MUSIC WEEK: PK-3

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Jessica's Week

​We’ve participated in kindermusik all year but Taegan doesn’t seem to enjoy it as much as the other children so I’ve been searching for an alternative. I recently stumbled upon a class called “let’s play music” a three year program that teaches preschool age children to read and compose music as well as play piano through a play-based exploration curriculum. It looks Amazing! Unfortunately Taegan is still a year under the minimum age requirements but it got me thinking. Could I introduce music theory to a three year old in a fun way? Well the answer is yes! We had a great homeschool week learning the basic concepts of music. I have an old hand me down keyboard we covered with stickers of the musical scale (A-G). We were able to practice correct hand position while reviewing the alphabet and where the notes are located simultaneously. We also learned about rhythm and how many beats different notes get, there by reviewing basic math. It was unexpectedly awesome how easily these basic core subjects relate to music! 

We also spent a lot of time learning about the orchestra and different instruments. I made Montessori cards to match the toob instruments and we bought our first Usborne book...”The Orchestra” which actually introduces the sound of each instrument, section, and orchestra as a whole. Taegan loves playing conductor more than anything else and she was thrilled when we got to see a conductor in action at Pittsburgh Symphony’s Fiddlesticks. I highly recommend checking out one of these programs because they are highly interactive as well as a great cultural experience. T sang songs with the opera singers, got up close with various instruments and made crafts before the performance started. Then they had costumed characters, children’s books, and cultural dancers to accompany the music. Really proud of Pittsburgh Symphony for thinking outside the box to get kids interested in orchestral music! 

The final highlight of our week was a science tie-in where we explored sound. It was great to branch out from musical performance and do some hands on experiments visualizing the noise. We put cling wrap over some bowls and set rice on top. The rice moved differently when we whispered or talked and T thought it was hilarious to watch it jump/dance when we yelled as loud as possible (because what kid doesnt love to scream lol). We also filled glasses with differing amounts of water, pouring back and forth to create and compare tones made by higher or lower water levels. The only thing I wasn't able to get my hands on that I would like to for this theme next year is Alex Toys bath water flutes. Same concept as the cups but with a really cool instrument.