Where families learn traditional folk songs and movement games in community, fostering a love for singing and dancing - the foundation of all music education
2024 summer classes tbd
Designed for children 5 and under, and their caregivers, the Family Folk Sing was born out of a passion for helping families incorporate singing and dancing into their daily lives. Finger plays, nursery rhymes and poems are heard and shared. Traditional folk songs and dancing games are taught and accompanied by Michigan Academy of Folk Music (MAFM) musicians. Children learn coordination, cooperation, aural skills and rhythm while delighting in the joy of singing and dancing together.
Participating in the group Folk Sing allows children to experience the dynamic of enjoying and making music with others from the earliest age. In this social context, children are asked to listen, respond, and interact as they sing and dance, equipping them to be collaborative and versatile musicians as they grow. Additionally, the group learning context provides mutual encouragement and social support, and emphasizes our view that music is an inherently social activity. And most importantly, all that is learned can then be taken home, shared and enjoyed daily - our whole goal! This is the foundation of all later music education.
Many people ask us what is the best "first instrument" for their children. And our answer? Their voices and bodies! The instruments we have been given at birth, innate within us and crucial to our development and creativity. But how many of us neglect to sing and dance with our children regularly? It just isn't a part of our "normal" culture, but it can be a part of your family culture.
When simple song and dance are the earliest tools for encountering music, we learn to truly embody music, internalizing and experiencing it from within, as an inseparable part of our personhood. This imperative first step of music education allows us to later effectively and meaningfully create and enjoy music from without (i.e. with instruments).
However, it’s not just about knowing songs and dances. Children don’t just need content, they need context. Music is a vital part of humanity, meant to be intermixed into all aspects of life - play and work, worship and rest, celebration and sorrow. It is meant to be experienced with others, in families and communities, and in all seasons. This incorporation of music into all of life reveals to children that music is to be experienced regularly and collectively, that it is important and meaningful, and in fact, necessary. This motivates, fuels and encourages lifelong encounters with music - laying a foundation for making and enjoying it for a lifetime.
details
Who: Specifically targeted toward children 5 & under & their caregiver, but all ages welcome
What: Finger plays, nursery rhymes, movement games, and traditional folk songs and dances all centered around nature, animals, food and fun!
When: Thursdays 11-11:45 AM, June 15 - Aug. 24 (off July 13)
Cost per class: $8/child, max of $20/family
Children under 1 are free; no charge for caregivers
No registration required; Pay at the door with cash or check payment only, please.
