DIY Major Scale

DIY Major Scale

In today's Do-It-Yourself projects, we'll show you how to make your own major scale in a key other than C.  With 12 different keys on the piano, you have many ways to personalize your scale. 

Creating scales on every key is a skill we teach in the BRIDGE curriculum for Let's Play Music graduates, but you can have fun at home with this right now.

Gather Supplies

You won't need a hot glue gun or chop saw for this part, but there are a few mental tools you might need.

TOOL #1: EARS.  
You've been singing the major scale in Let's Play Music songs like The Red Balloon, so your ear is well trained to hear what a major scale sounds like going up and down.  

Even if we didn't give you any more theory lessons, you could go figure out the major scale just using your ear. You might be thinking, "I can't play the E-flat scale. Nobody has told me which notes to use. That sounds very advanced."  Guess what!?- You already know enough to figure this out. Trust me!

Are you that excited? Go to the piano. Cover your child's eyes and have him blindly pick any ONE key.  Open eyes.  Play that note and sing "up up up up..." in a major scale as your fingers go up the keyboard. 

Any time it sounds wrong or off, try skipping to another key.  You will need some white ones and some black ones.  You won't play every key.  You will be able to figure out what sounds like a major scale! You will be able to figure out which black keys you need. AMAZING!  (keep reading if you don't want to feel like you're guessing.)

TOOL #2: SOLFEGE.  
You've mastered the solfege names and hand-signs for each tone of the major scale. You are going to love applying them to your major scale.  

You may have already read the earlier articles all about solfege, in which we explained the MOVEABLE DO system. The scale starts on 'DO', but Do can be any key on the piano, white or black!  

When Do is C, we say "we are playing in the key of C."  When Do is F, we say "we are playing in the key of F." You get the idea.  ANY NOTE!

Your scale is a major scale when you sing Do Re Mi while playing the notes up.  And THEN you'll be able to play/ transpose any song into your scale by singing the solfege.

Think about it: Three Blind Mice is mi-re-do. mi-re-do. sol-fa-fa-mi. sol-fa-fa-mi.

Once you have your major scale you can play mi-re-do and sol-fa-fa-mi....and it will be the melody for Three Blind Mice, just a little higher or lower. 

Yes, transposing (playing in a new key) is that easy to wrap your brain around. Now you're motivated, so let me help you easily create that major scale.

TOOL #3: SEMITONES.  
The major scale is really a system of relationships between pitches.  Each pitch is identified by the wavelength that generates the sound.

In the pentatonic scale article, I explain how cultures around the world build scales based on relationships between pitches of different wavelengths.  

In our Western music, we like to divide the range of wavelength into 12 equal divisions (semitones). That's why our pianos have 12 different notes. Playing a piano key and then the very next piano key is a semitone, the smallest unit you can change pitch in piano playing.  Semitones are also called half steps in music theory circles.

Moving by an increment that is 2 semitones large is called a tone or whole step. 

The following pattern of relationships that we have come to prefer and love is our major scale.  

Whole-Whole-Half. Whole-Whole-Whole-Half.

The pattern is very pretty to look at when Do is C because we can play all the white keys. The piano was built to make it natural to play a major scale in the key of C.

Looking for a mnemonic to help you remember this pattern?  When it's super hot/sunnyt outside, you should wear white (not dark) clothes to help you feel cool, right?  

Imagine the silly man who insists on wearing dark clothes on hot days. You ask: 

Why Won't He Wear White When Hot!?

Let's build a scale again!  Go pick ANY key at the piano.  Take steps using the pattern that defines a major scale: WWH, WWWH.  As you go, your ear will let you know if things are going well or if you slip up!

My daughter chose to start on D as Do.  We followed the pattern and learned that in the key of D, you'll need to use F sharp and C sharp!  



Let's Play Music Bridge

Check out how we teach the pattern of whole steps and half steps in the LPM Bridge program with songs and games. You'll love this!




Montessori Method

Italian educator, Maria Montessori, understood the simplicity of solfege, major scales, and key changes.  She also understood the natural and easy way children can learn to hear and internalize aural skills.

