early childhood education
I Sang a Song to a Principal Today… Rick Townsend, WMEA State Chair, Early Childhood Education
He smiled as I sang and his head moved slowly, soaking in the sounds. After awhile, he began to wiggle, and then he nudged the orthope- dic surgeon sitting on the floor next to him. I sensed that
they might begin pushing one another, so I changed to another song and passed out scarves. He always likes scarf activities, as do the others in the circle. Today’s scarf activity features continuous flow movement, and he demonstrates that he is especially happy to get bright green by waving it high and then placing it over his head – transforming his world to shades of green for a time.
Someday I will release him to another music teacher, hoping that the preparatory audiation skills that grew during his three years in my classes will be recognized and built upon. I hope that he will find patience and consideration in his classes, and that he will observe a sensitivity for those with less giftedness in all his music classes – infancy through high school – which, throughout his lifetime, will drive a desire to help those less fortunate.
I sang a song to a congresswoman today. She was full of energy, and as I sang she bounced in place on the floor. Her eyes
Practical Pointers
darted to and fro as she rolled the ball across the circle, and at times she tried to sing in her best two-year-old voice. When I moved toward her spot in the circle our connection became eye-to-eye. She al- ways likes it when I sing patterns to her, and sometimes she sings her own patterns at the same time – not quite grasping ad- vanced concepts such as taking turns and echoing. She will by next year.
Sometimes I can see her as an adult. Her knowing gestures are already present at age two, and there are times that she directs me to specific class activities of her own choosing. Leadership is inborn, and good, humane leadership is modeled and developed through years of changing cultures.
I will have three more years with her be- fore I pass her on to a Kindergarten music classroom. I hope her new teacher discov- ers the rich individuality that I see, as well as the potential for good that she brings into the classroom. I hope that those who model life for her are humane and patient when she steps out of line – able to distin- guish between rascal and rebel, and to find humor in life’s surprises. I especially hope that she observes integrity and compassion in all those who influence her, yielding a sense of unbending goodness.
I played a pattern game with a sociopath today. He usually has difficulties with
“As we consider music education’s past and future we are reminded that past and future is comprised of an infinite number of presents.”
coordination games, and often cries inconsolably. The other three-year-olds sometimes laugh at his efforts, and often ignore him when he comes to their play centers. We talk about kindness and making wise choices, but with a three- year-old the damage done in an instant cannot easily be repaired in the following moments – or years.
I see the teachers take him onto their laps now and then, but more often with a class ratio of eight children per teacher he ends up in the “thinking” chair. I’ve seen him grinding his hands and grimacing while in the chair. Now and then, as the extra adult in the building, I can take time to sit beside him and talk quietly – but far too seldom for his needs. Sometimes he misses music class because he is with a specialist, and I hear rumors that there are serious instabilities in his home.
– Rick Townsend
A good name song is a wonderful way to open and close general music classes, and to learn all “400+” of your children’s names. Find name songs in major, minor, duple and triple meters to provide context for follow-up musical events. Even better, find a single song that you can sing in either
major, minor, duple or triple meter and change it up day by day as needed. 18 September 2010
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