The Joyful Music Classroom for Early Childhood

In this ongoing, early childhood music class, children will come together twice each week to learn and sing new songs and old familiar songs and move their bodies. Think of this course as a supplemental music class that preschoolers get on a weekly basis in school.  Students will not be sitting at a desk for this class. They'll be on the floor, in a chair, or on their feet. We will sing songs with hand movements, songs with full body movement, and songs that use imaginative play.  There will be songs that get kids up and dancing and moving around the room and quieter songs that bring them back to sitting. To prompt critical thinking, I may ask questions every now and then and give students a chance to share their thoughts. I will also encourage creativity & confidence by allowing each child to participate in their own way, and I allow and encourage social interaction among the students in class. We'll use scarves and shakers that you can find and/or create from around your house. We might even play the "drum" with our hands on the floor as we keep a beat. Everything we will potentially use in music class will be simple, and will be things you already have around the house. 

Each student will need to have a **SCARF. You can look for some kind of scarf, preferably a flowy one, that you might have in your closet. If you don't have one, your child can easily use a bandana or a light pillowcase.
Students will also need a **SHAKER of some kind like a maraca, rattle, or shaker toy. Some of my students have used a small jar of cookie sprinkles or you could even use a tambourine or other shakeable instrument.  If you do not have a shaker toy, you can make one by adding dry rice or beans to a small container (like a small, plastic food storage container) that your child can hold and shake. 
Each class will feature new songs as well as repeats which will increase your child's confidence as they master different songs and movements. Some songs will be done with recorded music and some will be A Capella (just our voices), and I may occasionally use a story or book to enhance our joyful musical experience.