Using Scaffolding to Enhance Meaningful Music-Making

by Tara Trudel

One of my primary objectives as an early childhood music educator is to keep my material fresh and engaging. I strive to give children a wide range of musical experiences and to give parents and caregivers new ideas about how to interact musically with their children. In order to accomplish this goal, I constantly assess my repertoire with the following questions in mind:

1. What are some of the different ways to approach this activity?
2. How can my presentation of this activity be heightened creatively through the use of movement, instrument play, props, or other methods?
3. How can I connect these ideas to provide a meaningful classroom experience that builds in a logical way from week to week?

This process of developing activities by gradually introducing new elements or concepts to deepen the experience for participants is known as scaffolding. I recently presented a workshop on this topic at a CMN Midwest/Great Lakes regional gathering with Brigid Finucane and Susan Salidor, who use a similar approach to developing their classroom activities. Susan Salidor has termed this process “super-sizing,” which is a wonderfully descriptive way to think about heightening activities from week to week. Using this approach to planning lessons and classroom activities results in a multitude of engaging classroom activities and can breathe new life into classic songs.

Building Toward the Use of the Parachute

The parachute, often a highlight of classes for many families, can be a powerful tool to facilitate rhythmic experiences. However, I find that the excitement created by the introduction of the parachute can sometimes detract from the musical experience because parachute activities result in such high energy. By using scaffolding to build toward the introduction of the parachute, the activity can become more than just the fun use of a prop and can reinforce musical development. I have found that the following process works very well in order to mitigate this effect:

1. Present the song as a sing-along with small movement until the song has become familiar to families.
2. After several weeks, add a large movement component in order to facilitate each child’s expression of rhythm through the body.
3. Provide clear instructions about the activity and how the parachute will be used before it is introduced.

“John the Rabbit” has become one of my favorite examples of building toward a parachute activity. (Lyrics are at the end of this article.) In the first two weeks of presenting this song, I introduce families to the call-and-response melody. In order to develop familiarity with both parts of the melody, I begin by having the class sing the “Yes, ma’am” response as a group, and then switch and have them sing the “Oh, John the Rabbit…” call. Once the class is completely comfortable in singing both parts of the song, the next step is to add a movement component. On each repetition of “Yes ma’am,” we do a movement, such as hopping like bunnies, shaking our bunny tails, or crawling on the floor through our “garden.” The movement component helps the children to internalize the rhythm and lays the groundwork for the introduction of the parachute.

Before introducing the parachute, I inform the class that we will be helping John and his rabbit friends to hop on each repetition of “Yes, ma’am.” Depending on the size of the children, I either ask the whole class to stand or have adults remain sitting or kneeling while children stand to hold the parachute. Then, I place several stuffed rabbits on the parachute, and we begin singing the song and bouncing the parachute on each “Yes, ma’am.” After expressing the melody vocally and through movement for several weeks, the parachute functions as a wonderful tool to help the children express the rhythm at the correct time. This activity also results in some very silly moments as the stuffed rabbits fly through the air. It’s a guaranteed hit for both toddler and preschool classes.

Building Toward Rounds and Other Multipart Vocal Activities

In my parent-child classes, I feel that it is very important to provide families with the experience of singing in parts. “Frere Jacques” is an effective song to use in class to experiment with assigning vocal parts because it is so widely known. (Lyrics follow this article.) In introducing this activity, we first sing the song as a group with simple hand motions that change at the end of each phrase. After several repetitions, I begin singing a drone of “Ding, Dong” on the tonic as the families continue to sing the melody. We then switch parts so the class has the experience of singing the drone against the melody.

I typically build up to singing in a two-part round in the second or third week of using the song, depending on the confidence level of the class. In a class with strong singers, I split the group in two and sing along with the weaker half. If the class contains less confident vocalists, I have the whole class sing together, and I sing the second part of the round alone. My presentation of the song culminates in a three-part experience. In some classes, I instruct one group to sing the “Ding, Dong” drone under the two-part round, and in others, we attempt a full three-part round.

