Moving Child Presentation

The Moving ChildPresented by Nur Ireka and Kenneth Chia

“In the world of children, music and movement are nearly inseparable from one another”

The Early Childhood Teacher’s Role in the Moving Music Class• Using existing spontaneous and natural moments of children,

you have to give them an understanding of:

• Rhythm

• Melody

• Phrasing

• Texture

• Dynamics

• Form

• Tools you can use:

• Movement with Body sounds (i.e. clapping, snapping, stepping, patting)

• Games that have songs associated with them.

• Preparatory movements that can be later used to their music instruments

• Dance and other creative movements

Benefits of Music and Movement for Children

• Children love to move - it releases their energy.

• Music enhances enjoyable motions they already like to do: running, hopping, skipping, jumping, etc.

• Children develop their music abilities using their eyes, ears and body.

• By applying movement and music to their play, we can enhance their playtime and make it productive towards their musicianship.

• Movement helps internalise music concepts.

• Movement helps children release excess energy.

• Movement can be used as a change of pace from previous stationary activity.

• Movement with music can be used as a reward for good behaviour or achievement.

• The various folks dances and songs used can expose the children to new cultures.

Movement and Early Childhood Development

• Age 6 months - infants can sense sound/music and move in a very general manner in response.

• Age 2 years - movements becomes more attuned towards music, although there is a lot of variety. (Swaying back and forth, arm waving conducting the music)

• Age 3-4 years - Listening skills increase, and movements become even more specific towards the music. Kids are able to practice these movements now.

• Age 4-6 years - Coordination is improved, and a real sense of pulse is stabilized.

• Gross motor movements have to be developed first before the fine motor movements necessary for music instruments can be developed.

• In the beginning, children mimic rhythms most accurately while chanting, somewhat accurately while clapping, and least accurately while stepping.

• Developing these movements and physical sense of rhythm is vital to learning to read and perform music.

• In early primary school, percussion instruments are the easiest for young children to handle.

• Unless they have specialised training methods used, children generally cannot handle keyboard, stringed, woodwind or brass instruments as well until age 8 or 9, due to the muscle development.

• If the child is exposed early enough to the specialised training methods, the child will be able to develop the muscles and coordination necessary for earlier proficiency in the more advanced instruments.

Guidelines for Preparation• Make sure you have adequate room for movement.

• If you have restricted room, you can still improvise stationary movement (i.e. sitting while clapping and singing)

• Make sure you set rules and boundaries to keep the classroom behaviour in check.

• Have prepared live or recorded music with sufficient variety.

'ILlE r-1 LIVING Ctllt-l)192

Table 8.2 A Repertoke of irtusical Concepts and N{over-nent Cenres

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lvlusical ConcePtsRhYthm

Pulse (beat)DuratiouAccent

, MeterPatterns

MeiodYPitch: hrghflowContourRePeat/ste P/ski P

TimbreN1usical sound and "not-musical"

soundVoices (tYPe.1

Instruments (tYPe)Aloneln groLtPs

FormRePetitionVanationContrast

TextureOne iineN{ultiPle iines: simultaneousMuitiPle lines: indePendent

ExPressive quaiitiesTemPo: fast/slowTemPo: changingDYnumics: ioud/so[tDYnamics: changing

Movement GenresNonlocomotor (in Place)

StretchBendSwingTrvistBounce

M ov' emertl Our r,' ( c o nt' )ShaliePushPu11

SwaYRise' CollaPse

Locornotor (aiross sPace)WalkRunJumPHopGalloPSkiPSlidol-eaPLungeStrut

Movemcni variationsSPace

ShaPe (round, anguiai' bc*1il'designs)

* Size (large' small)Level (high, middle' low)Place (in PIace' through sPace)

Direction (forward' backrvard'sidewaYs' turning)

- PathwaY (straight' curving)Time

Pulse (beat)Duration (long' short)Accent (force)TemPo (fast, siow)

EnergYAttack (sharP, smooth)Weight (light, heavY)Flow (bound' free)Suength (tight' 1oose)

ftFITTFtFItIT

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.Table 8.3 Exploratorv lVlovement Wirh and Wirhout Music

.IHE T{OVINf] CHiI-L]

Goal E.rpLoratory Task.;

Body awareness Find different ways of moving vour fingers, hands, arms. el-borvs, shoulders. fleet. legs, head, and hips.

Bodytelationship Walk your own path without touching anyone. Walkaround every (chair, block. hoop) placed on the t'ioor.Toucl-i trvo fingers to the two flngers of your neighbors asr ou pass them.

Foliow teacher acruss tire floor in e;ractly 'u\e same way{but afier teacher has completed movement).

Time (speed) Move a body part: fast. thster, slow, slower, graduallyfaster or slower,

Space (direction) Walk forward. backward. sideways, toward the door, ro-rvard the windorvs.

Space (levels) Walk high, low'. medium: alternately high and low.E,nergv (rve ight) Nlake yourself heavv. licht. strong, limp.

Ene rgy (ilow) W aik withour str-rppinu. Stop suridenly, or grariualiy.

Nonlocomotor Drarv (with your hands. elborvs, head, ieet) a straight Iine, amovement curved line. a zigzag. a loop. Shape your body into a box. a -

triangle. a "T.'' a "V." Nlove from one shape to the nextwithin four beats. or seven beats.

*ir:Tr:: walk, ieap, lunge. run, jurnp, hop. gatlop. skip. strut, sride.

movement eKperience-s is the deveiopment of children's musical understa.nd-ing. skills, and values.

Action Songs and Singing GarnesFor young children frorn the toddling srages throu-eh the prirnary grades, ac-tion songs and singing games help develop coordinarion and synchronizedrhythmic movemenl, and the singing voice. Many children's songs that areperformed in schoolyards during recess are oriented toward'actions andgames. The movements of these songs offer a release for pen.r-up ener,ty, andmay sen'e as a memory cue for learning the u,ords of those songs. The songsprovide avenlles for channe ling children's energies toward meaningful nlove-ment.

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Action Songs and Singing

Games• Develops coordination • Develops synchronised

rhythmic movements • Develops singing voice • Actions songs have

rhythmic gestures often working together with the lyrics

Dalcroze Eurhythmics

A comple te sys tem of rhythmic training developed by Swiss musician Emile-Jacques Dalcroze (b. July 6, 1865 – d. July 1, 1950) in the 20th Century.

Dalcroze Eurhytmics• “Movement as the foundation of thorough

musicianship”

• Links the ear, the brain, and the body

• An alternative to dance and gymnastics

• Students develop musical awareness at a physical level

• Becoming a Dalcroze teacher requires rigorous training and certification.

• Keyboard improvisation skills are needed to run the classes.

• Eurhythmics style movements can still be integrated in an early childhood music program using simplified accompaniments or pre-recorded music instead of the keyboard improvisation. While not pure eurythmics, this creative movement still has great benefits.

• The movements correspond to various elements in music, such a pulse, rhythm, phrasing, dynamics.

• Students may be instructed on the movements to respond to the music played

• Students may also be asked to improvise movements of their own.

Dalcroze Example 1Stopping and Starting

Dalcroze Example 2Skipping game

Dalcroze Example 3A typical Dalcroze Eurythmics intro class

Thanks for listening!