Sophia Institute online Waldorf Certificate Studies Program
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"True art is an expression of the human being's search for a relationship with the spiritual, whether the spiritual longed for when his soul leaves the body, or the spiritual which he desires to remember when he dips down into a body, or the spiritual to which he feels more related than to his natural surroundings, or the spiritual as manifested in colors when outside and inside lose their separateness and the soul moves through the cosmos, freely, swimming and hovering, as it were, experiencing its own cosmic life, existing everywhere; or ... the spiritual as expressed in earth life, in the relationship between man's soul-spirit and the cosmic ... " - Rudolf Steiner
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The element of melody guides the musical element from the realm of feeling up to that of thinking. You do not find what is contained in thinking in the thematic melody, but the theme does contain the element that reaches up into the same realm where mental images are otherwise formed. Melody contains something akin to mental images, but it is not a mental image; it clearly takes its course in the life of feeling. . .. The significance of the element of melody in human nature is that it makes the head of the human being accessible to feelings. Otherwise, the head is only open to the concept. Through melody the head becomes open to feeling, to actual feeling. It is as if you brought the heart into the head through melody. In the melody you become free, as you normally are in thinking; feeling becomes serene and purified. All outer aspects are eliminated from it, but at the same time it remains feeling through and through. - Rudolf Steiner in The Inner Nature of Music and the Experience of Tone
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And just as man experiences the inherent nature of music, so the forms of his body are shaped out of music itself. Therefore, if the teacher wishes to be a good music teacher he will make a point of taking singing with the children from the very beginning of their school life. This must be done; he must understand as an actual fact that singing induces emancipation; for the astral body has previously sung and has brought forth the forms of the human body. Between the change of teeth and puberty, the astral body frees itself; becomes emancipated. And out of the very essence of music emerges that which forms man and makes him an independent being. No wonder then that the music teacher who understands these things, who knows that man is permeated through and through with music, will quite naturally allow this knowledge to enrich the singing lesson and his teaching of instrumental music. This is why we try not only to introduce singing as early as possible into the education of the child, but also to let those children with sufficient aptitude learn to play a musical instrument so that they have the possibility of actually learning to grasp and enter into the musical element which lives in their human form, as it emancipates and frees itself. - Rudolf Steiner in Human Values in Education
Course WC/ART
Singing
Lesson 5
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Course Outline
Singing
Lesson 1 - Traditional Songs Part 1 Lesson 2 - Traditional Songs Part 2 Lesson 3 - Children's Songs Lesson 4 - Seasonal Songs Part 1 Lesson 5 - Seasonal Songs Part 2 Lesson 6 - Pentatonic Songs Lesson 7 - Lullabies |
Introduction
Music is an essential part of the Waldorf curriculum and permeates the school day from kindergarten through eighth grade. Music not only enlivens the spirit but increases a child's capacity for learning. Through the study of music, we learn to sensitize our hearing, allowing us to better listen to the sounds of the world and to each other. In the earliest years (kindergarten through first grade), the children sing primarily pentatonic melodies without harmony. In grade one, the interval flute and pentatonic flute are introduced and in second grade we add the pentatonic harp. Beginning in grade three, the students learn a more mindful approach to music, in keeping with their developing self-consciousness. In this grade, we move on to the diatonic flute and sing rounds and write music. The Waldorf music teacher takes a primary interest in each child's musical development but other adults also contribute to and support these efforts. The class teacher plays a vital role either by singing with the class and/or by playing recorder with them. The relationship each student develops with his or her private teacher is an important one, while parents help by supporting concentrated and regular practice times at home. Music is an important element of the Waldorf curriculum. According to Rudolf Steiner, the human being is a musical being, and the making of music is essential in experiencing what it is to be fully human. Music in the Waldorf curriculum awakens and nurtures the deep inner life of the child. As the main lesson curriculum follows the very specific stages of child development, so also does the music curriculum. Engaging the soul activities of thinking, feeling, and willing in the child, the study and experience of the various elements in music arouse and cultivate the very forces necessary to be able to meet the challenges of the world with enthusiasm and confidence. The music program in each Waldorf school reflects the specific skills, talents, and interests of the class teachers and of the music faculty. The size and configuration of the school building, the number of students, and the funding available also play a role. In every school, however, is the realization that music is necessary and essential to the entire Waldorf school experience.