In a well-equipped Montessori classroom, you might find beautiful tone bars like these.  Unlike the piano, black and white bells are all the same size, making key changes easier than pie.

The paper strip has green gaps painted on it, to indicate the step pattern for a major scale.  A child as young as 4 can spend hours creating new major scales. She slides the strip left and right to ANY note and looks to see which bells are steps 1-8 (or Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do). She pulls those bells slightly forward and plays the major scale.  A scale in the key of C is shown above.

Then she finds letter discs and labels the notes of the scale.  Finally, she can choose a song card from the collection and play her favorite songs based on steps (1-8) or solfege. No matter what key she is in, she will be able to play her favorite songs.


The final beauty of this practice is that it is self-directed. A student can change key, label the scale, play a song, and repeat endlessly and correctly with very little adult interruption needed.

Change Keys

Now you know how to create a major scale anywhere...so you can transpose songs into other keys.  

Ready for some more fun? 

A RED CHORD (I)  always has notes  Do-Mi-Sol.  
A BLUE CHORD (IV) always has notes Do-Fa-La, 
YELLOW CHORD (V) always has notes Ti-Re-Sol. 

Now you can make chords using your new scale (in your new key).  I challenge you to play all of your favorite Let's Play Music songs in the key of D, or A, or F#.  Do you like the way these tunes sound in different keys!?  

My daughter decided to replay all of the Green and Yellow book songs in the key of D, just because it's fun to transpose. 

Practicing making chords in new keys is a little tricky because you have to remind yourself which notes are part of your scale and which are not.  The good news is, your HAND ALREADY KNOWS how to make the primary chords. You only have to adjust a little bit to incorporate the "magic" black keys. 

The more you play this game, the more comfortable you become with automatically finding chords and melodies in new keys.

-Gina Weibel, M.S.

Let's Play Music teacher

 

Piano Technique for Tiny Fingers

Let's Play Music is intentionally different from traditional piano lessons. It's so different that we don't even label it as a piano program but a three-year complete musicianship program.  

That might leave pianist parents wondering: 
Will my child learn proper piano technique in Let's Play Music!?

A Piano Dilemma

First, a quick reminder that Let's Play Music was created in large part to solve a specific dilemma.  We know piano has a star role in early musicianship education (post), but children don't have full development and control of motor function in their hands until about age 8.  Should we avoid teaching piano to children until they are 8?

But, children are most sensitive to hearing pitches and laying neural foundation for ear training when they are babies. The sensitivity decreases as children age and settle into language and environment. We need to start teaching music as early as possible, and using the right tools. That means playing instruments, and piano is the place to begin.

If we put our 4 and 5 year olds on pianos so they can learn what the brains and ears are ready to learn, the fingers will be frustrated.  Let's Play music solves the finger-strength-dilemma in two ways.  

First: we spend a year playing the auto-harp and bells. Students have a whole year to let the brain and ears lay a foundation of how music works, how notes work, how chords work, how rhythm works.


Second: when we teach piano technique during years 2-3, we go very light on technique drills.  We DO teach technique exercises including relaxation, posture, and several 5-finger drills (technique post) but we can't shake a stick at how a private teacher will train an older student. 

So, should we avoid teaching piano to children younger than 8? No! We should simply avoid expecting perfect technique from children younger than 8, and instead put our focus on every other aspect of musicianship. (Musicianship)

Right now you might be a little sad that there's not much focus on technique. Trust me, the grass is greener on this side. After graduation, most students are less-than-excited that private lessons focus on technique at the expense of time spent on the rest of musicianship skills.

Did you know? Presto!, a new course from Making Musicians, teaches students ages 7-11 the same skills as taught in Let's Play Music. The program is heavy on technique training... because the students are ready for it!

Why Chords?

Little fingers are not super strong. So, does it seem surprising that we ask students to play intervals and chords right away?  That's even tougher than playing single-note melodies. What gives?

