CREATIVE MOVEMENT &
MUSIC
The Music Program
1. Singing
Songs, Finger plays, and Chants
2. Instruments
Using their body as a musical instrument
Musical Instruments
3. Movement Experiences
Listening to music and moving to it
Doing an activity with a song
color
A. Benefits From Music and
Movement
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Develops language skills
Develops listening skills
Develops Creativity skills
Develops self-confidence
Develops their Cognitive skills
• Music naturally delights, moves, calms, and soothes
kids – and the teachers.
– Music at naptime, lunch and snack, welcome
• Music is a great transition for change.
• Provides children with opportunities to explore
elements of music (rhythm, sound, dynamics).
B. ELEMENTS OF MUSIC:
• SOUND / TONE
– Sounds of different instruments, sound of voice
• Variations: opera, country twang, old person with no teeth
• HARMONY and MELODY
Identify notes that don’t sound right when playing it for them.
– Move hand up and down with notes
–
• Name that tune (in 5 notes)
• DYNAMICS
– Soft and loud
• TEMPO/ BEAT
– fast & slow
• RHYTHM
– Clap to the beat
– clapping different sequences
Playing guitar to Elvis Presley music
• Some children may feel shy about
singing, but will heartily drum or
clap to a song.
• Model clapping and knee slapping to music.
• Another reason to use props for music.
• Keep the rhythm instruments nearby for
children to latch onto when they feel a rhythm.
OLD MACDONALD HAD A
BAND
• Musical parade
2
Rhythm Sticks or instruments
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Tap out a beat to a song or to music
Tap out a beat to a story
Sally the Camel
Tap out your Name
Create a beat pattern and we repeat it
Follow a teacher directed beat movement
(Click Clack Moo)
– Listen to a walking beat (slow), Listen to a jogging beat (faster), A
Jumping beat (pound). Now have the kids listen to the beat and do the
actions. Use a bell to signal freeze.
• Tap out the beat as someone moves around
C. CHOOSING SONGS:
1. Familiar songs and tunes that they have
heard or sung before.
- Let children choose the songs.
2. Simple Songs with lots of repetition
– Old Macdonald had a farm
3. Songs with funny sounds or silly lyrics
– Hey-Diddle-Diddle, Name Song (Annie, Annie, Bo Bannie..)
4. Songs that have movement in
the words.
– "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes",
– "If You're Happy and You Know It",
– "I'm a Little Teapot",
– "Itsy Bitsy Spider",
– "Ring Around the Rosy",
– "Hokey Pokey",
– "Wheels on the Bus“
– "Old McDonald".
5. Choose songs that everyone can act
out together, rather than having to
wait for a turn.
"London Bridges".
Great Kids Song Websites!!
Nursery Rhymes
http://www.gardenofsong.com/index.html
Preschool Songs
http://www.preschoolexpress.com/music_station
.shtml
What is a Knick-Knack
Paddy whack?
THIS OLD MAN
Create a hand-jive to go with this song
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This old man, he played one
He played knick-knack on my thumb (drum)
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a
dog a bone, This old man came rolling
home
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16
This old man, he played six
He played knick-knack on my sticks
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a
dog a bone, This old man came rolling
home
This old man, he played two
He played knick-knack on my shoe
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a
dog a bone, This old man came rolling
home
This old man, he played seven
He played knick-knack up in heaven
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a
dog a bone, This old man came rolling
home
This old man, he played three
He played knick-knack on my knee
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a
dog a bone, This old man came rolling
home
This old man, he played eight
He played knick-knack on my gate
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a
dog a bone, This old man came rolling
home
This old man, he played four
He played knick-knack on my door
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a
dog a bone, This old man came rolling
home
This old man, he played nine
He played knick-knack on my spine [some
versions use "line" here]
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a
dog a bone, This old man came rolling
home
This old man, he played five
He played knick-knack on my hive
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a
dog a bone, This old man came rolling
home
This old man, he played ten
He played knick-knack once ag'n [some
versions use "on my hen" here]
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a
dog a bone, This old man came rolling
home
7. Add on new verses to
familiar songs to enrich
vocabulary and concepts.
• Build on their current knowledge.
• Children enjoy suggesting the substitutes.
"Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes"
Ankles, elbows, feet and seat,
feet and seat, feet and seat.
Ankles, elbows, feet, and seat
Hair, hips, chin, and cheeks
6. Sing when you
are doing routine
tasks.
• Children will pick up on
the joyful atmosphere you
are creating and also begin
spontaneous singing as
they move around the
classroom.
• Making up words is great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K
ZUufewt05E
8. PIGGY BACK SONGS
Use familiar tunes as "frames" for songs with
different words.
Children will often make up verses
themselves, spurring on literacy learning.