Tasks and Assignments Singing Lesson 5
1. Set up your own portfolio collection of seasonal songs. Watch videos or listen to audio files, and/or study music sheets. See some examples given below. Use resources as needed and wanted.
2. Practice singing for a minimum of 5 days singing 5 or more songs several times each day.
3. Record one session each day. Each recording should include 5 or more songs. Submit 5 recordings of 5 or more songs at the end of the 5 days.
2. Practice singing for a minimum of 5 days singing 5 or more songs several times each day.
3. Record one session each day. Each recording should include 5 or more songs. Submit 5 recordings of 5 or more songs at the end of the 5 days.
Please submit files of completed art project(s), comments and questions via the online form or via email.
Examples of Seasonal Songs
The North Wind Doth Blow
The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow,
And what will the robin do then, poor thing? He’ll sit in the barn, to keep himself warm, And hide his head under his wing. Ah! The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, And what will the dormouse do then, poor thing? Rolled up like a ball, in a nest snug and small, She’ll sleep ‘til the warm weather comes. Ah! The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, And what will the squirrel do then, poor thing? She’ll climb up a tree, and look out to see, And nibble on all of her food. Ah! The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, And what will the raccoon do then, poor thing? He’ll waddle around, leaving prints on the ground, And find a warm burrow to sleep. Ah! The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, And what will the rabbit do then, poor thing? She’ll jump and she’ll hop, she won’t want to stop, ‘cause that’s how she’ll keep herself warm. Ah! Johnny Appleseed
(Lord)
Oh, the Lord is good to me. And so I thank the Lord For giving me the things I need: The sun and the rain and the apple seed; The Lord is good to me. (Earth) Oh, the earth is good to me. And so I thank the earth, For giving me the things I need: The sun and the rain and the apple seed; The earth is good to me. Oh Mr. Sun
Oh Mister Sun, Sun.
Mister Golden Sun. Won't you please shine down on me? Oh Mister Sun, Sun. Mister Golden Sun. Hiding behind the tree. These little children are asking you. To please come out so we can play with you. Oh Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun. Won't you please shine down on me? Blowing in the Wind
How many roads must a man walk down,
Before you call him a man? How many seas must a white dove fly, Before she sleeps in the sand? And how many times must a cannon ball fly, Before they're forever banned? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind, The answer is blowing in the wind. How many years can a mountain exist, Before it is washed to the sea? How many years can some people exist, Before they're allowed to be free? And how many times can a man turn his head, And pretend that he just doesn't see? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind, The answer is blowing in the wind. How many times must a man look up, Before he sees the sky? And how many ears must one man have, Before he can hear people cry ? And how many deaths will it take till we know, That too many people have died? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind, The answer is blowing in the wind. The answer my friend is blowing in the wind, The answer is blowing in the wind. |
We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands
We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands. We've got the whole world in our hands. We've got the whole world in our hands. We've got our mamas and our papas in our hands. We've got our mamas and our papas in our hands. We've got our mamas and our papas in our hands. We've got the whole world in our hands. We've got our brothers and our sisters in our hands. We've got our brothers and our sisters in our hands. We've got our brothers and our sisters in our hands. We've got the whole world in our hands. We've got the little bitty baby in our hands We've got the little bitty baby in our hands We've got the little bitty baby in our hands We've got the whole world in our hands. We've got our aunts and our uncles in our hands. We've got our aunts and our uncles in our hands. We've got our aunts and our uncles in our hands. We've got the whole world in our hands. We've got our grandmas and our grandpas in our hands. We've got our grandmas and our grandpas in our hands. We've got our grandmas and our grandpas in our hands. We've got the whole world in our hands. We've got the earth and the water in our hands. We've got the mountains and the valleys in our hands. We've got the oceans and the rivers in our hands. We've got the whole world in our hands. We've got the whole world in our hands. We've got the whole world in our hands. We've got the whole world in our hands. We've got the whole world in our hands. Joy to the World
Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing. Joy to the World, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy. No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found, Far as the curse is found, Far as, far as, the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders, of His love |