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Shake Rattle and Roll at Bongo Boy Music School

July 22, 2015 by Mama Carmody 8 Comments

Shake Rattle and Roll at Bongo Boy Music School

Shake Rattle and Roll is not simply the title of a song from the early ‘50’s; it’s also a fun musical experience at Bongo Boy Music School. This particular class is geared for the little ones; birth to 36 months. There is another class for 3 to 8 year olds, called Jam as a Fam.

Today, I’m going to share with you about the fun we had at the Shake Rattle and Roll class. This will be our third trip to Bongo Boy Music School. Our first trip was in March of 2014, when we took our 32 month old, great-nephew. We were able to make a second trip when our grandson came to visit from Texas. He was 8 months old at the time. Both of them really enjoyed their time at Bongo Boy.

Shake Rattle and Roll at Bongo Boy Music School

Just recently, we were able to take our grandson back for a visit. He is almost 2 years old now. He had every bit as much fun as he did on his first trip.

Our grandson is still enjoying Shake Rattle and Roll at Bongo Boy Music School.

The class is set up to allow the children to experience music and rhythm through several different mediums. During the time we were there, we used the drums, some shakers, scarves, “quackers” (a percussion instrument that sounds like a duck’s quack) and our bodies. I say “we” because everyone is encouraged to join in. It’s very important for the adults to set the example. The little ones are always watching you.

Several energetic songs were used to encourage participation. One of my favorites is “The Freeze” by Greg and Steve. I used that song in my preschool classes when I was teaching.

Besides the fun with rhythm and music, there are some important secondary lessons that happen during Shake, Rattle and Roll. One of them is sharing. There is plenty of equipment for everyone but sometimes a little one likes to wander and play on another drum that someone is already at. The other lesson is cleaning up. At the end of the session all of the instruments need to be put up. Miss Colleen (our instructor) tells us what needs to be brought to her and the children take the items up and put them in the bin. On all of the occasions we have been there, the children have been very excited to help with the clean up. Miss Colleen makes everything fun!

The very last thing we did on this trip, to Bongo Boy Music School, was get up and move our bodies. As you can see in the following video, our grandson really enjoys moving his body.

As you can see, we really enjoyed Shake Rattle and Roll at Bongo Boy Music School. We will definitely be heading there again before my grandson and daughter head back to Texas.

Bongo Boy Music School offers several family friendly events:

On Mondays – Free Community Drum Circle for Special Needs at Bongo Boy Music School
On Thursdays – Free Community Drum Circle for the Whole Family
On Saturdays – Shake Rattle & Roll – for ages from the Womb to 36 Months & “Jam as a Fam” for Ages 3 – 8 yrs old

Do you have a music school or drum circle that your family enjoys? We would love to hear about your experiences with music!

Bongo Boy Music School Review

March 14, 2014 by Mama Carmody 5 Comments

Bongo Boy Music School Review

I have been including activities from Bongo Boy Music School, in my Family Friendly Events, since April of 2013; but I had never been able to attend an event. I love children and finding fun learning activities for them, but the children in my life are under the age of three and Bongo Boy Music School didn’t have any activities for them. Well, that has changed! Recently, they added a class for birth to 36 months old. Perfect! My great-nephew is 32 months old and my grandson is 7 months old! I have really wanted to visit and, this past Saturday, I finally got my chance.

We were the first ones to arrive. We received a warm welcome and they turned on some cartoons to entertain the little ones until we got ready to go back to the drum room. There was also a little table and a bookshelf filled with books. We didn’t wait long at all and it was time to go have some fun.

The instructor/facilitator mentioned that she also teaches preschool…no wonder she was so wonderful with the children. She explained to us that there was no right or wrong way to participate. This is mainly an opportunity for little ones to experience music through instruments and movement.

The children were led through a series of fun activities accompanied by lively music. They got to use balls, bells and maracas, scarves, and….oh, yes…drums!

Some of the music was simply fun and encouraged movement, like the song about the animals. One song encouraged listening and reacting. This song had the children freeze in place when the music stopped.

Never to young for Bongo Boy Music School

Everyone was having fun, whether they were very young; sitting in their mother’s laps or a little older; up moving and participating. The children also get the opportunity to experience following directions, sharing and putting things away.

The cost of the event is just $5 per child and the parents attend (and participate) for free.
There is also an event for 3 to 12 year olds, on Saturdays. Bongo Boy also has activities for the family during the week. There is a free Community Drum Circle for special needs on Mondays and a free Community Drum Circle for the whole family on Thursdays. You can find their activities listed in my Family Friendly Event post, each month, or go straight to the Bongo Boy Music School calendar.

Fun with Music: Percussion Instruments
Rhythm! Discovery Center: Review

Rhythm! Discovery Center Review

October 9, 2013 by Mama Carmody 15 Comments

Rhythm! Discovery Center Review

On Saturday, September 28th, we took advantage of the free admission offer by Smithsonian Magazine and headed to the Rhythm! Discovery Center. I would describe Rhythm! Discovery Center as an interactive percussion museum. There are several “hands-off” displays of different percussion instruments but I must admit that I didn’t really pay much attention to them. We were all about the hands-on pieces; and since we brought a 2 year old with us there was plenty of “hands-on” everywhere we went.

Here are a couple of the “hands-off” displays:

Rhythm! Discovery Center: "Hands-off" Displays — Rhythm! Discovery Center: “Hands-off” Displays

Let me warn you, if you or any of your children are sensitive to noise then this is not the place to go but if you don’t mind some good old fashion racket then you will have a blast.

One of the very first things we encountered was this huge drum. No, that it not just a large display, it’s a drum.

There are so many opportunities for learning at the Rhythm! Discovery Center. You could experiment with rhythms or the way different instruments made from different materials sound. For instance, how does a drum with an animal skin head sound different from a drum with a plastic head? Listen to how the drum sounds different from the cymbals.

Rhythm! Discovery Center: Different Mallets

You can experiment with how the drum sounds different if you hit it with your fingertips, the palm of your hand or your fist. There were also different things to play the instruments with so you can listen to the differences of playing with a hard mallet, a soft mallet or a brush (the musical kind, not the hair kind). You could also learn the names of the different instruments and from what country they originated.

The lessons we came to learn this day were simple (since we brought a 2 year old). We were simply experiencing the joy of sound and music. And there were secondary lessons like sharing and learning to wait your turn (which actually, he does very well).

Below are some of the pictures from our day:

The Cymbal

The Chimes
Children of all ages enjoy Rhythm! Discovery Center.

Wooden Instruments

The Percussion Wall

Rhythm! Discovery Center: Percussion Wall

Crash Cymbals
The cymbals were actually way too big but Jeremiah listened very closely to Uncle Pat’s instructions. I love the joy on his little face once he was able to crash them together.