Village/Do-Si-Do/Week 5

Dear Village Parent:

We have enjoyed chime ball play while listening to “Flowers of Love,” a piece in the style of southeast Asian music—music known for soothing, percussive, and complex sonorities often featuring a variety of gongs. For more information on music in this style, visit www.eyeneer.com/World/Sea.

You have probably noticed that your Home CD features a variety of musical styles—from Appalachian folk songs to African-American folk songs, from piano rag to piano music from the Romantic era, and from Zambian folk songs to South African folk songs. The early years are the optimum time for exposure to a rich variety of musical instruments, timbres, tonalities, tempi, and rhythms. “Music education research indicates that children are more ‘open-eared’ when they are young; their music preferences are broad and amenable to extension. Children this age learn through exploration and are eager to investigate the various ways in which sounds are produced both vocally and with simple instruments. For them, the variations in timbre (or tone quality) and structure among music of different cultures are intriguing.”* To ensure that your child is benefiting from a wide variety of musical styles, enjoy your Home CD during the week. (And don’t forget to weave your clackers into your daily games and routines—clackers go with everything!)

Lynda

*“Bringing the World of Music to Your Child” by Constance L. McKoy, Ph.D., Tune In June 2003.