A mysterious musical message?

Many years ago, my sister-in-law Kay Griffiths shared the musical message above with me. Can you read it?

I use it to explain these three musical symbols to my students. And I always let them know how I learnt it.

Don't be sharp
Don't be flat
Always be natural

I'll let you ponder the philosophical meaning of the saying: I've been doing that for forty years, and still reflect on it, every now and again. But for musicians:

 means Play the key on the right of B

means Play the key on the left of B


And


means Play the original key.


Do you have any other great musical puzzles? We'd love you to share them.

But the little person in the picture is starting with exploring music through movement and actions and sound: sharps and flats can come later!

Your child can explore music at Mitchell Conservatorium in our early childhood program and later learn to make sense of those mysterious symbols, too when you phone 6331 6622 and enrol in 2013 classes.

Because it's fun!

Mitchell Con staff and students making music together

The best reason for making music together is simply that it's fun. But, there are numerous side-benefits:

When the Australian Children's Music Foundation ran a program at Ashley School and Youth Detention Centre in Tasmania, the young people involved enjoyed learning to play guitar and drums, but also developed these qualities in the process:

a developing capacity to work with others
increased confidence and self-esteem
increased capacity to persist at a task
increased skills of self-expression
the development of music as a positive leisure activity
an increased interest in learning how to learn
motivation to share new music skills

Making music together in instrumental music classes in your school or at the Con is so enjoyable,and develops so many other life skills as your child joins in the fun. You can find out more by coming to the conservatorium, on the corner of Russell and George Sts (it's the west wing of Bathurst Court House) or ringing our friendly staff on 6331 6622 during office hours.

Teaching your child to love language

Would you like to give your child a priceless gift? You can do it quite inexpensively. All it will cost is your time and maybe a few dollars for a poetry book (though there is plenty of poetry for kids available free of charge on the internet).

Children love the rhythm, repetition and rhyme that we find in poetry. Reading a poem aloud is a great experience and it is even more enjoyable when you have someone to share it with.

You will notice that poetry is incorporated into Early Childhood Music classes at Mitchell Conservatorium, because it is so closely associated with music-making.

Jim Haynes' Big Book of Verse For Aussie Kids is a great collection of old and new poems. There are many old favourites here, but also lots of new, entertaining poems.

My copy does not have an index, but the editor (and author of some of the poems) has provided one on his website.

Here are a couple of my favourites from the book:

A Feather-Brained Fiddler
A feather-brained fiddler named Rouse
Sat alone at the top of his house
When attacked by some crows
He sedately arose
And played some selections from Strauss

Why?
Why does a clock face not have a nose?
Why do foothills not have toes?
Do all-day laundries close at night?
Will the teeth on a garden rake ever bite?
Why can't a needle wink its eye?
why can't the wings of a building fly?
What is the sound of a gum tree's bark?
Can you leave your car in a national park?

What are some of your favourite poems to read to your children? Can you suggest any more sites or books where we can find these poems?

Helping your children to love reading.

Two cousins ready to start school, one almost 6, one just turned 5

If you want your children to love reading and enjoy learning, you will find Trevor Cairney's Literacy, families and learning to be a great source for helping you to achieve this objective.

His article Starting school: is there a best age? is great advice for those who are thinking about whether their children should begin school in 2013 or 2014, but is probably too late for those whose children are beginning school in a few days' time.

But there is still plenty in this article to interest parents of brand new schoolchildren.

And all of this has relevance to budding musicians. You don't need to be able to read to enjoy and play music, especially when you are a toddler and participating in Early Childhood Music classes.

But good reading skills are very helpful for primary school children having individual instrumental or vocal lessons.

Encouraging your beginning musician

Cynthia Richards' advice is great for parents of primary school children, but most of it would not apply to toddlers. Four of her suggestions would be equally applicable to beginners, though:

1. Start early
2. Enjoy your children's music
3. Praise them for their successes
4. Focus your efforts on getting your child hooked on music.

Introducing Children To Music

There are several excellent articles at Kid's Health on introducing children to music.

The linked article has loads of great advice on introducing toddlers to music. The most important advice given is to make music part of your everyday routine. Here are some of the reasons given for giving your child an early introduction to music:

Music does more than entertain. It can kickstart learning, serve as an important cue in a child's routine, and offer lifelong benefits.

