ECMA of Ontario

MUSIC TIME - The Magazine of ECMA of Ontario

Music Time is published three times per year by the Early Childhood Music Association of Ontario.  The newsletter/magazine includes feature articles, teaching techniques, games, and information on current courses and workshop opportunities. 

The Association welcomes contributions of articles, teaching ideas, suggestions for future issues or questions from anyone in the field of music in early childhood.

To learn more about Music Time, please browse previous Tables of Contents, below.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Winter 2005  *  Volume 16, Number 3

From The Editor
In Retrospect: 15 Years Of  ECMA
    - by Angélique Davies

"I have Mary Stouffer to thank for the wonderful idea of creating an edition of the newsletter that would give members an opportunity to look back on some of the achievements of the Early Childhood Music Association in the last fifteen years. As I looked through the photographs and back issues of newsletters it was a challenge to select materials for this edition that best reflected what were clearly joyful experiences for so very many people. But it was not difficult to see the message that the pictures and articles were communicating about the valuable work being done to provide arts experiences to young children and the importance of continued professional development for their teachers..."

Music As Poetry For The Youngest Ones
    - by Katalin Forrai (reprinted from Music Time, Fall 1995, Vol. 7, No.1)

"The following is an edited report of a presentation made by Katalin Forrai to the XIIth International Kodály Symposium in Italy, August 1995. Our own experiences show and scientific investigations bear evidence of how susceptible young children are. The influence of arts and music belong to their early development because they leave indelible marks on the children's soul for a whole life...."

Presidents' Messages
    - by Mary Stouffer  (reprinted from Music Time, June 1990, Vol. 1, No. 1)

"It is with great excitement and anticipation of wonderful things
that I write to you. A small seed has been planted and indeed, with proper
care, will bloom into a beautiful flower..."

    - by Donald McKay (reprinted from Music Time, June 1994, Vol. 5, No. 1)

"Since the publication of the last newsletter I have experienced
both despair and joy about the future of music education..."

    - by Ewa Krzatala (reprinted from Music Time, summer 1999, Vol. 10, No. 1)

"...I encourage all of members to seek some professional enrichment.
Take a course, or attend a workshop. stay fresh. Learn from your students.
Observe other teachers at work. And keep a song in your heart!"

    - by Ellen Smee (Message written to commemorate the Tenth anniversary
      of the Early Childhood Music Association, June 1, 2000)

"...We owe it to the children to ensure that the lasting impact of
(the interest of the media) will be that all children have music in their
lives and music teachers who inspire them to reach their highest potential
as human beings. We can be proud of ECMA's efforts to support teachers
in this noble endeavour. It is indeed worth celebrating. While we enjoy
our moment in the sun, let us make sure it counts for something of
lasting value."

Pioneer Educator Reaches A Milestone
    - by Shirley Peters (reprinted from Ostinato, Fall 2000, Vol. 27, No.1
       with permission of  the author)

"Donna Wood, early childhood educator and an internationally renowned pioneer of early childhood music education in Canada, celebrated her 80th birthday on August 4, 2000 in a most appropriate location - the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, and in a most fitting way - surrounded by many teachers who owe their training to this wonderful lady. Some of these teachers included the 'students' who that very day had graduated from the Music in Early Childhood course at the Conservatory... "Donna's birthday celebration would not have been complete without moving, singing, listening, and playing, and there was plenty of all of those, plus eating, laughing, reminiscing, and even some planning for the future.
"Congratulations, Donna! and thank you for all you have given to us, your former students, and to countless numbers of children."

Announcing: WWW.ECMAONTARIO.CA!
    - by Debbie Carroll

"...With the birth of our website, the Early Childhood Music Association of Ontario has taken world-sized baby steps into a new way of communicating with each other as members, and into the world-wide early childhood music community....We invite you to VISIT, then BOOKMARK, and USE our new website. We hope that it will become a useful tool as well as a meeting place for the community of the Early Childhood Music Association of Ontario."

COLLAGE 2006: CULTIVATE, CREATE, CELEBRATE! - CULTIVONS,
        CRÉONS,  CÉLÉBRONS!

"The Ontario Chapter of Carl Orff Canada is hosting the 19th National
Orff conference in Toronto, Thursday, April 27 to Sunday , April 30, 2006 at the Hilton Toronto. This is an amazing opportunity for professional development: to learn from the best, see children's groups from across Canada perform, and meet with other teachers who like you, have a passion for teaching and music."
See www.orffcanada.ca for details.

In Notation
    - Simply Beautiful by Debbie Carroll © Merriweather Records

TABLE OF CONTENTS Summer 2005  *  Volume 16, Number 2

Creating Joy and Enhancing Life: Katalin Forrai Remembered
    - by Mary Stouffer

From the Editor: Proposing a toast to the 15th anniversary of ECMA Ontario
    - by Angelique Davis

From the President's Desk: Memories of Donna Wood and Kati Forrai
    - by Ewa Krzatala

Happy 15th Anniversary, ECMA! 1990 - 2005

"The Early Childhood Music Association is thrilled to be celebrating fifteen years of advocacy and leadership in the field of music education for young children. Since it was founded in 1990 by Donna Wood with the dedicated help of our first president, Mary Stouffer, The ECMA has remained committed to fostering communication among those who value the importance of developmentally appropriate, high quality musical experiences in the lives of all children...."