From a musical perspective, chords are the right place to start.  Most music that the children know can be harmonized with the I, IV, and V chords. It makes perfect sense that the most effective way to hand them the awesome power of creation and the joy of real music is to show them how to take these chords and make them work!  

By playing chord harmonizations on the piano and singing along, students experience success and joyful performance from day one.  In class, your teacher will sing songs (Old MacDonald, etc.) and have the students decide which chords to play.  That's power! That's creation! That's what we teach.

So, the tradeoff: Some tiny hands might not be able to manage playing these chords this year.  We allow students to play just the root and 5th, or just the root, or other modifications if they have particularly small or weak hands. Nobody is held back for not being able to execute "perfectly" on songs.

Her brain learned it. Her ear learned it. She felt inspired. She felt joy.  She has the rest of her life for her hand to catch up. We're not overly worried.

The Graduate and the Novice

When a private teacher receives an 8-year-old LPM graduate, the teacher should expect the graduate to be advanced in theory, composition, ear-training, reading notation, transcribing, and improvisation. Plus, she knows how to practice at home for 30 minutes each day. Let's Play Music has really paid off!

BUT, the graduate is probably equally novice in technique as his peer 8-year-old friend who is beginning piano with no musical background.  This presents some interesting challenges to the teacher, which is why we have our connections program, offering free materials to teachers to help them work with our graduates.  If you give both students exactly the same assignments for the first year, one of them will be unhappy.

At age 8, students are very flexible in their ways. They are only just coming into full dexterity and muscle control.  What I'm saying is, if your LPM student has been playing with slightly less-than-perfect technique, there is absolutely nothing permanent or incorrigible about that student. She can still be a competitive pianist when she's 9.  

Actually, the fact that the 8-year-old has been trying to use and control those muscles has strengthened them even as they were still developing.  If your child could not take ice skating lessons until age 5, you wouldn't prevent her from walking and running at age 4.  If you want your child to play with perfect form at age 9, be easy on her as she wends her way through LPM.

A good private teacher will be so delighted to have a gifted musician that she won't balk at needing to train the fingers and arms to catch up to the amazing mind and ears.

Igniting the Passion

Back when my daughter was 3, we joined a class called Storybook Ballet.   As we walked down the hall of the studio, I saw older ballet classes doing what I would expect in ballet class: proper technique with everyone lined up seriously. 

But Storybook class was nothing like that.

All of the 3-year-olds enjoyed warm-ups in a circle, then copied the teacher, prancing around the room with pre-ballet moves. They listened to a short storybook; one time it was Little Red Riding Hood. Finally, each day had the best possible ending: dressing up in a new costume and performing some loosely-choreographed moves to act out the story for parents.  

Storybook Ballet was a huge hit with our family. Obviously, it was age-appropriate. My 3-year-old couldn't tolerate long drills or high expectations. The class did introduce some ballet steps and terms, but mostly it captured the fun and exciting elements of ballet: dressing up, telling stories, creating moves, and performing!  

The role of storybook class wasn't to drill in technique, the purpose was to ignite the passion for dance.  It worked! Dance teachers could have spent time focusing more on getting those babies to do it 'right'.  But why? But instead they chose to share the joys of performance in every class.

Let's Play Music reminds me of that ballet class sometimes.  We show our students how to create music right away with chords. We don't tell them that they need perfect technique and a degree in theory before they start composing. We want them inventing. They're not just executors of music, but creators of it. We let them be silly. It should feel like play.

There will be time later for perfecting technique, but the best time for fanning the flames of passion is now.  Students who have an amazing experience in Let's Play Music build up passion and excitement that carries them through the next several years of (potentially boring) technique perfection.

So go out there and have fun! Good enough technique is good enough for now.

-Gina Weibel, M.S.
Let's Play Music teacher

(Originally posted at: http://makingmusicianslpm.blogspot.com/2017/09/technique.html)

Stephanie Hardin Let's Play Music Teacher

Practice Habits: Parents Need Them, Too

Practice Habits: Parents Need Them Too

Welcome to Green semester of Let's Play Music!  Your child is excited to start using the piano and class time is super fun. 

