Cossins Music SchoolWww.cossinsmusicschool.co.uk

My Mini Songbook

Contents

Pg 3. Why KodalyPg 4. Why Singing games and RhymesPg 6. Musical TermsPg 7. See SawPg 8. Criss, CrossPg 9-10. Engine, EnginePg 11-12. Cobbler, Cobbler

I firmly believe singing is extremely important to a child's development. Did you know unborn babies can hear sound at around 20 weeks?Tapping into that unborn musicality is a great place to start!

Children can learn so much from singing and music learning: new words, sentence structures, intonation, rhythmic patterns,Counting – these are just a few!

They also become more confident learners and better listeners through participating in musical activities – much more so thanany other activity! This is because music activates all parts of thebrain.

Music training in the Early Years can give your child a firm base andunderstanding of musical concepts through singing and playing fun games.

Kodály's approach to music learning is based on teaching, learning and understanding music through song. Singing gives everyone access to music without any technical know-how of playing an instrument. Our voice is our very own instrument!

Singing is important for many reasons:

It builds confidence

Gives people a sense of unity (it is something everyone can do despite race, age, ability, social and economic factors etc).

It is also joyful and sociable!

Engaging in singing shows an increase in levels of concentration, achievement and social harmony.

Why Kodály?

Research has shown that singing and rhymes with movement have an extremely positive effect on children's development.

Singing with your child helps:

Develop speech – songs and rhymes are pronounced more clearly – the speech is slower and easier for a child to imitate. The rhythms in song and rhyme help patterns and phrases of speech.

Increase your child’s understanding of language – research has shown that a greater knowledge of nursery rhymes the more a child is phonetically aware and this will help them be a more fluent reader.

Help develop memory and retention skills – A child is able to memorise easily through the constant repetition of rhymes and songs.

Emotional – intellectual skills are linked to a child’s emotional growth.

Develop motor skills and co-ordination – clapping, stamping and moving to music helps develop motor skills.

Enhance listening skills – your child is concentrating on the song/rhyme and is focusing on you and will respond more to instructions.

Social – singing encourages your child to communicate with you at an early stage by making babbling sounds.

Why singing games and rhymes are best

PULSE - the "heartbeat" of a song or piece of music. It is a regular unit of time. Follow the heartbeats pictured along with the songs and rhymes in this book.

RHYTHM - a pattern of sounds, long, short or of equal duration. Clapping the words of the songs in this book is the rhythm.

PITCH- the height of a note - low or high - Pitch Matching is the ability to sing back a melody at exactly the same height.

DYNAMICS - the volume of sound - louder and quieter

TEMPO - the speed of the song or music - faster and slower.

Rhymes - are spoken using our "speaking voice"

Songs - are sung using our "singing voice"

Musical terms

See saw up and down

In the air and on the ground

Simple songs to get you started

Babies:Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out and your child on your knee. Raise your knees up and down in time with the pulse using the heartbeats. Raise your knees up first as you sing (as the word "see" is on the high pitch) and lower as you sing "saw" (as this is the lower pitch). This unconsciously teaches your child the high and lower pitches and also the pulse simultaneously. If you feel brave put your baby in a blanket or towel and with a partner swing them from side to side to the pulse - babies love the rocking sensation!

Toddlers: Sit facing your child and hold both hands together. As you sing move your arms up and down in time with the pulse (again lift your arms first on the word "see" as this is the high pitch ). You could also hold a teddy, doll , hoop or scarf and lift them up and down together.

Older children: Sit on the floor with arms out to each side and rock from side to side in time with the pulse letting each hand touch the floor.

Soundfile here :https://soundcloud.com/melanie-cossins/see-saw-off-we-gomp3/s-ea3EM

Criss, Cross

Ap-ple sauce

Spiders crawling up your back

A cool breeze (blow)

A tight squeeze!

Now you've got the shivers!

Tickling Games are loved by babies and children. Criss Cross is one of my favourites as you can use lots of varied intonation in your voice. E.g. "Spiders crawling up your back" say slowly starting with a low voice then raising the pitch as you walk your fingers up your child's back. This helps children unconsciously note that as your voice gets

higher so does the action of your fingers walking up their back.

Tickling Games

Make a cross on your child's back

Tap the words on your child's shoulder (3 taps)

Walk your fingers up your child's back to head - slowly

Blow on your child's cheek

Give your child a big hug

Give your child a big tickle!

A great moving rhyme!

En-gine, En-gine num-ber nine

Go-ing down the (Wake-field) line

If the train should leave the track

Will I get my mon-ey back?

Yes, no, may-be so!

Pre-school Say the rhyme whilst tapping your knees to the pulse and ask your child to copy you. Ask them what the rhyme is about. What is the number of the engine? Which line is it going down? Feel free to change "London" to any other place name! We've had "Chocolate" town before! Play trains. Encourage your child to start and stop at the right times. Let your child be the “train driver” and decide the speed of your train. Don't forget your train arms and whistle!

Note: This is a rhyme and a song. Feel free to say this as a rhyme first to practice pulse!

Babies: Bounce your baby on your knee in time with the pulse. Change the speed (tempo) sing/say it faster and slower each time and remember to blow your whistle!

Toddlers: Say the rhyme whilst tapping your knees or even better tap on your child as they will then feel the pulse. Play a game of trains by walking around. Blow your whistle to start and remember to stop walking once you have said the word "so". Change the tempo and have a fast and slow train. Go in different directions. If you have shakers, egg shakers, castanets, claves you can use these as well to tap the pulse.

Actions for Engine, Engine Number Nine

Fun with shoes !

Cob-bler, cob-bler mend my shoe

Get it done by half past two

Half past two is much too late

Get it done by half past eight.

Soundfile here: https://soundcloud.com/melanie-cossins/cobbler-cobbler-ready-steadymp3/s-MOWsf

Babies:

As you sing the song tap the pulse following the shoes (like heartbeats) on one of your baby's feet, repeat on the other foot. Sing as you tap both soles of your baby's feet together. You can also bounce your baby.

Toddlers:

Tap on the bottom of each foot as above like babies. Using two sticks encourage your toddler to tap them together to the pulse. Tap them on the floor, use them as a hammer and nail, tap the ends together, walk the sticks. If you haven't got any sticks use shoes on hands (see below) Your child may come up with their own ideas!

Pre-schoolers:

Put shoes on your child's hands and tap them together as if clapping, walk them on the floor, tap them on the floor. Both adult and child have shoes on their hands. Sit opposite and tap each others shoes together.You could use a stick to tap each heartbeat too. In my classes we also use sticks in various ways: tapping together, tap on floor, use as a hammer and nail, walk our sticks etc

Cobbler, Cobbler actions

https://youtu.be/FYt93YK69F8

Video link:

I hope that you have enjoyed this mini music book. Repetition of these songs is very important for musical memory and I hope you enjoy singing and playing with your child!

There will be another song book out soon and if you would like to subscribe to the songbook mailing list please follow the link below.

Further Information

http://cossinsmusicschool.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=d22d99ad49daf2cc143b1db09&id=2c619a0b20

You can always check the Cossins Music School website for further information on classes and training.Www.cossinsmusicschool.co.ukWww.facebook.com/cms