jingle bells

Natale loves music. She regularly makes up songs almost absentmindedly as she is working or playing. She quickly memorizes words to song that she find attractive and desperately wants to play instruments. For her birthday I gave her a little melody harp with music that slips under the strings and maps out which string to pluck to make a song. While shopping for toys for Mexico this spring I ran across a set of colored hand bells. When Natale discovered that some pairs of bells sound better together than others we used that to write a color-coded hand bell concert. 

As fall was approaching I encouraged Natale's mom to check out a church in the area that has an fine arts school that offers all manner of interesting classes.  Natale went to her first intro to music class two weeks ago. They learned tThree Blind Mice on a Glochenspeil (xylophone set up like a piano keyboard). Natale has been playing the song on the keyboard in our worship room all week. 

Last night I got to go to the class with Natale. There are currently 5 other five to eight year olds in the class. The instructor is a retired music teacher and did a lovely job. She had a little song called Peanut Butter Pie that she taught the class. Each time the song mentioned Peanut Butter Pie they would tap out a specific rhythm she had taught them. First with their hands on their legs. Then with their feet standing in place. Then with their feet moving about the room. Then with the instruments. Each time the group mastered the task she would switch it up a bit to keep them thinking. 

Because I was able to watch the class from the back of the room I will be able to reinforce the concepts that were taught in the class and maybe eventually extend into some beginning piano lessons.