmic actions, such as clapping and tapping
* participates in action songs, singing games and poems
* experiences body awareness when performing dance activities
The child explores self-expression through creative thought and through language, art, movement, music and drama.
Specific Learner Expectations
The child:
* explores and experiments with patterns, movement, rhythm, sound and music
* begins to recognize and respond to elements in music, such as rhythm, melody, harmony, form and expression—including tempo, dynamics and tone colour
*responds to the beat in music through such movements as walking, running, hopping, skipping and repetitive, rhythmic actions, such as clapping and tapping
* participates in action songs, singing games and poems
* experiences body awareness when performing dance activities
The Play
While most of my music came from the Music Play for Kindergarten curriculum, and popular action songs, there were two activities that i feel I must include in my project above all others.
The first is the use of sign language in lieu of actions when a song does not have specific actions assigned to it. I found this significantly increased my students' engagement in the music, as well as their ability to recall the song. The two songs I have used this with are "Children of the Light" (to hear the song please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0Mp3jqBqlQ), and "Candle, Candle, Burning Bright" (for lyrics please visit http://mega_grafx.tripod.com/adventsong.htm).
The second activity is called the BrainDance. I was first introduced to the BrainDance in a movement class I took in my first year of university. Created by Anne Green Gilbert the BrainDance is a series of 8 patterns of movement thought to help develop the pathways of the brain. Gilbert modeled her movement patterns after the natural development of an infant. These patterns are as follows:
1. Vestibular: this is any movement that makes on dizzy- from singing to simply shaking one's head.
2. Breath
3. Tactile: this involves touching as much of your own body as possible in different ways (such as patting, brushing, tickling).
4. Core-Distal: this pattern requires that you become as small as possible followed by becoming as large as possible.
5. Head-Tail: this pattern helps create an awareness of the connection the exists between the head and the tail bone.
6. Upper-Lower: this patter requires isolating the upper and lower halfs of the body.
7. Body Side: this pattern requires isolating the left from the right side of the body.
8. Cross Lateral: this pattern requires using the upper right side along with the lower left side and vise versa.
http://creativedance.org/about/braindance/
In my Kindergarten class I found one resource to be espically helpful for developing my BrainDance routine: Intelledance's YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Intellidancing?feature=watch
I used their rendition of:
"Bubble Gum Bubble Gum" for Breath
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhCIiLTIfE0&list=UUPX367nla5c5lWqxg-BZRyg
"Hickory Dickory Dock" for Tactile
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeF1f4j4omg&list=UUPX367nla5c5lWqxg-BZRyg
"Happy Kitty Cat" for Head-Tail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaKT5AGBhFc&list=UUPX367nla5c5lWqxg-BZRyg
"Open Them, Shut Them" for Upper-Lower
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCzrnMFiZOM&feature=c4-overview&list=UUPX367nla5c5lWqxg-BZRyg
"Humpty Dumpty" for Body Side
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u5CpuL6GzQ&list=PLB9v4okCX609JzCAshqwXtsL8nUamYice
and "Shoe a Little Horsey" for Cross Lateral
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U5HHd1rsRI
The first is the use of sign language in lieu of actions when a song does not have specific actions assigned to it. I found this significantly increased my students' engagement in the music, as well as their ability to recall the song. The two songs I have used this with are "Children of the Light" (to hear the song please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0Mp3jqBqlQ), and "Candle, Candle, Burning Bright" (for lyrics please visit http://mega_grafx.tripod.com/adventsong.htm).
The second activity is called the BrainDance. I was first introduced to the BrainDance in a movement class I took in my first year of university. Created by Anne Green Gilbert the BrainDance is a series of 8 patterns of movement thought to help develop the pathways of the brain. Gilbert modeled her movement patterns after the natural development of an infant. These patterns are as follows:
1. Vestibular: this is any movement that makes on dizzy- from singing to simply shaking one's head.
2. Breath
3. Tactile: this involves touching as much of your own body as possible in different ways (such as patting, brushing, tickling).
4. Core-Distal: this pattern requires that you become as small as possible followed by becoming as large as possible.
5. Head-Tail: this pattern helps create an awareness of the connection the exists between the head and the tail bone.
6. Upper-Lower: this patter requires isolating the upper and lower halfs of the body.
7. Body Side: this pattern requires isolating the left from the right side of the body.
8. Cross Lateral: this pattern requires using the upper right side along with the lower left side and vise versa.
http://creativedance.org/about/braindance/
In my Kindergarten class I found one resource to be espically helpful for developing my BrainDance routine: Intelledance's YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Intellidancing?feature=watch
I used their rendition of:
"Bubble Gum Bubble Gum" for Breath
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhCIiLTIfE0&list=UUPX367nla5c5lWqxg-BZRyg
"Hickory Dickory Dock" for Tactile
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeF1f4j4omg&list=UUPX367nla5c5lWqxg-BZRyg
"Happy Kitty Cat" for Head-Tail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaKT5AGBhFc&list=UUPX367nla5c5lWqxg-BZRyg
"Open Them, Shut Them" for Upper-Lower
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCzrnMFiZOM&feature=c4-overview&list=UUPX367nla5c5lWqxg-BZRyg
"Humpty Dumpty" for Body Side
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u5CpuL6GzQ&list=PLB9v4okCX609JzCAshqwXtsL8nUamYice
and "Shoe a Little Horsey" for Cross Lateral
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U5HHd1rsRI