Miss Carole: ACTIVE Music!

Music is fun!  Music moves us! 

Music makes us smart!

Hi!  I'm Miss Carole of Macaroni Soup and I've been making music for and with children and those who care for them since 1989.  I teach teachers, parents and librarians through workshops. I make music with kids of all abilities at concerts, classes and Music Intensives.  I produce great cd's of developmentally appropriate music for 1 - 8 year olds.

Mister Rogers wrote that we are all born with pitch and rhythm.  How do some children lose the ability to carry a tune or find & keep a steady beat?  Lack of exposure!

Music and movement must be an integral part of every child's day. 

Teachers don't need formal music training to do it.  Parent's don't need "Idyllic" voices.  What everyone needs is enthusiasm and access to music kids love with topics, rhythms, tempos and simplicity that are right for them and enjoyable for everyone!

I'll be writing about resources, activities, brain research, early literacy skills, and all things related to music and movement with children.  I'll share real-life stories from teaching, parenting and speaking.  Learning should be fun - and adding music to the process guarantees that!  Try this one for starters:

When It's Autumn     (tune:  My Darlin' Clementine)

    Hear this on my website, where it was the Song of the Month Sept '07:

              

LYRICS:           There are yellow leaves, there are orange leaves

                     There are brown and there are red

                     When it's Autumn, when it's Autumn.....

                     They keep falling on my head!

MOVEMENTS:        Lines 1-2:  Sway hands overhead, as if you're a tree in the wind.

                                Line 3:  Bring one hand down to your side, palm up, for each phrase.

                                PAUSE -  make sure you have their attention, eyes sparkling for the fun ahead!

                                Line 4:  Pat hands on head, as if the leaves are falling on it!

ADD A VISUAL: 

I use flannelboards often - and it works particularly well with this song.  Quick and easy: use a 15" X 20" piece of foamcore board.  Cover with flannel - comes in many colors anywhere fabric is sold.  Paint on a bare tree (trunk, limbs) with fabric paint.  Attach to board with packing tape.  Make leaves of the colors in the song.  VOILA!  My Kindergarten class made individual boards using markers - cuties, eh?

While singing this song, you're getting in lots of learning opportunities:  color identification, crossing the mid-line, vocabulary, rhythmic movement, and listening and doing!  Talk about what makes the leaves fall off the trees for a touch of science!

For lots more songs, visit my website: MACARONI SOUP.
I'm thrilled to join these magnificent bloggers - VISIT US OFTEN!

             Yours for a Song!                                  

                       "Miss Carole" (Peterson) Stephens