Living Music From the Heart: Music Curriculum Volume 2 by Jodie Mesler
Living Music From the Heart: Music Curriculum Volume 2 is a playful and
artistic teaching method that is for everyone, for experienced
musicians, as well as for teachers with little or no music training,
giving all a very easy and pleasurable experience. For the beginner
music teacher, you will find it easy to sing and play music with the aid
of the DVD tutorials and lesson book. For the more experienced music
teacher, you will find many helpful tips on how to teach in a more
playful way, unlike the strict academic methods of our youth. Your child
must be at least 7 years old, this approach is for children who have
already started school and is appropriate up to age 9. Twenty lessons
are included with techniques, games and more than 50 simple pentatonic
songs for you to enjoy. The music lessons are set up so that children
learn music by listening and imitating the teacher; therefore, you will
learn how to read music notation in my next volume which will be
specifically designed for children 9 years or older. Here you will get
ideas on how to integrate singing, rhythms, games, and songs in a
creative and natural way.
My method, which I call The Heart Method, is based on Rudolf Steiner’s
study of human development, inspired by my love of music and deep
respect for the way children learn. It is for those who long for a more
nurturing and living way of learning and teaching music, remembering
that music is the language of the soul. In Living Music From the Heart
Volume 1, the primary focus was on pleasing sounds, rhythms and
listening skills taught through imitation. Around second grade, it is
time to learn simple pentatonic songs. By staying simply within the five
note scale pattern, music becomes fulfilling and enjoyable. For the
child we will weave in playing high and low, slow and fast, soft and
loud, long and short. We will guide and inspire the child to have great
technique through these songs and games as we teach him how to tongue,
slur, listen and make up his own songs.
Some of you may enjoy using the pentatonic or soprano recorder for your
child and that is a fine choice. I will be using the penny whistle
during the tutorials and throughout my entire music curriculum series,
but I will include a clip on how to finger the pentatonic recorder and
how to finger the soprano recorder. Once you feel comfortable with the
fingerings, you will be able to follow the tutorials and lesson plans
more easily.
My recommendation for the penny whistle comes from Steiner’s reference
to a blowing instrument. In The Kingdom of Childhood, Steiner says, “As
early as possible the children should come to feel what it means for
their own musical being to flow over into the objective instrument…if
you can you should choose a wind instrument, as the children will learn
most from this and will thereby gradually come to understand music…” In
another lecture, The Child at Seven, Steiner states, “until
approximately the end of the ninth year, the child wants to experience
everything that comes toward it within its own inner rhythms – in what
belong to beat and measure. It will relate everything to the rhythms of
breath and heartbeat…” While many Waldorf schools and homeschooling
families have traditionally used the recorder or flute, I believe the
penny whistle is a wonderful blowing instrument to begin a child’s music
education and is consistent with Steiner’s indications.
Please take a moment to read this review from Lauri Bolland, a Waldorf
Homeschooling parent who has experienced the entire method.
Here is a complete overview of the curriculum:
SONGS
My Fingers Are Dancing
Jack Be Nimble
Like the Turtle
Hush Little Baby
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
Inch Worm
Five Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate
Little Miss Muffet
Thunderstorm
Old MacDonald
Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater
Tick Tock, Hear the Clock
There Was a Man and He Was Mad
Jack Sprat
Jolly Old St. Nicholas
Star Light, Star Bright
A Song From My Heart
Mary Had a Baby
Little Jack Horner
Turn Into Light
Morning Song
Polly Put the Kettle On
Whisper Then Shout
Shortnin’ Bread
Little Poll Parrot
Jogging With My Doggy
Did You Go to the Barney?
Georgie Porgie
Clap With Me
Little Liza Jane
Little Robin Redbreast
Swing Your Partner
A Frog Went A-Courtin’
Mary, Mary Quite Contrary
Crocuses
In the Springtime
Humpty Dumpty
Hot Cross Buns
Johnny Get Your Haircut
March Winds
The Tooth Fairy
Ducks in the Mill Pond
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring
The Dance
Bought Me a Cat
Little Tommy Tittlemouse
Willow Tree
Run, Chillen, Run
High Diddle, Diddle
Goodbye Old Paint
Hickory Dickory Dock
Fresh Tomatoes
The Farmer in the Dell
A Wise Old Owl
We Are One Big Family
The Crawdad Song
TECHNIQUES
long tones
pentatonic scale D, E, G, A, B, D', E', G'
tonguing
slurring
rhythms
improvisation
high to low
low to high
descending
ascending
building a repertoire
long tones and short tones and rests
measuring tones
tempos; slow, moderate, fast
soft and loud
swinging tempos
GAMES
Blow Dragon Blow to strengthen lungs and build strong long tones
Call & Response to fine tune rhythms and techniques
Fix Your Leaky Tire to work on proper hand position
High to Low or Low to High? learning how to hear the differences in tones
Blowing Up Balloons to strengthen lungs and build strong long tones
The Stopwatch Challenge to strengthen lungs and build strong long tones
