SRU music majors lead children in ‘Meaningful musical experiences’
SLIPPERY ROCK — A recurring activity run by students in Slippery Rock University’s music program combines performance with educational lessons in a way that the college students enjoy, and their audience hardly notices.
At the first Sing Move Play of the semester Saturday morning, Oct. 17, it’s because the young children who the program was for were having too much fun.
And that’s just the way the college students like it, because the children they were entertaining got an early exposure to music, instruments and the stories and feelings they can convey. Their sounds echoed through the campus’ Swope Music Hall from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday.
After singing a story that asking children to jump, shake a tambourine to a beat and make animal noises, Keira Mayhue, a senior and work study student in SRU’s music department, said the event was a good example of putting her class lessons to use. She added that her hope is that some of the children she works with develop an appreciation for listening to or even playing music when they get older.
“Kids themselves are so imaginative and creative and our number one rule is whatever they say goes, and you just roll with it,” Mayhue said. “This is all about getting kids to feel the music in their bodies.”
Mayhue and the other student leading the activity, junior music major Brooke Dougherty, said they only had a few days to put to the program together. But they were happy to take “one of the few opportunities they have” in a semester to use their musical knowledge to entertain and educate children.
Cassandra Eisenreich, associate professor of flute and music education at SRU, said the Sing Move Play activities are described by their title. But in addition to giving children up to age 8 an outlet for their sounds and movements, Eisenreich said she also hopes to give them early “meaningful musical experiences that are free,” and create a community of parents introducing their children to music.
“Everything is rooted in play, the play portion of the class is specific to playing actual instruments,” Eisenreich said. “The idea is they have the chance to explore and discover with those instruments — they’re hearing sounds, creating sounds, feeling things.”
At the start of the session, Mayhue, who was dressed as Elsa from “Frozen,” played piano and described herself and her audience as walking through the woods, where they came across several obstacles that were marked by a musical sting. Children walked to the beat, then jumped over a log and swapped spiderwebs away from their face all to the tune of the piano.
After the story, Dougherty picked up a ukulele and sang simple melodies with instructions for the children. After singing along, they picked up tambourines of their own and Dougherty and Mayhue led them in a song that led the youths through rhythmic pounding of the tambourines.
Dougherty said the activity was rewarding because of how engaged the children were in the music and story.
“We get to see these kids light up and enjoy music, and it’s so beautiful to see,” Dougherty said.
This was the first Sing Move Play activity for sophomore music major Gabrielle Laderer, who also said the sessions are special in that they let the college students try out some teaching moments of their own to a child audience.
And even the adults got into the music, and clapped along with their children as Dougherty and Mayhue led the exercises.
Victoria Frank, of Renfrew, said she and her husband brought their 10-month-old son, Waylon Frank, because he is already showing signs of musicality.
“He just likes music so we wanted to bring him here,” Frank said. “He loves country.”
The next Sing Move Play event is at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at Swope Music Hall, 101 E. Central Loop, Slippery Rock. It will have a petting zoo theme, and is free to attend.