In the first two weeks, your kid is a superstar.... and THEN....  

You might be tempted to let your child slip into lazy practice habits. It goes like this:

"My son is doing fine. He can DO everything the teacher wants him to play, so I think it's fine that he actually only practices once each week. We just get all of the practicing done in one sitting, because it's so easy for him."

"My daughter doesn't spend time at the piano every day, but I saw her in class on lesson 5 and I think she's the best one in class. For her, practicing as-needed is good enough. She feels confident."

The first parent mentioned that her son had met all of the teacher's expectations.  Yes, he can hold his bubble hand.  Yes, he's quick with keyboard geography and his kit-kat keyboard.  Is that the end of the assignment? No!

The Goal of Daily Practice is Daily Practice

In the first several weeks of Green semester, one of our biggest goals is also to establish a daily practice habit.  

As we get into more complicated Green lessons and some challenging Yellow lessons, the students who started out with once-weekly practice really struggle!

My son used to be doing fine in class, but now he's frustrated. He's upset if he can't play everything perfectly on the first day. Get in the habit of practicing daily, so he learns to reach goals over time, not all at once. Once weekly habits set unreal expectations for instant perfection. Establish the daily habit BEFORE the challenging material comes.

My daughter is suddenly frustrated with playing songs that use all 3 chords. She used to be confident in class. Students who get used to 'cramming' for lessons will be frustrated in a few weeks. Playing piano requires building up muscle memory, which requires repeated specific motions. Ear training also takes repeated exposure. You can't CRAM to become a musician! Changing quickly between chords can't be crammed.

Parents: We Need Habits, Too

Establishing a practice habit can be a tricky thing, but this year is the best time to build a solid foundation for both of you.

Obviously the students are working toward building a habit of practice, but I find that, as a parent, I needed to build a habit of supporting practice.  How can we remind ourselves to do our daily supporting role in these early weeks?

Here are four basic strategies, suggested by Gretchen Rubin in her book, Better Than Before, that help solidify a new habit: First Steps, Monitoring, Scheduling, and Accountability.



First Steps/ Getting Started

The strategy of taking the first step essentially means eliminating excuses that hold us back from getting the thing started.

Some personalities enjoy when first steps are big and dramatic: I'm going to go on Biggest Loser and lose 300 pounds! Because it's dramatic, it's fun and exciting to throw yourself into big projects, but ...

Piano will fit easier into real life if we start small, and LPM is designed to help you start small: I'm going to help my child get to the piano every day this week. I know we only need 5 minutes... I can find 5 minutes to spend with him. That's do-able.

Here are few more ways that just getting started can save your habit:

My child doesn't practice because he likes to cram. The goal of daily practice IS daily practice. Help him make a plan to get to the piano bench every day. Once he's on the bench, chances are he will enjoy playing through his pieces. Ever find that it's hard to get your shoes on and get out the door, but once you're jogging, you realize you're having fun?   

My child is so far behind, he doesn't want to practice. Bite of small chunks to make practice happen.  Suggest practicing just part of the list, or just one tricky song or one tricky bit of one song, instead of the whole list. Keep practice to the recommended short time- don't let it become unbearably long. Give lots of positive praise: You said you would practice with a smile for 10 minutes and you did! You stayed really focused the whole time and now you're a little better than you were at the beginning! Great job today. 

Monitoring

The strategy of monitoring/ tracking doesn't require change, but it often leads to change.  Self-measurement brings self-awareness, and self-awareness strengthens self-control!

In order for this strategy to help, REFRAIN from waiting until class day to mark the practice log. We tend to give ourselves more credit for good behavior than we deserve. I'm pretty sure you practiced this five times, I'll just sign your book. 

Not surprisingly, monitoring alone can really help in other arenas...like dieting. Without committing to a specific change, you'll probably make better choices just by knowing you have to consciously acknowledge and track what you eat! If you want to give it a try, check out My Fitness Pal.

If monitoring suits your personality, make a chart for home and mark off days when practicing (and other chores) are done. 

