I prepared and distributed five new sheet music pieces to the members. These were arrangements I made based on member requests. Each piece has been shortened so everyone can play them without too much difficulty.
- APT
- Bling-Bang-Bang-Born
- Another Sky
- Etupirka
- Mickey Mouse March
Members don’t need to play all the songs – they can choose whichever ones they want to try. When children choose songs they actually want to play, they practice with great enthusiasm. The child who chose “Another Sky” practiced continuously for the entire hour and a half at the community center without taking a break, with their mother’s support.
Another child who liked “APT” and “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” managed to learn both songs within the practice period.
While I certainly want them to develop basic skills and knowledge, recommending things that adults consider “good” doesn’t guarantee that young children will agree or engage with them. Even if they do comply, they might just be going through the motions because they’ve been conditioned to follow adults’ instructions. What I want to avoid most is children becoming passive, just waiting for instructions because they’ve given up thinking “they’ll just tell me I can’t do it anyway.”
To prevent this, I consciously try to listen to their wishes and help make them possible. Sometimes I catch myself thinking “I need to make them do this,” but I’m careful not to impose my preferences.
This time, seeing some children become completely absorbed in their playing makes me feel we’ve made a little progress.
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