Week 2: July 18~22, 2022
The Jungle Adventure ~ Piano Explorers Camp
Jungle Adventure Updates
day 1
We then went through some rhythm, song and movement training with our beginner musicians. In our piano studio, we are actually learning 2 instruments at the same time. We are developing our primary instrument, which is ourselves, and our secondary instrument, the piano. Many of our activities are geared towards helping them develop preparatory audiation and getting to know the piano. Learn more about preparatory audiation HERE.
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Next, during training at the keyboard, we learned the basic geography of the piano and focused on groups of black keys as well as how to get ready at the piano. Right now, at their age and height, they can stand to play at the piano because we are moving everywhere on the piano. Then we listened, moved, and practised our first piece "Into the Jungle" away from the piano before bringing it to the keys. If the piece is a bit too hard right now, we explored sounds we can create on the piano. As we took turns practising on the piano, we also added drawings to our piece in our book.
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In our studio, we learn music and pieces not only sitting at the piano. The repetition of a piece through listening, movement, drawing, keyboard maps, hearing teacher/peers play, air playing the arm movements and practising on the piano are all ways that solidify their learning. Different parts of our brains are used in these activities that all contribute to the end result of a piece or music we are learning. It's so exciting! We had so much fun and I can't wait to continue the adventure with you tomorrow.
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day 2
Today, we entered the jungle after completing our training in the Jungle Training Centre yesterday. We reviewed yesterday's songs and pieces, went through more training in song/rhythm/movement and spent some more time training at the piano. Here is a song called "Banana Leaf" in Mixolydian. Moving with flow helps us to feel the space between sounds, phrases and lead to better understanding of rhythm.
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Learning a piece is the end result of a combination of different things. We practised learning how to find the starting position, hands/fingers used and location of the notes or group of notes we're playing. We learned two more duple meter pieces and their rhythm patterns. We helped each other count to start before playing a piece and listened for when to stop when a piece ends. Today we learned duet pieces where we had to play with others and that was not easy! When there is an accompaniment part or an ensemble piece, we had to work really hard to listen to each other and play together. Not only that, we remembered to stay planted on our two feet so they can play steady and move when we need to. Everyone had opportunities to be teacher assistants and see if their classmates are in their "ready position" to play.
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What's beautiful about learning in a group is that students have opportunities to help or teach each other. They become more independent learners. When we teach others what we have learned, we retain our learning better than when we just keep on working on it by ourselves. And it is fascinating how often times, they are more willing to and learn faster from their peers than from the teacher correcting them all the time!
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day 3
Today, we went deeper into the jungle and added more animals songs, rhythm chants and piano pieces into our musical tool bag.
Were you wondering what we were doing when we pretended to be frogs jumping through hoola hoops? Other than burning off some of their energy first before going inside (whew, and mine too!) ....they are learning a lot through their imagination and games. Jumping frog incorporates jumping to feel the upbeat and downbeat in the song I sang. The jumping also forces us to take a deep breath before we jump. And taking a breath is important not only when we sing a song or echo patterns, but this is laying a foundation for playing an instrument. For other instruments such as a flute, you have to take a breath before you blow into the mouth piece. For piano or strings players, it's easy to forget to breathe and we end up not being ready to play (stumble and having to start again), our bodies get tense, or our beats are off and phrases are choppy...just some examples.
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After I started teaching with this approach based on Music Learning Theory, I am noticing the process of learning more than the results. Every child (or adult) has the potential to learn music and we may learn some things faster and other things slower because everyone is different. Comparing the end product only does not give us a full picture. For example, the question is not about, "Can you sing the patterns in pitch?" but "How can we learn to sing the patterns in pitch?" When we are learning, is our goal only about the end product or about learning how to learn? Above is an audio clip of some of the kids singing minor tonal patterns. Listen to the process of learning that is going on. Do you hear how they're slowly singing in pitch as they listen to me sing, sing with others and model or learn from those in the group? Learning music and piano is not only about playing pieces, but so much about 'learning how to learn' through what we're learning.
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When we begin learning, we are exposed to various tonalities and meters of music through songs and rhythm chants. Then we start learning the tonic and dominant patterns in major and minor in neutral syllables through echoing. They're singing these major and minor triads long before they will eventually play it so that when they play it, they already know what it sounds like and are not depending on notated music to tell them what sounds they're supposed to create on the piano. Rhythm is also sequenced similarly always with listening and vocalizing first. The language of music then becomes their own, and music can be produced not only relying on music on a page.
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Mission complete for Day 3!
What a full on musical body and mind workout today for both our morning and afternoon groups. When the kids were leaving the classroom to meet the parents, they all looked puzzled and asked, "Where are we going? Are we done already?" The hour passed by too quickly. We'll have to have longer camps next time! |
Day 4
It's Day 4 and we started preparing for our show tomorrow. The kids all collaborated to create a story that includes the songs, rhythm chants and piano pieces they learned this week.
