YOU AND ME MUSIC
Music Classes by Mischa O Mahony

I am a professional musician with a Masters in Music from Trinity College. Apart from being a music teacher, I compose music for theatres and play saxophone with various groups, the main band I perform with is Jerry Fish & the Mudbug Club. One of the most rewarding things I do as a musician is giving music workshops to children, I love their pure enjoyment as they get to delve into the world of music, open up their creativity and develop their little musical ears. My aim is always to pass on my own love for music.

So what happens in my classes?

Music is at the core of our being and life is full of rhythm and melody from the very start. My classes are all about enjoying discovering this musical world. I aspire to encourage children to celebrate music, to discover its magic, to tap into their own musical roots, and not least: to become great musicians that can sing, improvise, communicate, express, compose and have a lot of fun. The best way to become a great musician is through active music making, by picking up an instrument, singing a song or clapping your hands …. at an early age!

During my classes I focus on the following musical ingredients: singing (songs are at the hearth of my classes), developing rhythm and pulse, introducing music idioms like loud-soft, low-high and slow-fast, discovering and exploring sound in stories, enjoying improvisation and starting with musical notation & composition. The instruments that are used, apart from our lovely voices, are small percussion instruments like shakers, wrist bells and claves. I also use pitched instruments like xylophones and pitched bells for more melodic work. The children are gradually introduced to more challenging songs, rhythms and games, that continue to gently encourage their musical abilities and understanding, while developing their inner-hearing and their confidence in music settings.

Furthermore, I have studied the Kodály method and in my music workshops I draw upon this method. The following paragraphs explains the Kodály method in a nutshell, it also highlights the elements I will bring to the classes.

Kodály believed that music education should begin as early as possible in a person's life as children are naturally inclined to make music at the same rate as they learn their native language, using their voice as their first musical instrument. Songs are therefore the starting point of Kodály’s musical experience. To help memorizing the songs, movement and actions are used like for example clapping, waving, rocking or marching. Apart from it being a lot of fun, using physical movement helps internalizing a genuine sense of rhythm as well as instilling an awareness of a constant pulse. Another important element of the Kodály method is the use of ‘Solfa’ (do, re, mi). Right from the very start children can get a feel for pitch and melody by using Solfa and accompanying hand signs which are used to help visualize the pitch being sung. Is it going up? Is it going down? Not only do the notes have names, the rhythms do too. Instead of using the standard musical terms defining the length of notes, a simplified sound is used to depict a rhythmic note or syllable. For example, the word ‘teh-teh’ is much easier for a child to understand than saying ‘the rhythm is two quavers’. All in all, this is a method which cultivates a love and appreciation for music through direct musical experience from an early age.

As the children make their journey through Glenone from the baby room up to Big Montis, music will be part of their wonderful experience here. As they grow their musical skills and confidence will grow with them.

Moms and dads are welcome to join in - the more the happier as the children might need a lap to sit on or an extra hand to clap (specially the younger ones). So remember: every last Friday of the month, you might even get to bring a song home!