"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 6 |
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 6
1. 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 Pentatonic "Mood of the Fifth" Songs
Pentatonic or "Mood of the Fifth" Songs have a warm, soothing, enveloping quality that flows from their beautiful pentatonic melodies. They speak of the joys and mystery of childhood, from playing and frolicking in nature to peaceful moments before sleep.
The following collection of pentatonic songs include songs by Mary Thienes Schünemann and traditional songs from China, Russia, Laos, Finland, Wales, England, and native America.
We know that a musical interval can have an effect on us, particularly melodies written in the pentatonic scale. Many music educators and historians teach us remarkable things about the nature of intervals and scales, how we are able to connect to them in surprisingly straight forward ways, and how they developed over the unfolding of time -- across all genres, tones and sounds. If you are interested in a modern troubadour's introduction to the pentatonic scale, watch and listen to Bobby McFerrin's YouTube video “The Power of the Pentatonic Scale”, from the World Science Festival, 2009. You will see how this particular scale lives universally in all of us.
What is equally interesting is how the pentatonic scale provides a musical starting point that we all can relate to, regardless of whether the melody is familiar to us or not.
Engaging children in song and music can be a powerful experience for the young child. One might say that the pentatonic scale is the music of “home”, accessible, and developmentally comfortable to listen to and sing along with. And, not surprisingly, a deeper exploration of this scale that creates a mood of the fifth can even have a healing effect.
We know that a musical interval can have an effect on us, particularly melodies written in the pentatonic scale. Many music educators and historians teach us remarkable things about the nature of intervals and scales, how we are able to connect to them in surprisingly straight forward ways, and how they developed over the unfolding of time -- across all genres, tones and sounds. If you are interested in a modern troubadour's introduction to the pentatonic scale, watch and listen to Bobby McFerrin's YouTube video “The Power of the Pentatonic Scale”, from the World Science Festival, 2009. You will see how this particular scale lives universally in all of us.
What is equally interesting is how the pentatonic scale provides a musical starting point that we all can relate to, regardless of whether the melody is familiar to us or not.
Engaging children in song and music can be a powerful experience for the young child. One might say that the pentatonic scale is the music of “home”, accessible, and developmentally comfortable to listen to and sing along with. And, not surprisingly, a deeper exploration of this scale that creates a mood of the fifth can even have a healing effect.
A Painting Song
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Bayushki Bayu
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Butterflies
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Caterpillar and the Mouse
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Close Your Eyes
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How Do We Love the Snow
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Hua La La
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Little Mice
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El beso de mamá
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O Dear Turtle Dove
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Oh, Great Spirit
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Scarlet and Yellow, Golden and Brown
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The Cuckoo
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The Squirrel
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Then Wished Our Mother Mary
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We Are Hungry
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The Winds
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Jack Frost
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Fireflies
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Falling Stars
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