{"id":15917,"date":"2023-11-03T13:46:58","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T18:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/?p=15917"},"modified":"2026-03-31T14:56:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:56:57","slug":"color-my-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/color-my-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Color My World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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How many times have you looked at a young child\u2019s drawing and thought, \u201cWow. That\u2019s terrible.\u201d Maybe you even said to yourself, \u201cThat\u2019s supposed to be a puppy? It\u2019s just a bunch of scribbles! This kid needs some lessons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Absurd, right? We afford children an amount of freedom for their visual creative work that we withhold when it comes to music. Part of the reason for this may be the evolutionary pressures that now allow us to close our eyes but not our ears. I can glance at the child\u2019s drawing, praise her, and be done with the whole interaction in a moment. Not so easy to do when someone is sawing away at the cello for hours, or producing sounds on the recorder that make even the dog head for the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I wish we let children explore their instruments as often as we encourage them to freely dive into a box of Crayola 64. Music so quickly turns into the study and practice of fingerings, reading and \u201cnotes\u201d (a word I wish would disappear). I admit it\u2019s not an entirely fair comparison. If young students are to be in an ensemble there are things to know and skills to perfect. I grew up playing in these bands and orchestras, and I always loved the cacophony of the room before the rehearsal started: 30 young musicians all making their own sounds! There was a kind of power and even unity in the chaos that trundling through Hot Cross Buns, or even The Theme from Rocky\u2014as thrilling as that also was\u2014could never quite match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, in addition to my Dalcroze classes, I\u2019ve been teaching an instrument discovery class. The kids (between 4 and 5 years old) with their grown-ups get to spend time with the recorder, the piano, violin, cello, and the ukulele. In addition to classroom Dalcroze experiences, they have weekly assignments that I hope will encourage them to think of music as not only mastery of an instrument but also as a wide open field of creative possibility. So far they have written short songs, matched movement to sound with homemade instruments, conducted each other with musical gestures and drawn pictures of sounds. The sounds they are producing on the recorder can be headache-inducing for those with sensitive ears, but I guarantee you I could find master improvisers, some at the forefront of music innovation, who have made those exact same sounds on recordings that are now considered classics. If it\u2019s not too early to let a child spread paint with their fingers onto a sheet of paper, surely we can set them free with a simple instrument and let them discover some of its possibilities for themselves. As they share their discoveries with the class they also get a taste of what it’s like to prepare something to perform for others or to be a member of an ensemble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s their 3rd<\/sup> week on recorder, and, yes, we are learning to produce specific pitches and building skills related to breathing and tonguing. Yes, we are heading towards Hot Cross Buns (a beautiful example of simplicity, contrast, AABA form, and so much more) before we shift to the next instrument. And, yes, the families may need to thank their neighbors with a bottle of red for their kind indulgence. There will be plenty of time in their young lives for standing still, practicing a difficult passage for hours, perfecting tone. Where would music be without those willing to do those things? But also, where would music be without the hunger to explore and create? I believe we can nurture both from day 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way to do that is through the Dalcroze approach. Now that we are heading into our third month of study, many early childhood Dalcroze families are wondering just what the heck we do in there for 45 minutes? Children are notoriously unreliable narrators, so some previous articles I\u2019ve written can help give you a general idea of our goals and objectives.  You can use the ‘early childhood<\/a>‘ tag to see articles about early childhood Dalcroze. Here<\/a>\u2019s a good one to start with for a basic overview. If you are really intrigued, ask to visit an adult Dalcroze class<\/a>\u2014no musical experience necessary\u2014and try it for yourself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As always, I\u2019m delighted to hear your thoughts, comments and questions in the box below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now go get a box of 64 for yourself and have some real fun\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How much skill do you need before music is experienced as a creative activity?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[128],"tags":[113,94],"class_list":["post-15917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dalcroze-reference","tag-children","tag-early-childhood"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9ohMj-48J","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":362,"url":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/what-were-working-on\/","url_meta":{"origin":15917,"position":0},"title":"For Parents: Classes for 4-5 year-olds","author":"Michael Joviala","date":"October 8, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Parent: \"What did you do in class today?