Lynn Kleiner's Music Box
PreK, Kindergarten Singing Games and Activities for Pitch Matching
My YouTube video in this weeks Music Box newsletter features one of hundreds of activities I use for matching pitch and singing in tune. Why so many? What works with one child doesn’t work with the next. What will get the quiet one, the one who doesn’t participate, to finally sing? Will it be Who’s that Hatching from In All Kinds of Weather, Kids Make Music or Scubba Man from Songs of the Sea? Or maybe, Farmer Brown’s Cow from Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic or Walking Through the Jungle from Jungle Beat? All my books contain opportunities for solo singing so you can hear the child’s voice, evaluate and assist. Every child can learn to sing, especially if you play these games often, with variety, and at a young age.
This lesson features a singing frog to encourage solos and prepares for our Jump Frog Jump book activity. The video shows a little boy who does not sing, in fact, this boy has not sung in any of our weekly pitch matching “solo singing” activities. Notice how I put the blame on our frog puppet for not singing, not on the child. I always give the opportunity to participate but when he doesn’t, I turn the conversation away from him and be silly with the puppet. I believe it takes even longer, or certainly lowers your chances for participation if you look at the child and pressure the child. What finally got this student to participate with his singing voice? Weeks later, it was the little owl finger puppet flying out of the “nest.” And next it was the baby owl’s parent, the big Snowy Owl. Music Box members, download your free Owl singing fun.
And use your Music Box Members discount code (on the home page) to order your own singing frog and owl puppets! They will encourage singing and make music a very special time for you and your students!
For more on this subject or others, use the Search feature in Music Box and type in solo singing or pitch matching.