You thought I was talking about a chore chart for my kids, didn't you? I wasn't! I make a chart for myself and give myself credit for cheerfully reminding/ supporting/ encouraging the kids to do their practice and chores! 

Calendars can be especially fun because you'll create a STREAK for yourself. I've been a cheerful piano supporter for 22 days straight...I can't break my streak now! 

In my classroom, students create a streak for themselves by feeding their practice snakes. Each week, if they practiced and did homework, the snake grows by one body part. Everyone is excited to see their snake grow all the way across the wall and down to the floor.  You could create a practice snake at home and let him grow every day if you like.


Scheduling

Scheduling is a tried-and-true strategy.  You'll get important tasks done because you scheduled time for them.  Scheduling works well for your child, too, so they have predictability and routine in these early weeks when practicing is a new skill.

If you haven't already, have a conversation with your child to create a PLAY PLAN to decide when practicing will happen. Don't forget to plan a back-up time, because we all know that conflicts happen. Practicing might also fit into your family's definition of order. We don't eat dessert until after we have dinner, and we don't do playdates until after homework and practice is done.  It might look like this:

Accountability

For many of us, we are more likely to follow through when we know someone else is aware of our efforts, cheering us on, and keeping tabs on us.

Love it or hate it, your Let's Play Music teacher is aware of how much practicing your child is getting done.  If you've been wanting to develop a good practice habit, joining class is a wonderful gift.  You've got a loving, knowledgeable coach on your team. She's checking in on you weekly and willing to help. 

If accountability helps you achieve your goals, tell yourself, I'm going to make a goal to support my son in practicing every day, because I know Ms. Teacher is going to be checking up on me!

Who Practices, Anyway?

Yes, this post is focused on helping YOU, parent, develop a new habit (supporter, reminder, cheerleader) in preparation for helping your child develop his own new habit.

Are the assignments at the beginning of Green semester super easy? Yes! That is intentional to help both you and your child get over the barriers to getting started.

Over the course of the year, your child can take more responsibility for completing and tracking his own practice, but it happens gradually and he'll need you there supporting, reminding, and cheerleading whenever he struggles with his routine.  When he does eventually take over, it will be a sweet reward.

- Gina Weibel, M.S.
Let's Play Music Teacher

Originally posted at MakingMusicians.blogspot.com.

Is Your Piano Ready?

How to Care for Your Piano

Every Let's Play Music family needs a piano or digital piano for years 2 and 3 of the Let's Play Music curriculum.  Get tips on what to buy with our buying guide.  Now that you've got that taken care of, you might be wondering how to take care of your lovely instrument.

Moving the Piano

Perhaps your piano is already nestled in its permanent home, but if you've just purchased it or are moving house in the future, please consider having professional movers deliver it.  The correct equipment for moving pianos includes using ramps, piano-moving boards, piano dollies, piano-lifting straps and protective padding.  Professional movers can get your piano in place without damage (and minimal knocking out of tune.)

Chances are, your upright piano is up against a wall, as is mine, because the back of the piano is not all that attractive.  Experiment with pulling it a few more inches away from the wall, since most of the sound comes from the back, and this will allow some space for some nice resonance to help you get that sound projecting into the room.  You might also consider using the piano as a divider between two rooms or spaces: cover the back of the piano with fabric for an attractive appearance, and be rewarded with the acoustics.

Don't they make it look easy?

Key Cleaning

Sticky peanut-butter fingers are not the only things that take the shine away from your piano keys.  Just the oils and daily dirt on fingers can do the trick.  It's a fine idea to institute a "washed hands" policy to reduce the frequency for key cleaning.  Another fine habit is to close the cover when not in use to prevent dust on the keys.

Avoid using anything abrasive (chemicals, cleaners, or even paper towels.)  Use a flannel or microfiber cloth with some warm water, and wipe each key towards you (not side-to-side) making sure you get the sides of the black keys as well as the tops. Only clean one octave and then quickly wipe it dry before moving to the next octave. A gentle soap is okay if your keys are plastic.

