Percussion Level 1 Books on-line

My Musical Mind original six books for rhythm instruments are now available as e-books for download. These form the foundation for Music Reading Readiness. The six instruments are Rhythm Sticks, Triangle, Xylophone, Shaker, Guiro, Rainstick. Each instrument has two sounds and two symbols. The child may create original musical patterns with the large or small Composing Cards and read and play the patterns in the Musical Pattern Book. You do not need to have any musical background whatsoever to teach your pre-schooler these symbols and their sounds. What you do need to know is explained and described in each book. http://www.mymusicalmind.com/MMM/Percussion_Level_1.html

Shake, Shake, Shake

Here is a fun chant to do with your baby. You may make homemade shakers out of any container with rice, popcorn, beans, or, my favorite sound, pistachio nut shells! Using a variety of sounds will help develop your baby's auditory discrimination. This will add your baby's pronunciation and ability to lean another language. It is also fun to see which sounds cause different reactions from your baby. Over time, as you expand your collection of shakers, you will see your baby choose certain ones. You may download it an an e-book here. http://www.mymusicalmind.com/MMM/Babys_First_Music.html

"My Baby"

This book presents a Theme, consisting of a Chant, a Movement Activity and a Song. “My Baby” gives the parents words to describe the wonder and beauty and intimacy of their new baby. It is fun to play with your baby. The words we share help the baby learn about his/her life. Describing our actions helps develop vocabulary. As you share this Theme, you will see how your baby responds and you will be able to add your own nonsense words and movements. As your baby grows, you will see anticipation in her eyes and hear words begin to form in the sounds he imitates with you. Kathryn Hardage

http://www.mymusicalmind.com/MMM/Babys_First_Music.html

"Leaves and Trees"

Here is an ebook called "Leaves and Trees". It has a Chant, a Fingerplay, and a Song for early childhood and early elementary age children. You may download it for $1 at: http://www.mymusicalmind.com/MMM/World_of_Nature.html

As you spend time together, you and your child will be empowered by the rhythm of language, finger dexterity, sustaining pitches and learning about leaves and trees. You may enjoy taking a walk to collect some leaves to trace or draw later. You may enjoy taking photos of leaves or looking them up on the internet. This is a special way to spend ten dedicated minutes with your child. As you repeat the Theme each day, you will know your child feels the beat and is gaining more dextrous fingers and can hear the melody when s/he begins to chant and play and sing with you. This is a wonderful way to engage your child and to create focus through the many avenues of music. Kathryn Hardage aka “Kacky Muse” “I have a musical mind, musical indeed. www.MyMusicalMind.com www.KackyMuse.com www.InspiredPractices.com

New Transition

I find myself in a new place as I transition from face-to-face teaching to creating materials that others may use. When I am in the classroom, I build spontaneously on ideas which come to me. As I create more detailed materials, I envision the steps we have taken together. I want the student to feel so supported in trying out new musical compositions, arrangements, note reading, rhythm puzzles, composing cards. I want the parents and teachers to feel the same feeling when they are teaching and sharing as the feeling I have when I design the materials. We truly have unlimited abilities. My materials tap into them, establish the musical vocabulary, and enjoin the students to take the risk, explore, experiment! Everything is becoming more accessible through newsletters and ongoing new releases. © 2012 Kathryn Hardage www.MyMusicalMind.com www.KackyMuse.com

Reading Music

Learning to read music is more than a technical skill. It is a skill of receiving and presenting ideas. It is a communication. It is a skill of compassion. Because there are so many emotions in music, conveying emotions is embodied in reading and playing the composer’s ideas. It is a skill of interest. It is a skill of puzzle solving. It is a skill of finding one’s way through a maze of symbols to discover what they all add up to. Why bother to learn to read music? You can listen for enjoyment. You can listen to express your mood. You can listen anywhere, anytime. But playing adds another dimension. Playing to understand what someone else is communicating takes deep humility and compassion. It takes hours and hours of labor to discover the message. It takes devotion to be willing to listen to someone else’s message from within your own fingers, your own mind, your own heart. © 2012 Kathryn Hardage www.MyMusicalMind.com

Add-On Scales

For years, I have been teaching add-on scales and now I am publishing them.

They teach music reading in all keys through repetition of what is known before.

Each page of medium-size (two-inch high) musical staff contains the added-on next note of the scale ascending and descending.

The companion book has a two-note musical pattern to read and play with the same size staff for each interval, ascending and descending the scale.

Each pattern gives students confidence and trains their hands and fingers through short repetitive bursts!


©2012 Kathryn Hardage
www.MyMusicalMind.com
www.KackyMuse.com
www.InspiredPractices.com

Unlimited Learning

With My Musical Mind,
You are not limited to one key signature.
You are not even limited to one instrument.
Because of the music reading materials which I teach, you can learn more music reading and learn it faster, and learn to apply it to more instruments.
If you want to really learn it faster, you have to repeat it so your muscles can catch up with your eyes and mind.

© 2012 Kathryn Hardage
www.MyMusicalMind.com

Next Step in C Major

My very young students are quite comfortable learning to identity and compare two note combinations.

They like to draw the notes in the musical pattern books and they like to compose and play their own patterns.

I tried jumping them to two sets of two-note combinations, but they are just not ready.

Developmentally, it is not something they desire to do, even though intellectually, they have been introduced to the material.

So I created a separate book to ease that step.

C Major C-D Musical Pattern Book is ready.

I will see what happens with it.

© 2012 Kathryn Hardage
www.MyMusicalMind.com