\"Child: \"I was a cat.\"Parent: \"Oh.\" It is difficult for young children to express exactly what they are 'learning' in a Dalcroze classroom. What happens in the room after we take off our socks and shoes and close the door? Of course, in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dalcroze Reference"","block_context":{"text":"Dalcroze Reference","link":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/category\/dalcroze-reference\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":455,"url":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/7-9-year-olds-september\/","url_meta":{"origin":15917,"position":1},"title":"7-9 Year-Olds: September","author":"Michael Joviala","date":"September 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome parents and family members of the new Dalcroze class for 7 to 9-year-olds at the Lucy Moses School. I am pleased we were able to expand our program to include older children this year! Because it is sometimes difficult \u2013 even for adult Dalcroze students \u2013 to be able\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dalcroze Reference"","block_context":{"text":"Dalcroze Reference","link":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/category\/dalcroze-reference\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13972,"url":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/becoming-more-yourself\/","url_meta":{"origin":15917,"position":2},"title":"Becoming More Yourself","author":"Michael Joviala","date":"May 3, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Dawn Pratson, Michael Joviala and Michele Herman in Conversation For about 2 years now, Dawn Pratson (dance and choreography) and I (piano and composition) have been meeting every week through Zoom to improvise together. Dawn usually leads us both in a physical warm-up. Eventually I wander over to the piano\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Projects"","block_context":{"text":"Projects","link":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/category\/projects\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/cpsess1042171136\/frontend\/paper_lantern\/filemanager\/2023\/05\/Screen-Shot-2023-05-01-at-5.40.19-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/cpsess1042171136\/frontend\/paper_lantern\/filemanager\/2023\/05\/Screen-Shot-2023-05-01-at-5.40.19-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/cpsess1042171136\/frontend\/paper_lantern\/filemanager\/2023\/05\/Screen-Shot-2023-05-01-at-5.40.19-PM.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/cpsess1042171136\/frontend\/paper_lantern\/filemanager\/2023\/05\/Screen-Shot-2023-05-01-at-5.40.19-PM.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":500,"url":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/7-9-year-old-dalcroze-3617\/","url_meta":{"origin":15917,"position":3},"title":"7-9 Year-old Dalcroze: 3\/6\/17","author":"Michael Joviala","date":"March 31, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This was another very unusual class. The story from the previous week was very strong in their minds, and they desperately wanted to continue it. That kind of intense student engagement is very hard for me to resist, so I relented, not having the least idea about where it would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dalcroze Reference"","block_context":{"text":"Dalcroze Reference","link":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/category\/dalcroze-reference\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":423,"url":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/is-my-child-gifted\/","url_meta":{"origin":15917,"position":4},"title":"Is my child gifted?","author":"Michael Joviala","date":"October 15, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 There is one comment that I often hear from parents that still catches me off guard: \u201cHe really responds to music!\u201d The sentiment is usually expressed with a mix of surprise and awe, but seeing children respond to music with delight, enthusiasm, passion, abandon, inventiveness and curiosity would likely\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dalcroze Reference"","block_context":{"text":"Dalcroze Reference","link":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/category\/dalcroze-reference\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"DSC_0769","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/DSC_0769-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":435,"url":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/drawing-music\/","url_meta":{"origin":15917,"position":5},"title":"Drawing Music","author":"Michael Joviala","date":"March 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"For the past few weeks, you may have noticed your children leaving the classes clutching drawings. In the spring of the year, I usually begin to focus the children\u2019s attention on ways that musical events and phenomenon can be visually represented. However, the longer I teach, the more I find\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dalcroze Reference"","block_context":{"text":"Dalcroze Reference","link":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/category\/dalcroze-reference\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15917"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16135,"href":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15917\/revisions\/16135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joviala.com\/jovialaworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}