Children's Music: Rhythmic Foundation, w/ Mr. Gregory

June 9, 2023

Month 1

I am enthusiastic about working with my new friends in Music and Movement & Mindfulness sessions this summer!

This week we focus on some fundamentals of Music:

• Clapping Steady Rhythms

• Rhythmic patterns, clapping, vocalizing, & drumming with djembes

  • 4 beats

  • apple-apple plum plum

  • Plum apple, Plum apple,

    • Plum = 1/4 note

    • Ap-ple = two 1/8 notes

      • Using Popsicle sticks or pencils (or anything!), you can use 1 stick to represent plum (1/4 note) and use 3 sticks to make a pair of 1/8 notes (apple).

        • Compose a rhythmic pattern, see below

        • Limit length to four beats using any combination of plums or apples

• Singing Solfege: Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do (and intoducing ‘curwen hand symbols’)

• I”ll try to update some videos here to help for your musical studies at home!

We also started some fundamentals of Movement & Mindfulness that will prep us for Yoga and Tai Chi - either of which will develop skills to transfer to nearly any athletic or physical activity, wether ballet or karate:

• Coordinating slow movement with breath (raising arms up and down with inhale/exhale)

• Balance poses on one foot (tree pose or flamingo pose)

• Cross body movements

  • Extend right arm, put it behind you and grab your left foot

• Focus: avoid distractions, wether squirrels or our neighbors

• Breath awareness

  • Silent mediation

  • Movement

  • I like to use ommmm, or helloooooo as I find this helps with a breathing cycle and mental focus