Let’s get physical! Learn how to help young children use movement and creativity to relate to every aspect of music and other content areas. From melody and rhythm to dynamics and form, children can deepen and broaden their understanding of all kinds of music when they use their bodies and minds together. As children become musically literate, they respond actively by listening, reading, writing, creating, and arranging music. And once children have tuned in, teachers can capitalize on the motivating power of music to help children learn basic skills and concepts.

Objectives
Participants will deepen their understandings of how young children can learn to:

• respond to each musical attribute;
• read, write, and perform developmentally-appropriate musical activities,
• learn basic skills and concepts through music, and
• design effective music and movement lessons.

Outline
Day 1:

• RESPONDING TO MUSIC
  • Responding to Musical Form
  • Responding to Dynamics
  • Responding to Tempo
  • Responding to Instrumentation
  • Responding to Phrasing
  • Responding to Rhythm
  • Responding to Beat and Meter
  • Responding to Pitch
  • Responding to Melody
• UNDERSTANDING MUSIC
  • Reading Simple Music (basic Kodaly notation)
  • Writing Simple Music
  • Singing, Playing, and Moving to Simple Music

Day 2:

• TEACHING THROUGH MUSIC AND MOVEMENT
  • Alphabet and phonics
  • Phonemic awareness
  • Auditory discrimination
  • Auditory memory
  • Following directions
• DESIGNING EFFECTIVE MUSIC AND MOVEMENT LESSONS
  • Establishing purpose
  • Sequence of instruction
  • Developing creativity and divergent thinking
  • Reinforcement and follow-up
  • Adapting to special needs and abilities
  • Sharing with colleagues

Trainer’s Profile
A graduate of Boston University, West Virginia University, and Ohio University, Dr. Gifford began her 30-years teaching career as a music educator in the public schools of Wellesley, Massachusetts, Half Moon Bay, California, and South Orange, New Jersey.  A passion for the improvement of early literacy led Dr. Gifford to supplement her Music Education degree with a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education.  Throughout a tenure of several years as a first grade and special education teacher for Appalachian children in Wirt County, West Virginia, Dr. Gifford energized her classroom by composing and adapting music, writing computer programs, and integrating multi-media.  She realized that a classroom environment which capitalized on children’s normal inclinations to sing, to move, and to play would stimulate active learning by making the process both natural and enjoyable.  Over time, Dr. Gifford’s songs and activities for teaching kids phonics became a regular part of reading instruction lesson plans for both average and remedial students.

Dr. Gifford began an intense study of children’s writing development, culminating in a Ph.D. in Reading and Language Arts in 1994.  Her research on invented spelling was chosen for special recognition by the Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Committee of the International Reading Association.  In conducting her doctoral studies, Dr. Gifford collected and analyzed over five thousand journal entries written by children who were just beginning to read and write.

In 1995, Dr. Gifford began working with classroom teachers and pre-service teachers as an education faculty member at Ohio University and Wright State University.  Dr. Gifford developed workshops for educators involving technology in the classroom, tools for teaching phonics, spelling games and challenges, improving reading comprehension, and challenging at-risk students.  In addition to presentations at conventions for the National Council of Teachers of English and state Language Arts and Early Childhood organizations, Dr. Gifford became a technology consultant for the Coldwater, Ohio public schools.  Dr. Gifford engaged in an extensive research project for the Ohio Department of Education to evaluate the success of a statewide Phonics Demonstration Project.

Dr. Gifford’s recent work focuses on educators, volunteers, and community members who work with at-risk students. In addition to serving on the Board of Trustees for the Miami Valley Child Development Centers, Dr. Gifford has developed A Blueprint for Reading Success (Gifford, 1999) and A Blueprint for Math Success (Gifford, Cochran, and Herrelko, 2000), two comprehensive and easy-to-manage tutoring programs for reading and math improvement.  St. Louis, Missouri participants report enthusiasm for this exciting program in community centers, latchkey programs, and schools.  Dr. Gifford continues to develop curricula for computer-assisted learning, educational games, and distance learning.  She has conducted online courses on the Internet for Wright State University since 1993.

Methodology
Workshop with audience participation. This is an interactive workshop where participants get to “try out” songs, and musical activities before introducing them to children. Day 2 of the workshop includes a session in which participants develop creative movement lessons that reflect the special needs, interests, and aptitudes of their students

Target Audience
Pre-school, Kindergarten, Early Childhood. Classroom teachers, physical education teachers, music teachers, parents, and administrators interested in improving the quality and effectiveness of their early childhood programs through the integration of music and movement. Aged 4 to 8.

Investment
SGD690.00/pax
SGD590.00/pax if register by 1 Oct 12
Participants will receive a packet of ready-to-use activities that can be adapted to individual needs and curricula. Some musical selections used in the workshop are available for purchase on compact disk.

Duration: 2 days, 12 hours
Closing Date: 1 Dec 12