KINDERMUSIK FOR THE YOUNG CHILD, SEMESTER 2

Week 5 (Lesson 20)

Dear Young Child 2 Parent:

The children now have so many music-making skills available to them! We enjoyed echoing melodies on the glockenspiel (using the three notes they have learned), “writing” and singing melodies, and reading rhythms. As well as building your child’s self-esteem, music-making activities “may improve [the child’s] ability to make finer acoustic distinctions and related auditory refinements. These qualities can positively influence a variety of skills, especially listening and reading … [and can have] lifelong implications, including a significant and lasting effect on…perceptual abilities.”*

Other activities today introduced the concept of crescendo (gradually getting louder), graphic notation (abstract visual representation of sounds), and listening to and identifying the sound of an animal. Ask your child what animal sound he heard today! And then check out Margaret Mahy’s children’s book 17 Kings and 42 Elephants for a lively and delightful read!

Today’s Music at Home 20 offers several ways to use the song “Lucy Locket.” Encourage your child to sing and play at home!

Lynda

*Arts with the Brain in Mind, by Eric Jensen, p.32.