SCHOOL PROGRAMS
| Listening Skills | Memorization |
| Language Arts | Community Building |
| Self Esteem | Music Appreciation |
| Multi-cultural Awareness | Fun While Learning |
My school concerts and residencies are designed to address specific educational goals while encouraging people to participate in the joyous activity of singing.
All people perceive the world in different ways. Recognizing different learning styles, I believe music provides an alternative form of transmitting information to children. Given the opportunity, it can play a large role in the academic process and in children's development of self-awareness.
Musical expression is universal among the different people of our planet. In primitive cultures storytellers were historians who developed musical forms to aid their process of memorization. Throughout history songs have taught values and morals. They were used to transmit knowledge and information needed for survival.
Most modern entertainment teaches children in our society to be passive participants. I involve students in the heritage of folk music and demonstrates how songs can be an outlet for creative expression, a source of artistic inspiration and a means of communication. I show my audiences how to be actively involved in the wonder and pleasure that being musical offers.
Program Description
Information with a musical component is often more appealing to students. By learning songs through the oral tradition students can improve their listening skills, process of memorization and the ability to retain information presented to them. The songs I select each have a specific educational component. The sequence of material is set up to lead children through a process of developing important skills in conjunction with the enjoyment of singing together.
The first songs introduce children to my teaching style, listening. A song the entire group can identify with helps establish a sense of the group. I sing the song through and then teach it one line at a time, asking students to listen, then echo what I sing. I then introduce hand motions. Melody, words, and hand motions help children assimilate the complex sequencing of information they are processing. Combined, the three elements support the varied learning styles of each child, helping them be successful and feel good about their contribution.
Call and response songs demand a higher level of focused listening. By using nonsense words, essentially sounds, children hear the sounds and repeat them immediately. They also hear and reproduce the more subtle information such as inflection and volume. This builds awareness of the many ways to say something and how tone of voice carries meaning of its own, an important aspect of communication skills.
Language Arts
Most children do not realize that songs are made up and written down and that they themselves can write songs. Building on the lessons of previous songs, I invite children to put their ideas into "window songs". As a group, children are taught a song that asks a question or has a blank to be filled with an individual's creative input. The group then sings the song with their own words in it. This is a lot of fun and introduces students to hearing their ideas sung by a group. It initiates a sense that they can use their creativity to make up songs. This activity also works well to develop respect for each other's individual ideas. By singing together the words a child has contributed, the group celebrates the creative individual and their ideas, boosting self-esteem.
Music Appreciation
At this point in a performance the group puts to use their focused listening skills on more complex songs. Subjects range from themes that are part of a class's curriculum to issues of behavior, self-esteem, ecology multi-cultural awareness and geography. I choose songs that express positive ideas which children and people in general can relate to from their own experience.
To help keep the children's attention focused, I uses movement songs and a variety of instruments such as the guitar, hoop drum and Djimbe to accompany my voice. Another exciting component to the overall musical experience is my flute music. After explaining improvisation, I often share my feelings through an improvised instrumental piece.
Role Modeling Participation
Being musical can be difficult for many people. Sharing the joy and fun of making music together is a lifelong gift. Children need to know that they don't have to be on the radio or TV in order to feel their musical contributions are valued. Help your kids by participating with them, please don't be shy !
Residencies
By increasing the opportunity for participation, the classroom environment offers children a superior in depth experience. A multi-day program are tailored to integrate specific subjects being studied with language arts as a primary focus. Song writing, combining creative expression and the writing process with a musical element adds an inspirational catalyst to language arts.
Extension Ideas
"Drawing from our histories and cultures, music is an enormous resource for teachers to use. It provides meaningful intellectual and language learning opportunities and teaches about creative expression in a most enriching way."
The demonstration of music in curricular themes encourages educators to use music as another form of information transfer and creative expression. By introducing young people to music within the educational process, one can enhance language skills. My programs help people discover how music can strengthen the process of language acquisition.
Libraries, radio stations, and many publications offer information on songs and musical games that deal with specific themes you and your students may be studying. Examples range from the musical multiplication tables to New England weaving songs, the westward expansion, American history and ecological songs. Analysis of forms such as rounds and line dances can lead to great math lessons. Writing new words to songs children already know is a great way to start song writing. Many songs have repetitive forms that lend themselves to being parodied. If you are musically inclined great. If you're not, don't avoid the enormous body of musical literature, load an iPod with songs that relate to what you are teaching and use it to help your students learn.
Bookings
Please call or write to customize a program for your community and remember to ask to hear a copy of "Harry's Home Made Jam" ©1996
Harry Lowenthal
C/O ORCA Records
PO Box 244
Dublin, N.H. 03444
603-563-8288
<< E-mail