If you are wanting to disinfect your keys during flu season, use a solution of 3:1 water:vinegar and wipe down as above.

Cabinet Cleaning

Modern pianos are finished with a variety of laquers and resins, designed for beauty without the addition of any wax or polishes.  Dust your piano with a feather duster or a specific piano-dusting mitt, or wipe away smudges using a slightly damp flannel using long straight strokes.

Since pianos are 85% wood that expands and contracts with humidity, you can protect your piano's finish, case, and pitch by avoiding swings in temperature and humidity whenever possible (the garage is not a good permanent home).  There are even piano-humidity devices available, and your kids will laugh every time you remind them to "go water the piano, please."

Your piano's beautiful finish hates direct sunlight, and live houseplants should never go on a piano.  Actually, you shouldn't set items on your piano unless there is a soft cloth protecting it, or scratches are likely to ensue.

Tuning the Piano

With the ear-training you and your child receive in Let's Play Music class, we hope you notice if your piano is going out of tune.  Even if no one uses the piano, it goes out of tune over time simply because the strings are under high tension and they slowly stretch.

Here's an interesting thought: if all of the strings stretch slightly, your chords and intervals may still sound correct even though the pitch is slipping!  Don't wait until you notice that your chords and intervals are sounding poor to get a tune.

Professional tuners will tell you that 6 months is the longest you should go between tunings.  Waiting longer, and letting all the pitches drop dramatically, poses a real challenge for getting a piano back into tune: when each string is tightened dramatically it interacts with the neighboring strings, knocking them out of pitch.  In that case your tuner will conduct a pitch-raise (dramatically increasing tension on all of the strings) before tuning, and you'll get an extra charge for it.  It's much easier (and maybe cheaper) to get a piano in tune if it is always kept tuned-up.

My favorite times to tune the piano are in September and March, simply because I want the kids feeling confident as they start up a new year in Let's Play Music, and again as they are preparing to perform their compositions in the big spring recital.

You do not need to re-tune your piano if you move it from one room to another in your home, but if it spends a significant time outdoors during them move, perhaps in a moving van, the fluctuation in humidity could knock it out of tune.  If it is only outside for a short while, you may be fine.

Brand new pianos, straight from the manufacturer, have strings under tension for their first time, and they will stretch a lot in the first year.  During that year, 4 tunings are recommended.

One more caution: before buying a used (or dangerously free) piano, be aware that if a piano has been flat for too long, it may be impossible for the strings to handle the string tension to get them back up to Standard Pitch (A440).  Buy a certified used piano, or hire a tuner to check it out for you before you buy.

Good luck and enjoy your piano!  It could bring you (and future generations) much pleasure for up to 100 years!

-Gina Weibel, M.S.
Let's Play Music Teacher

Originally Posted on Making Musicians

2017 Composition Contest Winners

I was so excited to learn that one of my students won Most Original in the Let's Play Music Composition Contest this year. Kassie Coombs wrote a song about a cowboy in a rodeo. In the middle of the song he falls off of his horse but then gets back on and finishes. Between the recital and her performance at the LPM Symposium Kassie fell off of her horse! She got some scrapes and bruises but she got back on and continues to ride. She is also continuing her piano career and doing GREAT! Congratulations Kassie!

You can read about all of the winners and hear Kassie's song, Rodeo Heart, here.

Nursery Rhymes Teach Speech and Vocabulary

You've noticed that in Sound Beginnings we do many things beyond singing. 

One thing we include in every class is a chance to practice our nursery rhymes.  But why?

Nursery rhymes are POWER-PACKED with educational awesomeness.  In this three-part blog series, I'll walk you through the skills and tell you how you can have more fun at home!

Speech

When children hear nursery rhymes, they practice pitch, volume, voice inflection, and the rhythm of speaking.  

If you consider your own speaking voice, it sounds different when you ask a question or make a statement. You have a different rhythm and inflection when you tell a story than when you place a sub sandwich order. Your child needs to learn how to use all of these to sound like a native speaker. 

Young speakers also must work the muscles of their mouth, lips, and tongue to create all the new sounds and articulate tricky words.

