More Musical Prep -- How Do We Learn The Songs?

Our musical "Too Much Noise!" will be performed on February 11 and 12, 2015.  All students have been introduced to the story, and each week we are adding more songs to put it all together.  There are six songs students will learn.  How do we learn these songs?

First, we listen to the music.  The beauty of this musical is that almost all the songs are based on children's nursery rhymes, lullabies, and songs.  The creators of this musical, Brian Hiller and Don Dupont then composed original music to go along with these words.  Many of the songs have a component where students must use inner hearing to think the words while they hum the melody. The natural rhyme scheme of the words make it predictable for students to quickly feel comfortable learning the songs.

Anyone who works with children that are 5-8 years old has probably figured out that students need to MOVE!!!!  They are more engaged when they can wiggle and move around.  So another feature in these songs is that they all include some sort of movement.  This really helps students to connect to the beat of the music and feel the natural rhythm inherent in the lyrics.

Although students only have music with me for 40 minutes once a week, teachers are provided the music so students can hear the music in their classrooms during such times as their Morning Meetings, snack times, indoor recess, and at the end of the day.  Repetition really is the key to learning something new.  So by the time we get to the performances in February, students will have learned all the songs.

Musical Preparation Time

January is the month we will begin preparing for our whole school musical.  This year we will perform "Too Much Noise - an Eastern European Folktale", by Brian Hiller and Don Dupont.  The details are included in the first parent letter (see link below) that will be e-mailed or sent home today (Wednesday, January 14, 2015).  Please let Ms. Mutz know if you have any questions!!!  Stay tuned for more details...

Parent Letter #1 - Too Much Noise!