A Letter of Thanks to the RCM Scholarship Committee
    - from Ann Rowland

The New ECMA Website www.ecmaontario.ca

ECMA Annual General Meeting Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Upbeat Books - Theo Heras reviews:
  - Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton
  - Listen to the Rain, by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archamboult, illustrated by James Endicott
  - In the Tall, Tall Grass, by Denise Fleming
  - Barnyard Tracks, by Dee Dee Duffy, illustrated by Janet Marshall
  - We're Going on a Bear Hunt, by Michael Rosen and illustrator Helen Oxenbury
  - Rain Drop Splash, by Alvin Tresselt and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard
  - Over in the Meadow, by John Langstaff with illustrations by Feodor Rojankovsy
  - The Listening Walk, by Paul Showers and illustrated by Aliki

In Notation
  - Bow, Bow Belinda - Traditional

TABLE OF CONTENTS Spring 2005  *  Volume 16, Number 1
Total Literacy:  Teaching in and Through Music
    - by Dr. Susan Snyder
 
From the Editor
    - by Angelique Davies
 
ECMA's Educational Videos
 
When Words Sing
    - by Deborah Dunleavy
"Words come alive when we sing them.  We get to play with the percussion of the syllables and slide along the soothing length of the vowels.  We sometimes make up rhymes for them or turn them into tongue twisters. These are the games I play...." 
In Praise of Donna Wood: Words of Thanks from Friends
    - from Mary Stouffer, Rosemary Lucas, Debbie Carroll, and Angelique Davies
 
Upbeat Books - Theo Heras reviews:
    - The Baby Goes Beep, by Rebecca O'Connell, illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max
    - Bumpety Bump, by Kathy Henderson, illustrated by Carol Thompson
    - So Much, by Trish Cooke, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
    - Tanka Tanka Skunk!, by Steve Webb
    - Pop Corn & Ma Goodness, by Edna Mitchell Preston, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker
    - Lookin' for Bird in the Big City, by Robert Burleigh, illustrated bye Marek Los
    - Perfect Harmony, a Musical Journey with the Boys Choir of Harlem, by Charles R. Smith Jr.
 
RAIN:  A Reader's Theatre Activity with Masks, Musical Instruments and a Book!
    - by Angelique Davies
TABLE OF CONTENTS Fall 2003  *  Volume 14, Number 3
From Playdough to Plato
    - by Doug Goodkin (c) 1998

    "Every teacher of young children must fill in the details of this simple truth:  "Play is the work of children" "...
From the Editor
    - by Angelique Davies
 A Scholarship Thank-you
    - by Faria MacDonald
 
Musical Growth Through Free Play
     - by Ann Rowland
    "...a review of a workshop presented by the E.C.M.A. on February 23,
2003.  Ann describes the experience of freeing up creative energy, while
engaging one's active imagination.  At this workshop Ewa Krzatala presented
"Musical Growth Through Free Play' and Julie Service presented 'Making Your
Own Sound Box', the making of instruments....."
Down the Road
 
Nurturing Joy:  The Parent-Child Mother Goose Program
 
    From one program to many programs...
    At the Parent-Child Mother Goose Program
    And There's Always a Lullaby
 
Great Gift Ideas:  (CDs and more...) for Children, Parents, Teachers 
and Other Musical Friends!
 
    - Debbie Carroll, Up and Over the Moon! Giggle, Dance and Cuddle Songs for the Very Young
    - The Funky Mamas and Rich Maynard-Langedijk, The Funky Mamas 
    - Theo Heras, What Will We Do With the Baby-O?
    - Carol Lipson,  If You Try and Imagine Markus, Jump!

TABLE OF CONTENTS Summer 2003  *  Volume 14, Number 2

The Contribution of Songs and Rhymes to Early Social-Emotional Development
    - by Susan Berry, Psychologist, Etobicoke Children's Centre and Peel Children's Centre
"Helping parents learn songs, rhymes and lap games to play with their babies can promote healthy social-emotional development, particularly in the first years of life".
    The contribution of rhymes: 
            - Birth to 3 months of age
            - 3 to 6 months
            - 7 to 18 months
    The contribution of the parent-child group programs.
    References
    "This article is adapted from one that was previously published in IMPrint (Volume 31, Fall 2000)."
 Further Resources
   
From the Editor
    - by Angelique Davies
 
Up and Over the Moon!
    - by Debbie Carroll

"Who, me?  I couldn't make a CD.  I'm a teacher, not a performer!"

 From Lullabies to Literacy:  Using Songs and Rhymes to Enhance Reading Readiness
    - by Chris DeGennaro
 
" I am ...delighted to be promoting a new Manual, "From Lullabies to Literacy", developed by The Macaulay Child Development Centre with the funding form the Atkinson Charitable Foundation.  The manual contains a hands-on curriculum designed for use with any group of caregivers, parents, home visitors or Family Resource Centre Staff.  As the title suggests, singing lullabies to children is an excellent way to promote reading readiness in the early years...."
 On Studying Modally Pedagogy
    - by Tanya Bernard (Robert and Donna Wood Scholarship recipient)
 
In Notation
    - Counting Sheep by Farina MacDonald
 
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