We are in the last few weeks of the "Music for Young Children"
composing season. It's such a great season to be in with young children
and seeing them putting their wonderful ideas down on paper. The fact
that they have composed a song and recorded it for all to see is such a
thrill as well as a fabulous learning experience. Sometimes, though,
students have a little trouble getting started.
Emily
came to class quite distressed about her composition. Naturally, I
asked what was wrong. She replied that she had so many ideas she didn't
know where to begin. Oh, I thought, to have such a problem! It took me a
moment to formulate an answer to her dilemma but it turned out the
solution was simple.
I
told her that, first of all, she had to come up with a theme or a
title. I suggested that she write down all her ideas then choose one
that particularly appealed to her. She could keep the list with the rest
of her ideas for another time. Emily still found this task a little
overwhelming so I suggested she and her parents take a look at Finale
Note Pad to keep a record of all the melodies playing in her mind. (Read
more about Finale Note Pad below.)
I
always encourage parents to keep a copy of their child's composition.
Never underestimate the opportunity this provides for the family to look
at it years from now and see just how far the child has come in his or
her musical career.
Have a wonderful and warm February and enjoy the Valentine Resource posted below.
Have a wonderful and warm February and enjoy the Valentine Resource posted below.
Musicallyours,
Mrs. Lois
MYC Certified Teacher
Solo Time Music Games
Solo Time Music Games
info@solotimemusicgames.com
Solo Time Games Flashcard Games is looking for a new home! Are you interested?
| Game of the Month |
| Shoot for the Stars
This
game was designed for those hot-shot students who can quickly figure
out the difference between a chromatic and diatonic semitone but when
you throw in the enharmonic flashcard, they have to think about it a
little more.
Flashcards are in the shape of stars for added fun.  |
| To Market To Market - Finale Note Pad |
For a seven year-old like Emily, writing down all of her ideas
seemed like too big a task. I recommended to her dad that they try Finale Note Pad to help keep a record of her ideas. It's a fun, music notation program that's easy to use.
There
are many great features in this simple program to create melodies on
the grand staff. Once a key and time signature have been chosen it is
easy to write the melody by choosing the correct note values and placing
them on the staff. The program also allows for dynamics to be added and
is especially useful for adding the left hand.
Finale
Note Pad also has playback feature. Often young children (or parents)
can't play the composition to hear how it sounds so using this feature
is a great way to experiment with different notes and timing while
listening to the piece.
The rules for the composition
festival state that the piece must be presented in the child's own
handwriting but composing it on Finale allows the child to hear their
musical ideas, make any changes they would like then transfer it to
paper in an easy-to-read version. Using this program offers another
option to help make the composition festival an enjoyable experience for
children like Emily.
I have an older version of
Finale that was free at the time but now there is a complimentary 30-day
trial version available. The cost for the full version is only $50.00.
When you consider that a child who loves to compose may use the program
for years to come, the investment is minimal.
|
| Resources - Valentine Games |
These are the same games we offered last year and are back by popular demand.
Have fun playing a few rounds of Tic Tac Toe then a black out game.
Use this fun teaching aid to help students learn tempos in this composing season.
Make your own class set for only $1.99
