As well all know, children are like sponges and they love nothing more than to soak up new information and new experiences. At Music with Miri Chugim, we want to take full advantage of this and expose them to different kinds of music, to encourage them to engage with music by making music as well as by listening to music. We encourage them to ask questions about what they are listening to, to think about how they are feeling when they are hearing different kinds of music, and do allow themselves to become immersed in the musical experience.
In every chug you will find a variety of the following:
-Listening activities: We learn about all kinds of music from the Orchestral Classical Tradition, to the Samba drums of Brazil and the Sitar of Indian music, from Jazz to Opera and Musical theatre, we are fostering an ability to listen, to learn and to love all genres of music. We use youtube to see differnet musical styles being performed, but we also lay down with our eyes closed and simply listen to the music so we can pay attention to how it makes us feel. Helping children to both engage in music in their 21st century way as well as challenging them to shut out the world and focus on the music is truly a wonderful experience to be a part of.
-Movement activities: Music is not something that should be experienced whilst sitting still! We use scarves, pom poms, horses (brooms to some) and our beloved parachute to move to the music and respond to it's different musical passages and structures.
-Music making with instruments: We have a wonderful selection of percussion instruments for the children to play and they always find a way of working their way into our weekly adventures! The children learn to identify the instruments visually as well as aurally and they love to play all the different instruments.
-Singing: Finding our voices is such a significant journey for us all, and whilst many children start the year at chug as passive observers to the singing activities we do, it is only a matter of time before they are ready to participate, first in group singing, and then in solo singing. It is the most rewarding thing to see a child discover their voice and there is no greater gift we can give our children.
-Turn taking: A hugely important skill in life, is being able to wait and take turns. Music provides the motivation to help children experience the anticipation of waiting and then the pleasure of having their turn.
Our chugim are always jam packed with a variety of activities, that move at a fast pace to maintain engagement. The curriculum for the year is carefully designed to grow as the children and their abilities change and grow. There is a familiar routine to the sessions so the kids know what to expect and and also lots of variety in the activities so things are always knew and exciting!
