02/13/2017
Kindermusik: Learning through music
Move & Groove: Drums, Drums, Drums
Lesson Focus: Rhythmic Dictation
Do you remember taking spelling tests as a child? Sitting at your desk, listening intently as your teacher said a word, and then trying to visualize what the word looked like while also attempting to write it on your paper or (gasp!) spell it out loud in front of the whole class? Ugh! For English speakers, that silent “e” caught many of us off guard. You probably didn’t realize it at the time but listening, identifying the word, and then writing the word down helped you become a better reader.
Although we don’t give spelling tests (or any tests, for that matter) in Kindermusik, we do give your child’s ears lots of musical practice in listening to rhythms, identifying what they hear, repeating them, and using rhythm cards to “write” the patterns down. We call this process rhythmic dictation. So, while we “ta ta ti-ti ta,” clap, pick out the right rhythm card, or play an instrument along with “Tepok Amai-amai,” your child gains practice in recognizing relationships between sounds and symbols, which supports your child’s budding musicianship and early literacy skills.
Everyday Connection: Are you copying me? Children love to be a copycat. Clap out a rhythm and let your child repeat it. Make each clapping rhythm more difficult than the last. Take turns being the copycat.
For Facebook:
1. Activity: Children love to be a copycat. Clap out a rhythm and let your child repeat it. Make each clapping rhythm more difficult than the last. Take turns being the copycat.
2. Did you know that playing a musical instrument from a young age appears to create new pathways in the brain that process written words and letters and may help children with reading disorders? http://pinterest.com/pin/187321665723086612/
3. Harvard’s percussion ensemble takes “ta-ta ti-ti ta” to a whole other level. http://youtu.be/J_qRyxbcxrM
4. Give your child’s ears a workout with this visualization and literacy activity. Read this poem and ask your child to draw what the green giant looks like. We’d love to see what your child creates! http://pinterest.com/pin/274297433526849026/
5. Did you know that the rhythmic dictation we practice in Kindermusik supports children’s budding musicianship and early literacy skills by helping them understand the relationships between a sound and a symbol?
Playing a musical instrument from a young age appears to create new pathways in the brain that process written words and letters and may help children with read
