I have many strengths but music is definitely not one of them. The objective in our music unit is exposure to instruments and music. I have illustrations of instruments on 3 x 5 cards and by now the children are able to identify most of the instruments, how they are played and use words like bow, strings and keys. Some may even know how many keys are on the piano.
I enjoy most types of music. One day we listened to little bits of classical, country, rock and jazz. We talked about how they were the same and different. Find these types of stations on the radio and listen to them in the car instead of "The Wheels on the Bus" again and again.
We also learned that music can tell a story. Thanks to Jerry Seinfeld and 'The Bee Movie' children are familiar with the classic- Flight of the Bumblebee. Music from Disney movies are great for this lesson. We listened to songs from Tarzan, Bambi and Lion King. We also listened to Peter and the Wolf with a storybook. YouTube has several versions of Peter and the Wolf if you are interested in watching it with your child.
We were also very fortunate to have several guest musicians come and play for the children. A big thank you to all!
Summertime is a great opportunity to continue to give your child the gift of music. The Brown Bag Series should be starting soon down by the Peoria courthouse. Lunch from one of the street vendors and listening to local schools would be such a picnic! Glen Oak Park has free concerts. There are free concerts on the Metamora square plus all the local city and county fairs have live music. A good source of who, what, where and when is probably the Peoria Journal Star at www.pjstar.com and click on entertainment, calendar and then Find Events search music.