PIGGGY BACK SONG ACTIVITY:
• Change the song in some way that deals with the assigned topic.
– 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on a Bed
• (Change monkeys to “Fish”)
– Bumble Bee Song
• (Change “Bee” to an animal on the farm)
– Happy Birthday to you
• (sing about cleaning up)
– Old McDonald had a farm
• (sing about the zoo instead of the farm)
– Row Row Row your boat
• (sing about the car instead of a boat)
D. TEACHING A SONG:
1. Practice the song and know it by heart.
2. Being enthusiastic, animated, and smiling
is more important than having a good
voice.
3. Catch their interest before the song
begins with a picture, object, or story.
4. Sing it from beginning to end. Allow
them to participate with you while they
listen.
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Give the children something to listen for.
They can clap along while you sing it.
Wish / star
TEACHING A SONG:
5. Teach the part that is repeated most
often first and then teach other sections of
the song.
6. Use musical instruments, pictures, props,
costumes, or gestures to remind children of
words or let the children Act out the song.
–
5 speckled frogs on the log
A Chubby Little Snowman
(A Fingerplay)
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A chubby little snowman
Hold your arms in a circle to make
a fat belly .
Had a carrot nose.
Point your forefinger out from your
nose.
Along came a bunny.
Make a bunny with your fingers.
Make it hop.
And what do you suppose?
Turn palms upward and shrug in
disbelief
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That hungry little bunny
Rub your tummy.
Looking for his lunch
Shade your eyes, as if looking into
the distance.
Ate that snowman's carrot nose
Make a duck beak hand and have it
eat your carrot nose.
Nibble, nibble, CRUNCH!
Make the bunny eat the carrot with
two small bites and a final big bite.
Link
www.songsforteaching.com/hughhanley/achubbylitt
lesnowman.htm
GROUP MUSIC TIME
Based on what you just learned,
teach your song / music to your group
and have them do it with you.
CREATIVE MOVEMENT
Elephant, melting ice cream,
different music tempos, stuck in mud
For Spider Walk
Have 4 people link arms back
to back and walk around like
a spider while singing Itsy
Bitsy Spider
E. CREATIVE MOVEMENT
1. Children explore the way their body moves.
- EGG MOVEMENTS (in a plastic egg are different movements) Touch
your ear to your shoulder, keep a balloon in the air using only body parts,
move both body parts at the same time
2. Opportunity for a child to pretend to be something else.
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Never show them how to move. Let them figure it out.
Move like a bumblebee or an elephant
3. Develops coordination & control of movement.
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- Draw to music, streamers or scarves to music, Carpet skate
- Stop when the music stops.
-Personal space and respect for others
4. Combines feeling rhythm with movement.
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Have a Musical instrument parade
5. Communicates and Expresses their ideas
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Children move much better than they speak.
It simultaneously involves the inner being and the physical body.
Move as if you were carrying a heavy box, walk like a giant, run like an
animal, be an ice cream cone melting in the summer, make an interesting
shape with your body.
6. Learn how movement relates to space or science
and math concepts.
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Make yourself big, small, tall, short
Move around without touching anyone, pretend to be driving a car
around the room, float around the room like a feather
Lift your leg in front of you, backwards, sideways. Step backwards
Science and Math Elements of
Creative Movement
• FORCE:
– Energy
(sudden/sustained)
– Weight
(strong/light)
– Flow (free/bound)
• BODY:
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Parts
Shapes
Relationships
Balance
• SPACE:
– Place
• Self space/general space
– Size
• Big/small, far reach/near
reach
– Level
– Direction
• Forward/backward, right/left,
up/down
– Pathway
• Curved, straight, zigzag
1
• TIME:
3
– Speed (fast slow),
rhythm (pulse, pattern)
• High/low
11
6
2
• MOVEMENT:
– Walk, run jump
– Bend, twist, stretch
– Parachute play
4
Teaching creative movement:
• Have lots of room
– bare feet allows them to feel the movement.
• Don’t show them how. It restricts creativity.
– Say, “Use your whole self”.
– “Move how it sounds or makes you feel”.
– “Can you. . . . ? Follow me!”
• Encourage each child to do it in a different way.
• Teach about personal space.
– bubbles pop if they are bumped
• Teach them how to listen to the music dynamics.
• Teach them to stop when the music stops.
– Emphasize that to stop means not to move at all – not a muscle or a
bone!
F. Large Group Music Time
and Small Group Music Center
• Placed away from noisy and active play areas.
• Carpeted / rug to sit on and move around on.
• Wide variety of musical instruments for the children
to use and explore.
• Supplies for the children to do creative movement to
the music.
– Streamers, scarves, paper plates, costumes, feathers…
• Supplies to create their own musical instruments.
• Tape recorders / CD players / Microphones
Headphones, Tapes/CD’s