Nursery rhymes give an opportunity to practice these skills in a silly, fun, playful way...which is to say, in the native language of children!

Speech Practice at Home

Does your child have a little trouble articulating some sounds? It's a learning process for all toddlers!

Step one: Pay attention to your child- which letters seem most tricky? Plan to do a little practice for those.
Step two: Be very aware of how YOUR mouth and tongue move to create the sounds.
Step three: SHOW your mouth/face/lips to your child as you speak. Point out what is going on. Ask her to copy you.
Step four: Learn some nursery rhymes together and practice saying all these wonderful words together!

Here's a video for teaching 'G' and 'K', from a speech pathologist and here is apodcast for teaching /r/.

Here's a video for practicing T, D, N and L:
 

HERE is another video for practicing letters 'F' and 'V'. 
And HERE is a video for practicing 'P' 'B' and 'M'.

Vocabulary

Nursery rhymes introduce interesting vocabulary to help expand a youngster's repertoire: Jack and Jill went up a hill to fetch a pail of water.  Mary, Mary, quite contrary. Jack be nimble, Jack be quick.

Research has show that in 1945, the average elementary school student had a vocabulary of 10,000 words. Today, children have a vocabulary of only 2,500 words.  Parents are not reading to their children as often, and vocabulary is suffering. The decrease also stems from children not memorizing rhymes, the bread-and-butter of traditional early children's literature.

Memorize nursery rhymes with your child!

Capitalize on the opportunity to have a "word of the week" and use the new words from Sound Beginnings class all week long: "Can you please fetch your sock and shoes? If your sister is feeling contrary, maybe some tickles will cheer her up. Hop nimbly up into your car seat! Be quick!"

Traditional rhymes are repetitious and allow children to memorize basic structures and patterns in the English language, then they'll want to try it out on their own with longer, more complex sentences.  

I remember the red-letter day when my then 2 year-old son said, "I saw the cat go down the stairs into the basement." It was his longest sentence ever! We were delighted.  

Be on the lookout for your child's construction of similar wonders, and repeat them back. "You saw the cat go down the stairs into the basement? How exciting!"

 It's important that young children learn to memorize through verse!

Fun at Home: Role Play

Get more practice with emphasis, accent, inflection, and vocabulary through role-play games at home.  It's time to bring out your inner thespian! 

Role-play can also help children prepare for and process situations they encounter in daily life. And, of course, your children LOVE when you are silly and vulnerable enough to play this way with them.  Here are a couple of ideas to get you started, and be sure to take turns in different roles.

RESTAURANT: Kids love to pretend they own a restaurant. Act out what you'll say when you go to a restaurant! Here's one family's version of this type of experience (you get the idea):
 


DENTIST or DOCTOR: When you're the patient, it's hilarious to invent crazy symptoms. "I have purple spots in my armpits. What could be causing that?" Kids will practice speaking in a confident, authoritative way as they answer you.

BUS DRIVER: Set up chairs to set the 'bus' stage, then tell the young driver where you'd like to go. Talk about what you see out the windows. "Driver! Can you please pull over? I see some chickens selling eggs and I'd like to get out and buy some!"

NURSERY RHYMES: Create a storied experience from your favorite rhymes. Have Humpty Dumpty fall onto the sofa, Jack and Jill climb up the stairs, and Teddy Bear run 'round and 'round the kitchen table.  "Hello Mister Dumpty, are you sure you should be sitting up there on the sofa back? I am afraid you are very fragile."  "Jack, will you please bring that pail and climb this hill with me? I need to fetch some water. It's a very big hill."


Want to see the rest of the seven amazing ways nursery rhymes are teaching your child to be fantastic?

We've got a bonus prize for you 

if you make it all the way through part 3!

Keep reading for PART 2, How rhymes teach Reading and Math! 

or jump ahead to PART 3: How rhymes help with coordination, social skills, and MUSIC!

-Gina Weibel, M.S.
Let's Play Music Teacher

This post originally appeared on makingmusicianslpm.blogspot.com.