Sunday, October 27, 2013

Accessibility

 River City Taiko drumming in Founders Hall
http://rivercitytaiko.org/media.html

Music Circle at Sabot has evolved. It began as a circle of song. Singing is such a metaphor for community. Individual voices united in verse and music to create one sound. As time passed, questions were raised about rhythm, percussion, environmental sounds and music created with environmental artifacts. Our one music circle has morphed into two cross-grade circles (sometimes three in the case of these photographs).  Pippin and Mauren lead our circles responding to the work and ideas of the children documented in prior weeks. 
The third and K use rhythm sticks together.
As I documented music circle this particular week one word  was resonating with me.
Accessibility.

The music in each setting was accessible.  Each child had opportunities to create sound, rhythm and music. There was not a code to be broken or a feeling that music was a gift given to some and not others. Music was right there in the room, ready to be grabbed by anyone who was interested.  The teachers were scaffolding the nuances and the skills of drumming and rhythm but the message was loud and clear: Together we can make
 beautiful sounds. 




"A language is more than a set of symbols. A language contains rules of combining these symbols to convey meaning. Thus, a panel where each child's photograph contains a little animal stamp for that child's identity is not a language. But a child's stamp followed by an arrow and another child's stamp could mean, "Amy likes Zoie." A simple syntax is born and with it a new language for children to invent and explore relations."
The Hundred Languages of Children the third edition


Playing the game: Name that Sound
The music in each location that Wednesday was developed as the need for syntax become evident. The music we created required a shared understanding to ignite communication and move forward together. This is work that the children recognize. This is work they do everyday in all areas of study. How do we create ideas and meaning together? They feel empowered to express their thinking using the language of music.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for capturing this experience, this language so beautifully. The freedom of expression that Sabot's music circle offers is so empowering for the children. Love to see the children who aren't as confident in using their voices in other experiences make BIG noise in music circle!

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