Inspired Kids
My eyes are wide open! The excitement students portray in our class is truly inspiring to observe as they advance with one another week after week. Musikgarten’s Music Makers at the Keyboard completely engulfs students in its magic; the dancing, singing, piano playing, note reading, and improvisation are so enjoyed by them. What a great time they are having in the rich aural and kinesthetic environment of this globally respected curriculum!
Each week in December students were absorbed by this dynamic program. They worked to identify and play unpitched percussion instruments and refine specific aspects of their piano performance. We discussed each unpitched percussion instrument used during this level of the course: hand drums, sand blocks, rhythm sticks, and finger cymbals. After being able to aurally identify and name these instruments, we talked about how to properly play them to produce the fullest sound. When incorporating the instruments into our song, “Sally Go ‘Round the Sun,” one student stated, “We should play the hand drum after saying the word ‘moon,’ and the finger cymbals after saying the word ‘sun’!” When I asked why, she explained that the finger cymbals have a brighter sound, connecting it to the sun, and that the hand drum has a darker sound, connecting it to the moon.
Music Makers: At The Keyboard focuses on having students acquire a well-rounded experience regarding music as a whole, and so incorporating unpitched percussion instruments into our course adds interest, variety of sound, and allows students to use their imaginations. Once they had mastered these instruments, the students then focused on reading rhythms that will soon be transferred to more complex symbol decoding. As elemental score study was practiced, students remained engaged, exploring different motions and sounds that they created and matched to written patterns. It is clear that they are acquiring skills very quickly because they are having so much fun together!
The students also refined their performance habits last month. We all took turns walking up to the piano, bowing, sitting down, playing a piece, bowing again, and walking off “stage”. Performance etiquette is something that can begin at any age, and the students had an absolute blast cheering and supporting one another while playing the pieces they have learned in the course. Because Music Makers: At The Keyboard is presented in a group setting and group learning is taking place, students are constantly challenging themselves to create music with beautiful tones together, as well as individually. The students observe peers and push themselves to complete what others show is possible. While students continue this process of observation and imitation, self-correction and betterment, each person’s learning accelerates and proves the value of our time and effort spent. Thank you CYM Parents!