Music contributes to what experts call a rich sensory environment. This simply means exposing kids to a wide variety of tastes, smells, textures, colors, and sounds — experiences that can forge more pathways between the cells in their brains.

These neural connections will help kids in almost every area of school, including reading and maths. Just listening to music can make these connections, but the biggest impact comes if kids actively participate in musical activities.

Of course there's another reason to introduce music into your toddler's world: It's enjoyable for both of you. That will come as no surprise to parents who sing songs with their child, sway and twirl together to favorite CDs, or listen to lullabies as they rock their child to sleep.

The article also points out the benefits of Early Music Classes, such as provided by Mitchell Conservatorium, but reminds you that

you are your child's first and most important teacher when it comes to music. To help your child really benefit from a music class, be sure to bring the music and games you learn there into your home.

What's going on in your young musician's brain?

What instrument will you play in 2012?

Violin is just one of the instruments taught by Mitchell Conservatorium staff. But did you know that you don't have to come to our studios in Bathurst, Lithgow or Forbes to learn from our terrific teachers?

Student can also learn from our staff in their own schools. Are lessons from MitCon staff available at your school? Please ring 6331 6622 during business hours to find out.

By the way, don't forget that your voice is an instrument, too. I think Playschool's Rhys Muldoon already knows this. Do you know his new song called I'm Not Singing?

Do all children have the ability to be musical?

When I was an HSC Music Examiner, I once went round Newcastle high schools with Anne Clipsham, who was teaching at Kambala, a Sydney K to 12 girls' school.

She made an interesting comment about our ability to be musical. She didn't believe people who said they were tone deaf, and pointed out that in her many years teaching at the school there had been only one girl who hadn't learnt to sing tunefully. "And she," said Anne, "began in Year Seven." She was confident that if this one student had begun earlier, she too would have sung beautifully.

In her interesting article Unlocking Kids' Musical Gifts, Fiona Baker says that everyone can enjoy music, but that lessons need to be geared towards what people want to learn.

When she was a girl, she had her heart set on singing and playing The House of The Rising Sun like Joan Baez, but instead her guitar teacher insisted on her learning Spanish and classical style guitar, which she deeply resented and which turned her off.

You won't find that attitude at Mitchell Conservatorium. We certainly have many students learning to play classical piano and taking music exams, but many others are playing and singing a wide range of musical styles. They are encouraged to develop their musicianship in areas of interest to them (and also gently prodded to increase their enjoyment of Music by exploring styles they are not yet familiar with).

The article also shares insights from Amanda Niland, who coordinates Macquarie University's Institute of Early Childhood Music . Ms Niland believes that

... a love of Music is inherent.
We can start to love music before we're born. Humans are hard-wired to be able to process music. A musical instinct is in all of us.

Everyone has the ability to be musical and love music. It's highly likely that those people who say they're not talented musically just weren't exposed to music early enough.

She says that the best music to expose children to is their parents' own singing voices.

Singing to children gives them an ear for music from an early age. Hearing their mum sing relaxes them, entertains them and makes them happy.

Singing traditional lullabies and nursery rhymes to babies and infants has been described as "an essential precursor to later educational success and emotional wellbeing."

Learning to love Music can begin before birth (someone once said that the best age to begin is 9 months before the birth of the mother!) and can be developed by enrolling your child in our Early Childhood Music classes.

You can find out more by phoning 6331 6622 between 10 AM and 5 PM, Monday to Friday, or by coming along to the conservatorium in the west wing of the Bathurst Court House in Russell St.

This blog is one year old today. Happy birthday MitCon blog.

Tory Roth with some of Bathurst's future stars

You're never too young (nor too old) to start exploring music at Mitchell Conservatorium. We have classes for toddlers and a well-developed Early Childhood program which gives pre-schoolers and children in Infants School the resources to build on for a lifetime of creating music.

Our newest Early Childhood teacher is Catriona McKay. She has her A Mus A in Voice, and lots of experience performing in ensembles, operas, and choirs, such as The Sydney Philharmonia. She enjoys composing, arranging and recording music for children. She has developed her own Early Childhood music programs known as Little Sings and Song Club. Catriona is now using materials developed in these groups at Mitchell Conservatorium on Fridays.

If you'd like to enrol your children in one of our Early Music programs, please phone our office on 02 6331 6622 between 10 AM and 5 PM, Mondays to Fridays, or come along and meet our friendly staff, in the west wing of Bathurst Court House, in Russell St.