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“Home Fun Activities” are designed to help you continue the learning and fun at home! They are always optional, but if you choose to do them, please keep the materials in your tote bag and bring them to class each week. While we will not use them every week, your child will be excited to participate with their own creations when we do!
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 Learning Names: Name recognition is a wonderful beginning literacy skill because Beat Mat: The beat mat allows children to process rhythm in three ways: aurally, visually and physically! LPM Blog, Beat Develops Brain, Steady Beat | ||
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| This semester we use the bell set to learn the pentatonic scale. This scale is comprised of only 5 notes, and contains no semi-tones (or half steps). This combination of notes produces a universally pleasant sound, and music based on this scale can be found in folk music from virtually all over the world. The pentatonic scale is a great place to start when working with young children who are just learning to use their voice because the absence of half steps makes it easier to sing in tune.
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| Here is a Facebook video another teacher’s husband made of the song “If You Want to Speak in French” that goes over the pronunciation. (I think you need to be logged in to Facebook to see it.) We’ll start this song next week, but you can get a head start if you like! | ||
 Alphabet: In the same way that children internalize and begin to make meaning of verbal language before they are able to speak it, hearing letter names and sounds establishes the foundation for connecting the alphabet to written language. | ||
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Have a musical day! |
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Silver Buttons #1
Document Lesson # 1 Our first class was a fun start to Silver Buttons. It was great seeing both new and familiar faces. Singing and playing together is such a bright part of my week! I look forward to getting to know you and your children better. 
Each class we will sing these songs: - Everybody Say Hello
- The Letter of the Day
- ABC Song
- Everybody Say Goodbye
Next week we’ll sing these songs in class, (if you want to be sure you know them beforehand):- The Shape Song
- Name, Name, What’s Your Name?
- In My Class I Have Some Bells
- Mary, Mary Quite Contrary
- Thread Follows Needle
- Miss Mary Mack
- This Little River
- The Blue Danube
- Make New Friends
- A Bushel and a Peck
A few reminders:
- Please keep all materials (workbook, triangle, and puppets/props) in your tote bag to bring to class each week.
- Please leave food, drinks and toys at home, in your car, or upstairs. They are a distraction to your own child as well as others in the class.
- Please turn off your cell phone during class. Remember, parent bonding is one of the best features of this class!
- Please utilize the “break area” if your child becomes fussy or disruptive.
- Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have throughout the semester.
- Please be sure to download and listen to your class music on the LPM app!
- Tuition is due today. I prefer payment via Zelle (just use my phone number) because I don’t have to pay fees for that (so I can keep my tuition low), or you may pay with Venmo (@musikandme), which does charge me transaction fees, but either one is fine.
SOLFEGE: Using Solfege syllables and hand signs increases the brain’s ability to connect with pitch relationships. LPM Blog: parts one, two & three
SMART MOVES DANCES: Smart Moves dances are an age-appropriate way to encourage active listening and expose children to classical form, themes, and motives. Basic Active Listening, Themes & Motifs
Music and language processing take place in the same area of the brain, so learning music strengthens the area of the brain used for processing language. Sound Beginnings capitalizes on the fact that music and literacy skills are so perfectly paired. By focusing on name recognition and learning the alphabet and letter sounds, we are setting a great foundation for future literacy skills. Optional Home Fun Activity:
Do the Name Recognition activity on page 20 of your workbook.Here is a video that will help you to know what Sound Beginnings is all about and how it will benefit your child. This was created by another teacher and she was generous enough to share it! Here are some videos for specific ways you can participate with your BABY in class! Check out all of these if you have a baby that is under 2 years old!
Sound Beginnings is education through musical play! It prepares children for success in Kindergarten and Let’s Play Music. Sound beginnings provides research-based elements that stimulate growth in the areas particularly crucial to the development of the young child. These elements make up the foundation of the Sound Beginnings curriculum. Here is just one: 
A child learns when he or she feels loved. In class, purposeful touching, eye contact, partner activities, and generational nostalgia help develop the all-important parent/child relationship. Have a musical day!
-Ms. Bethany 🙂
