CONTEST WINNERS

Share and Win Contest – First Place: Name the Mystery Instrument

Place several instruments in front of your child and play them together, one-at-a-time. Say the name of the instrument as you play it. Once your child is able to name each instrument, ask him or her to put their hands in front of their eyes. Play an instrument for them and let them guess which instrument you have chosen!

For the youngest children, when selecting your group of instruments, consider using at least one from each of the various percussion families: drums (try the LP RhythMix Tom-Tom, Bongos, Conga, or Frame Drum!), wood tones (try the LP RhythMix Tone Block or Rhythm Stix), metal tones (try the LP RhythMix Triangle, Wow Earth Bell, or Jingle Stick!), and shakers (try any on of the myriad LP RhythMix Shakers: Egg Shakers, Animal Shakers, Chick-Itas, Box Shakers, or Conga Shakers!).

For a more advanced version of this exercise, try to teach your older child to tell the difference in sound between various drum types. They will learn that the bigger, deeper drums make a bigger, deeper sound! Alternately, you can try this exercise using only wood tones, metal tones, and shakers!

Note from the editor: The activity that takes First Place in our latest LP RhythMix Share and Win Contest was submitted by Didier Heck of Waterloo, Belgium. This fun, educational activity is a wonderful way to teach young children focused listening skills! Merci, Didier!

Share and Win Contest - Second Place: Language for Rhythm

First, speak the words of a nursery rhyme, like "Little Bo Peep". Then demonstrate how to play the words on claves (try the LP RhythMix Rhythm Stix!) or on drums as you say the poem. Once the child has mastered this, ask them to only "think" the poem while playing.

This activity can be used with a group of children, and can eventually be made more challenging. Guide the children to isolate certain words, like the rhyming words in the poem: "sheep" and "peep", or "alone" and "home". While some kids continue "thinking" the poem on drums, you can then add different instruments with, some children playing one instrument for the "-eep" words (try the LP RhythMix Wow Earth Bell!), and another instrument to the "-one" words (try the LP RhythMix Jingle Stick!).

Keep it interesting by asking the children to exchange instruments, and do it all again with everyone playing new parts!

Rosalie tells us, "By the end of a lesson like this, we have practiced keeping a steady beat, practiced focus and concentration, instrument technique, relating rhythm to language, rhyming words, and playing in a group; and had fun!"

Note from the editor: This wonderful activity submitted by Rosalie Brown-Lundh of Tigard, Oregon won Second Prize in our latest LP RhythMix Share and Win Contest! Rosalie says, "I like to use language for rhythm with small children." We agree! The theory of "if you can say it, you can play it" really works! Thanks, Rosalie!

Share and Win Classroom Contest – First Place: Rhythm Exercise

Rosalie has her class sit in a circle while she claps a steady beat: ta - ta - ta - ta. The kids play along for a while to establish the beat, and then she asks them to stop. When they join in again, they can clap any repeated 2 or 4 beat pattern, EXCEPT the 4 quarter-note beat that she’s clapping. They know that they can use ta (quarter notes), ti (eighth notes), tiri (sixteenth notes), rests, and ta-ah (half notes). When Rosalie says, "SWITCH!" the kids get to think of a new pattern.

As soon as the kids have mastered the clapping exercise, her class transfers the same activity to drums. This activity will work with any of the LP RhythMix percussion instruments! Try as many as you dare!According to Rosalie, the kids love this activity and the freedom it offers them in making their own music. Have fun!

Note from the editor: Rosalie Brown-Lundh of Tigard, Oregon submitted the activity that takes First Place in our latest LP RhythMix Share and Win Classroom Contest. (She is also second place winner in our LP RhythMix Share and Win Contest for home!) This slightly advanced activity is a wonderful way to teach children to learn to listen as they make music together, to keep a beat steady, to find a beat in a group setting… and what a fun way to learn to improvise rhythm! Thanks, Rosalie!