Tell Me Thursday – Music Class

Here’s the scoop from the first ever music class I tried to organise for Gavin…

I started by collecting all his noise-making toys into a box and presenting it to him to try one by one.  If I could read Gavin’s mind, I think he must have thought, “Boring, Mummy,” because we were through all the music toys in 15 minutes.  I think I did manage to show him a thing or two on the xylophone music book I bought for him ages back and it was probably the only musical toy he was interested in for any length of time.  The drums and the maraccas held his attention for about a minute.

Okay, okay, I get the picture.  So I suck at given music classes.  And I thought it was going to be as easy as the art class…

In the end, I gave up on the instruments and got Gavin engaged in some “singing”.  I haven’t been able to get a video because he gets all shy whenever he sees the camera, but these are some of the songs he likes to sing:

• ABC (Signing Time version)
• Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
• Do Your Ears Hang Low?
• Boo Boo Choo Choo (from Thomas and Friends)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO9SbU-aeUs

• Thomas and Friends Theme Song

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw522GIskVc

• Troublesome Trucks (from Thomas and Friends)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WylOOkGqDk

• Little Einsteins Theme Song

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-utKYYXVT7I

• Little Einsteins “We’ve Got a Mission”
• Little Einsteins End Credits
• Silly Pizza Song (Signing Time)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h1ZvzC03UA

• Colours of the Rainbow (Signing Time)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnG-7w54LfE

• Box of Crayons (Signing Time)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9VloMvf1Ls

Like most toddlers, he also refuses the perform just because we ask him to.  Singing is often very much up to his own mood – he might break out into song in the middle of a car ride to the shopping mall if he fancies it, but not when you ask him to sing.

After our impromptu singing, I put in his Thomas and Friends Sing Along VCD (at his request) and we sang and danced to the tracks.  I think he had the most fun doing this.  See the video on Wordless Wednesday – Music Class.

So our first music class was a resounding failure.  Never mind, I haven’t given up.  This Mummy still has a few tricks up her sleeve…

• we can go to the music shop to “test out” all the instruments (so I can gauge what interests him)
• we can play the Little Einsteins games on the computer which require music and instrument recognition
• we can read his books that emphasise sound making – like The Little Einsteins Music of the Meadow

And if you’ve got any other suggestions, I’m all ears…