In this series of blog postings, we’re having fun with bells. For the next few postings, we’ll focus on LISTENING ! Intentional listening helps us focus our attention on the aspects of the sounds we hear, and be able to tell the difference between sounds, much like we recognize our own child’s voice from any others. This is an incredibly important skill in all areas of life, and must be developed through practice. Of course, music makes it engaging and fun.
For young children it is often helpful to listen with your whole body.
- Listen to the sound of a specific type of bell. We will start with bells you may have at home. Starting with sound that are familiar allows the child to review what they already know so they can connect their current understanding to the new shapes and sounds that will be presented.
- Creating the sound and feeling the real instrument while it vibrates is the best choice for building a foundation of discriminating sounds. Let the child HOLD it, and CREATE.
- Using our bodies to move like the bell, or our mouths to sound like the bell is an important part of intentional listening, since we have to attend well enough to copy the sound and movement.
DOOR BELL
Ding Dong – Let your child RING your doorbell, then both of you try to recreate the sound verbally. If you are up to the task, take the cover off the door bell, and show them how it works – that is if your doorbell actually uses a bell. Many these days are a digital sound, which may be good to hear – but not to see.
BIKE BELL
Does your child have a bike bell? Well, then they most likely have a lot of experience ringing it. If not, take a trip to your local bike shop to check out all the bike bells that are available !
Fun, Fun !!!
JINGLE BELLS
Most children love the bright shiny ring-a-ling sound of the jingle bells. If you have some jingle bells, bring them out for your child to explore.
If you don’t, they are easy to find at Walmart or a craft store. For now, just buy the larger bells (they make a better sound) and enjoy listening to them in the bag. Then let the child explore it in their hands. In another posting, we’ll explore ways to make jingle bell instruments, and have a lot more jingle bell fun !
WIND BELLS
Most children are also familiar with this type of bell, typically called wind chimes. This video shows a large assortment of styles, and simply the sound of all of them together. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygjlM5dutzU
Do you have a wind chime at home your child can try? If not, head over to a store near you to listen to the wonderful chime sounds. Here in Lakeland, I would recommend Brooke Pottery. But many times you can find them in most hardware stores. Wind chimes are also a simple craft to make with your child.
Different types of bells will be presented in each of the following postings in this series, and some videos will be available to hear the sounds, and/or how these bells are used. For our purpose here, we will focus on the classic bell shapes with ringers on the inside or out. And I have organized them from the smallest to the largest bells. After all my research, I believe I must divide it up into separate blog postings. Although I am presenting them all in one day, take it at a pace that is right for you and your child, perhaps one type of bell a day. With your older child, you might look at all of them as an overview, then explore them all more personally throughout the next few weeks.
In our Kindermusik classes, we explore many types of bells and compare the sounds, and use appropriate bells for different songs and activities. Come join the fun and learning by checking out the types of classes offered on my website, then contact me to learn more.
I’d LOVE to hear how you and your child are exploring these sounds. PLEASE SHARE ! Is your child starting to recognize the difference between the sounds of the bells?