Submitted by Lisa Dove, Lower School Music Teacher
This morning on the way to school, there was a small voice singing “Hello!” I looked around - but no one was there. So I shrugged and kept walking….. “Hello,” the singing voice insisted. I looked up, I looked down - and there it was on the ground! A singing acorn!?
So begins a story shared with preschool students this month in music class. And if you are a parent of a preschooler, you may have seen a small acorn or leaf with eyes and a mouth come home one day in a backpack. If so, you are the proud owner of an actual singing acorn or leaf!
Full transparency: these are not magical creatures who live on Dwight-Englewood grounds, but rather ‘puppets’ of a sort, to help young children in finding their singing voices. Music educator John Feierabend suggests puppets are useful tools to develop a child’s comfort in singing and even vocal improvisation. He calls this work ‘Arioso,’ after the opera term for a mix between ‘aria’ and ‘recitative.’ For children, this is akin to answering a question or having a conversation with your singing voice.
Early childhood is a time when children learn about what their voice can do, as they start to differentiate between speaking, whispering, shouting, and singing. Vocal warm-ups with swoops and animal sounds help them discover even more ways to make their voice expressive. Children are wired to learn through observation and imitation, and learning a song usually starts with a ‘My Turn/Your Turn.’ But when they are introduced to an object from their world with a face, there is a magic that can ignite their imaginations and disarm even the shyest child into singing their own little song. This spontaneous expression of thought and feeling is musical improvisation, and a milestone in musical development.
So if you have a chance to have a ‘musical conversation’ with your child - maybe with a toy or a puppet - know that these little moments help your child expand their self-expression and musical confidence! And you may discover a little song that has never been sung before!