Naturally, each class has differing levels of vocal ability and independence. However, even a class with limited vocal ability can experience a successful multipart vocal activity through use of the following techniques:

1. Provide a vocal experience with multiple parts that is achievable for every group of singers through the use of a drone, a simple ostinato, or a repeated pattern.
2. Attempt two-part rounds with beginning groups by having the class sing the first part together as a group and the instructor sing the second part.
3. Clearly communicate directions such as the group divisions, number of repetitions, and cues for entrances.
4. Include a small movement component to engage children and to ground both children and adults in a visual representation of phrases.
5. Keep experiences fun, silly, and low-pressure. Don’t be afraid to laugh at mistakes. Above all, be encouraging and supportive of the group’s attempts at part-singing.

Building Toward a Special Event: The Teddy Bear’s Picnic

At the end of the year, as a special treat, I hold a “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” on the last day of class. Each child is invited to bring his or her favorite stuffed animal to class. I design that day’s lesson plan to incorporate “participation” from the stuffed animals. When I first introduced this element to my classes, I knew that this activity would be a fun way to bring our year to a close. However, I did not anticipate how rich the musical experience that resulted from designing this lesson plan could also be. Giving the children an opportunity to act as the parents/caregivers for their stuffed animals resulted in enhanced participation. Planning this lesson also allowed me to heighten many of the activities we did in class throughout the year.

In order to ensure that the class is also a beneficial musical experience, it is important to maintain the usual class routine and rituals while integrating theme-related elements. In order to encourage the most active participation possible, it is essential to introduce any new theme-related material several weeks in advance of the special event. This allows the children to prepare to use their stuffed animals musically during the Teddy Bear’s Picnic.

Some of the activities that contribute to the success of the event are:

• A lap bounce (e.g., “Trot, Old Joe”), in which the children rhythmically bounce their stuffed animals on the beat.
• Instrument play with Velcro wrist jingle bells that can be attached to the animal’s arms and legs.
• An activity that highlights musical concepts such as high/low, fast/slow, in which the toys are used as a visual representation of the concepts.
• A lullaby, where children are encouraged to rock their animals and sing to them, just as their parents and caregivers have been modeling throughout the year.

These ideas are just a few examples of scaffolding techniques that I have found to be musically interesting and engaging. Through creative brainstorming and careful planning, activities can be heightened to provide significant musical experiences that are also fun and imaginative. Developing activities in this way results in a meaningful experience for educators and families alike.

SONGS THAT GO WITH THIS ARTICLE

John the Rabbit *

Oh, John the Rabbit (Yes, ma’am!)
Had a mighty habit (Yes, ma’am!)
Jumpin’ in my garden (Yes, ma’am!)
Cuttin’ down my cabbage (Yes, ma’am!)
My sweet potatoes (Yes, ma’am!)
My fresh tomatoes (Yes, ma’am!)
And if I live (Yes, ma’am!)
To see next fall (Yes ma’am!)
I ain’t gonna have (Yes, ma’am!)
No garden at all (No, ma’am!)

Frere Jacques *

French:

Frere Jacques, Frere Jacques
Dormez vous? Dormez vous?
Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines
Ding Dang Dong

Spanish:

Fray Felipe, Fray Felipe [Fry Fell-ee-pay]
Duermes tu? Duermes tu? [Doo-air-mace too]
Toca las cantanas, toca las cantanas [Toe-ka las kahn-tahn-ahs]
Ding Dang Dong

English:

Are you sleeping, are you sleeping
Brother John, Brother John?
Morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing
Ding Dang Dong

Trot Old Joe *

Trot old Joe, trot old Joe.
You ride better than any horse I know.
Trot old Joe, trot old Joe.
You’re the best horse in the country-o.
Whoa, Joe!

* traditional

Special thanks are in order to Brigid Finucane and Susan Salidor, who are inspiring music educators and whose thoughtful approaches to this topic have helped me develop my own thoughts for this article.

Tara Trudel is the director of Music Explorers, the early childhood program at the Merit School of Music in Chicago. She is a Music Together teacher and a vocalist, guitarist, and flutist who performs children’s concerts in the Chicago area.