It has only been a week and they are starting to pick up the tonal and rhythm vocabulary in music. We explored the geography of the piano through the black key groups and started learning some pieces. Learning the piano pieces are more complex as so much more is involved -- they needed to listen to the piece, move to the piece, find the starting locations, hands used, hand shape, the rhythm of the piece as well as remember how to play each piece. It may still e hard using all the information they learned and coordinating their playing with everything but they are off to a great start! So much more I can share but I'll leave you with the program for now. See you tomorrow~
It has only been a week and they are starting to pick up the tonal and rhythm vocabulary in music. We explored the geography of the piano through the black key groups and started learning some pieces. Learning the piano pieces are more complex as so much more is involved -- they needed to listen to the piece, move to the piece, find the starting locations, hands used, hand shape, the rhythm of the piece as well as remember how to play each piece. It may still e hard using all the information they learned and coordinating their playing with everything but they are off to a great start! So much more I can share but I'll leave you with the program for now. See you tomorrow~
day 5
Thank you for coming to see our Jungle Adventure Musical Storytelling Show today!
We started our camp today with rehearsal -- practising our songs, rhythm chants and piano pieces to get ready for the Musical Storytelling Showcase at the end of our week of camp. Even though all the piano explorers have only been here for 5 days, they are picking up the songs (and tonal patterns), rhythm chants (and rhythm patterns) and piano pieces quite fast! Hope you enjoyed the show at the end or got to watch the videos that were recorded by family/friends.
So what you participated in and saw this week is how we learn music. The kids are learning much more in this approach because they are not only learning pieces or technique on the piano, but developing their audiation. If you're aware of the traditional approach of learning piano, this approach of learning it like a language will feel and look very different. It's a whole body, mind, aural and visual approach that engages them from very young but also works well for all ages. I may not be able to share with you every aspect of their learning but hope you got a glimpse of it this week. The one aspect we did not have enough time for this week is improvisation and creativity --- when we have more time, they will then be able to use what they know and create their own music through improvising and composing, all at the level that they are able to, and that's a very exciting part of music/piano learning as well!
Well, I had a lot of fun with all our little campers this week and I will miss you all. Thank you for listening, helpful and kind to each other and having a lot of fun. Here are our final class pictures from the last day. Congratulations for a brilliant start to your musical journey! Thank you to parents and caregivers for your dedication in bringing them and making music with them as well. Have a great summer and look forward to making music with you again soon!
We started our camp today with rehearsal -- practising our songs, rhythm chants and piano pieces to get ready for the Musical Storytelling Showcase at the end of our week of camp. Even though all the piano explorers have only been here for 5 days, they are picking up the songs (and tonal patterns), rhythm chants (and rhythm patterns) and piano pieces quite fast! Hope you enjoyed the show at the end or got to watch the videos that were recorded by family/friends.
So what you participated in and saw this week is how we learn music. The kids are learning much more in this approach because they are not only learning pieces or technique on the piano, but developing their audiation. If you're aware of the traditional approach of learning piano, this approach of learning it like a language will feel and look very different. It's a whole body, mind, aural and visual approach that engages them from very young but also works well for all ages. I may not be able to share with you every aspect of their learning but hope you got a glimpse of it this week. The one aspect we did not have enough time for this week is improvisation and creativity --- when we have more time, they will then be able to use what they know and create their own music through improvising and composing, all at the level that they are able to, and that's a very exciting part of music/piano learning as well!
Well, I had a lot of fun with all our little campers this week and I will miss you all. Thank you for listening, helpful and kind to each other and having a lot of fun. Here are our final class pictures from the last day. Congratulations for a brilliant start to your musical journey! Thank you to parents and caregivers for your dedication in bringing them and making music with them as well. Have a great summer and look forward to making music with you again soon!
Jungle Adventure Camp Information
CLASS INFORMATION
For: Ages 4.5-7 and Ages 8-9 (Beginners with no experience in Piano)
Date: Monday to Friday, July 18~22, 2022
Length of Class: 50 minutes
Location: Studio Classroom
Class Size: Minimum 2 and Maximum 4
Date: Monday to Friday, July 18~22, 2022
Length of Class: 50 minutes
Location: Studio Classroom
Class Size: Minimum 2 and Maximum 4
class description
Children will:
- Experience music through movement
- Acculturate to music in various tonality and meter
- Explore, learn "In the Jungle" pieces and create on the piano
- Listen to and converse musically through tonal and rhythm patterns
- Engage in story, art and games to fuel their musical imagination and learn naturally through play
class times
Select from one of the following class time:
Class names are different but all class content are the same.
If both classes are full, a new class will open up. If you're interested and neither of those times work for you, send us an email at [email protected]. Feel free to invite a friend or two to fill up a class or form a new class too!
- The Chimpanzees 11-11:50am
- The Rhinos 1-1:50pm
Class names are different but all class content are the same.
If both classes are full, a new class will open up. If you're interested and neither of those times work for you, send us an email at [email protected]. Feel free to invite a friend or two to fill up a class or form a new class too!