Making music

V, (Girl 2 yr) climbed onto the chair so she could reach the Piano Keyboard. Her mother went to tell her to hop down. I reassured V’s mother that it was OK that she has a turn playing on the keyboard.

She started playing random notes. I said, “listen to this.” I pushed the button that turned on the drums. V smiled and continued playing and swayed to the beat. She started singing ‘Old MacDonald had a farm.” I sang with her. We came to the end of the first verse I turned off the drums. V stopped playing and looked at the button, she attempted to reach it but couldn’t. I asked her if she wanted the drums back on. She nodded. I turned the drums back on, and instantly she started moving her body to the beat and started playing and singing again. When we got to the end of the song I suggested, “let’s sing the wheels on the bus go round and round”. Her fingers played randomly on the keys, one at time, then sometimes several fingers at once, but not clumsily crashing the keys . She kept in time to my singing and the drums. I moved away to assist another child and V continued for a short time, then climbed off the chair and went to paint a picture.

V’s mother’s initial instinct was to tell V not to touch. She was anxious that V was too little to play, that the keyborad was for the teachers, or that she might break it. Afterwards she was delighted with the fun we had all had singing. Although V couldn’t play the “right notes” she had fun with the rhythm and the sounds. She was a delight to watch and listen to. Her mum was so proud. How many times do we as adults limit what the children do because of our fear. They might climb too high, swig too fast, drop or break something. The challenge is to teach them how to keep themselves safe yet still be courageous. Te Whaariki (1996) promotes a learning outcome "where children experience an environment where thay gain confidence in and control of their bodies, confidence with moving in space, moving to rhythm….”

With the aim of trying to help how many times have I taken over – I know how to play that song - with both hands. I would love to increase my Increase my knowledge of how I could record what was played by V, then play it back. The other thing I could have done to extend this play was to get the guitar and the other instuments out. This may have opened it up for other children to join us.

The keyboard offers a great resource to extend musical experience with little talent needed to actually play the correct notes. “Music contributes to the child’s total development: psychomotor, perceptual, affective, cognitive, social, cultural and aesthetic." (Isenberg & Jalongo 2006 p146)

How good it could have been to get the camera out and record all this on video with the sound of V singing. Then for the parent to have a copy would have been a teasured memory. All this to assist V to become confident when children are able to contribute in culturally valued enterprises. This is a perspective of Communication in the curriculum, Te Whaariki (1996).

References:

Isenberg, J.P., & Jalongo, M.J. (2006). Creative expression and play in early childhood. (3^rd ed.). New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whaariki, he whaariki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media

P.S - this is not a new post it is connected to the previous post. We don't have ipads at our centre ...... yet. I was talking about this little learning pad. I was unable to upload a photo into the comment box so started it as a new post.

Anyway, the other thing I need to explain is that we cater for children up to 15 years old at Kidz First Children's hospital. We are a licenced ECE centre. We have recreation activities as well as programming for children's learning and developmental support. We have the Kidz First Foundation that do fundraising for us. Companies and community groups are often looking for projects to help the children in hospital. That is how and why we have playstations and Wii. But notice that K didn't play with the expensive stuff. It was the replicas, and toy things.

Buttons, buttons everywhere

Buttons, buttons everywhere! Which one shall I push?

K (2year old Girl) is new to the centre. The first thing she spotted was the doll and the pram. As she pushed the pram around the room she watched the other children playing on the play station and the computer. She stopped at the desk and sat on the chair. She picked up the phone and the typed on the laptop that has no batteries. She had a little talk on the phone and tapped away on the computer with her other hand, then hung up the phone. She continued typing with two hands. Then she continued with the pram. This time she stopped at the cash register. She pushed the buttons and opened the cash draw then shut it. K pushed the buttons again and was listening to the small beeps it was making. As she walked passed the older boys playing on the Wii, she stopped to watch the big screen. K noticed that no one was on the computer so she sat on the chair for a turn. This computer is set up for the children. Her mum helped her start the Dora game. K waited for mum to have a turn with the mouse. In her eagerness to have a turn K started playing randomly with the keyboard. Then mum guided her hand back to the mouse and told K to click. Mum said she does have turns on the computer at home, so does have some concept of how the mouse works. Mum helped and guided her to play the game for a short time. Then K continued with the pram walking around the room. She noticed a boy sit at the computer for his turn. She wanted to have a turn again. Mum intercepted her and explained it was the boy’ s turn she made a fuss. I pulled out from the cupboard the learning pad. She played with it briefly – and then found the cash register. She returned to the learning pad, and I changed the option to musical tunes. She focused for another short time then found the pram. Her mother confirmed that she enjoyed pushing buttons at home too.

K was very busy exploring the new environment. Her enjoyment of pushing the pram seem a great way to tour the room to observing where everything was, and ‘making sense of this new environment. (Ministry, 1996) Her intrigue with buttons is her response to having technology all around her in the home and in the community. It is important to integrate the everyday experiences into the centre to enhance their learning. (Ministry, 2005) This became part of her exploration of the new environment.

The cause and effect results gained her attention for longer periods. Sitting at the computer that was functioning, supported with her mother increased the length of her attention The beginning of learning how to use ICT tools for inquiry begins with the frequent use of this replica of common technological items. (Dockett, & Fleer , 2003 p. 167).

K demonstrates the influence of technology has inspired her curiosity for buttons, and even more rewarding when you push a button you get a response. Her role-playing is making sense of her ‘social world’ and her place in it. (Ministry, 1996; Dockett, & Fleer, 2003 p.133).

References:

Dockett, S., & Fleer, M. (2003). Play and pedagogy in early childhood: bending the rules (2nd ed.). Nelson, Australia: Thompson Learning.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whaariki, he whaariki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington,New Zealand: Learning Media

Ministry of Education, (2005). Foundations for discovery. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education (2009). Kei tua o te pae assessment for learning: early childhod exemplers (Vol. 20). Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.