April 2009

Music Takes Commitment

April 20, 2009

I visited a two-year-old classroom on several occasions and observed that this was not a happy classroom. This was not a fun classroom. It was time to get these children singing and laughing. I sat with the children on the floor and in a bright happy voice and introduced them to a cute little Hello Song [...]

Music is like Magic

April 18, 2009

In early childhood work, music takes on a magical quality. Music can magically change the experience and atmosphere of your classroom. If you are thinking, “I can’t sing and I don’t know any songs so music just isn’t for me.” Let me encourage you to think again. It isn’t how many songs you currently know [...]

Fingerplays Take Practice

April 17, 2009

In order to be effective in the use of fingerplays, the teacher must first select a fingerplay that relates to current learning and then practice, practice, and practice. The more familiar and skilled the teacher is in reciting and acting out the fingerplay, the more effective the teacher will be in using and/or presenting the [...]

What is a Fingerplay?

April 16, 2009

It is a must that every early childhood educator spends time learning and memorizing a wide variety of fingerplays. A fingerplay is a short poem or rhyme that is either spoken or sung and involves the use of hands and fingers to help “act” it all out. What is the purpose of a fingerplay? Fingerplays [...]