what preschoolers learn about music recently

I don't know if it's just me but I found it amazing to know that my Nursery student is already learning the different types of musical instruments in school. Just recently, we were doing her assignment on the examples of string, percussion and wind instruments. I thought back then, when I was the same age as her (4 years old), I didn't know about these things. I was not even enrolled in preschool yet and I only got to enter Kindergarten at 6 years old. Bugles were a common sight in school parades but, as far as I can remember, we weren't discussing their classification during preschool. Amazing, indeed!

the persistent wannabe

Our daughter's latest obsession which has been going on for weeks now is the music from that Disney movie entitled "Frozen". Everyday, she begs for us to let her watch the movie; and when she's done with the movie, she wants to listen and sing-along to the same music on youtube. Sometimes it irritates me because I hardly have enough computer time myself because of her being a Frozen fanatic. Several times today, she asked her father to buy her the gown that Elsa wore when she sang "Let It Go". Her father had already said "No" to this request today. Tomorrow is another day for the persistent wannabe.

had fun singing last year

I feel like I'm not done yet with blogging about last year. :-) There was so much to blog about last year's happening that it didn't feel quite right for me to just skip it just because I got busy. Anyway, let me just talk about how husband, Dippy and I spent our Christmas last year. We actually celebrated it and had fun at our neighbor's house. Oh, my sister also was with us on Christmas. It was actually the first time that a good neighbor (a couple) invited us to have dinner with them. They prepared food; we prepared food as well. We had a bottle of red wine (for the ladies), some beer (for the two gentlemen) and juice for the little girl. I also brought our Magic Sing along, so we can have karaoke while we are still hours away from Christmas Eve. A few rounds of wine and beer have almost turned us into overnight sensation/professional singers, or should I say, wannabes. LOL. Good thing, a lot of the neighbors were also singing then. I did try to record my performance that night (just one song) using my cellphone and I realized that I must have been so out of tune after I got tipsy or drunk. I know my voice wouldn't be as bad as it was if I picked the right songs and adjust the pitch and other settings a little. My sister suggested to invest by getting a good set of speakers or an  audio equalizer but I'm not sure if it's a reasonable expense for me who doesn't do karaoke frequently. Maybe I'll just have to rehearse more often - there's great audio when I take my shower. Right. :-)

putting that passion for music to good use

Learning how to play a musical instrument, such as the guitar, can do more than just ease the boredom or loneliness of a person. Although it depends on one's level of interest and skills, one can really make money out of it once he or she decides to become a musician, be it a full-time or part-time thing. I also happen to know someone who didn't even finish college due to financial circumstances yet is still able to feed his own family by putting his guitar skills and knowledge to good use. What I mean is that he's never been out of work as he's able to land some jobs and gigs which needed his skills and expertise. I remembered he was the one who recommended a specific amplifier to a common friend and his bandmates who have just started out as a band then and they had nothing but good words about the equipment. Now, I heard he's a master salesperson now and has been earning more by selling and performing demos of electric guitars and amplifiers.

learn the secret to a winning musical performance

A corporate Christmas party is a fun and exciting event for many employees. Often, management would require their employees to participate in the program by sponsoring a Christmas caroling contest that would be open to all. Since this would usually involve a monetary reward for the winners, the employees would do all that they can to win by picking the right song and planning every single detail on how to go about their performance. Expectedly, not everybody can really sing that well, especially if they're picking a song with high-pitched notes. However, this should not be a problem if they are not using the standard minus one or karaoke to sing along with. For a winning performance, it would be a good idea to use a guitar accompaniment so that participants can make a good arrangement on a song. This way, they won't have to break their vocal chords just to reach a high note. After all, with a device  in the guitar, any high-pitched song or music can be beautifully arranged so that a song can be sung at a lower key. Certainly, the participating group with a member who has great guitar skills will have a good chance of coveting the prize. Well, that's just my opinion.

the music in my heart

What should I get my wonderful husband? It is going to be his birthday in a few days. Suddenly, I thought about the guitar I've long been planning to get him. Yes, my quest for a good guitar to buy hasn't ended yet. I thought it would be nice to get him the kind of guitar that he really likes so he would be very eager to learn how to play the instrument. Hopefully, pretty soon, he would be able to play even just one song really well and serenade me in one of those years that we will be celebrating our wedding anniversary. It should be romantic, right? Wishful thinking! Perhaps I can write a love song and come up with a good melody and then he can play it for me. Hearts! hearts! hearts! :-) This year, though, I don't see it happening yet. And I think I'm going too far with my thoughts. After all, he said he needs more than just a crash course on the basics of playing the guitar.

window shopping for guitars

Look at all these guitars. Can you help me pick one? LOL. Husband and I really don't have any idea which one to buy. We're not planning to buy yet as of this time, though. We just did some window shopping to please and satisfy our eyes and tire our feet. Actually, we just passed by the music area in one of the big chain stores here in Cebu while we were looking around for our little girl's costume some time about two weeks ago. Cebu is known for making great guitars, by the way. We just thought of taking a photo as a sort of a reminder that the budget for this is still on the waiting list. And it will still have to go through a lot of deliberation later on whether or not a budget for this should be released. How about a ukulele for the little girl? Hmmm.. Thanks to an alphabet poster, she now wants a violin (V for violin!) for herself.

her version of her favorite song

As promised, I am going to share my little girl's video on her version of the song Reflection from the movie, Mulan. I think it's going to take awhile before she is able to pronounce all the words and lyrics right. As a mom, I am already proud to say that she has already overcome her shyness a bit because everytime I would ask her to sing in front of someone, she would happily do so. And everytime we would watch The Voice of the Philippines, she would tell me she wants to be there singing to the judges. Haha, if only I am one of the judges, she can be assured that I would turn my chair for her. :-)

what was that again?

Since yesterday, my daughter has been sleeping off her fever. Though, she's still showing some energy, I did notice that it dwindled a bit because of what she's feeling. When she's awake, she would ask her father if she can watch the Mulan movie again from the portable DVD player we bought her for her educational videos. Yes, she has watched this movie several times already. Now I think I already know the reason why. Apart from the fact that it is her favorite movie, she wants to watch it over and over again so she can master her favorite song "Reflection" which happens to be the movie's theme song. I'll let you in on her version of this song in another post. However, I have got to say that it sure looks like we need to add speakers to her player. I figured that playing the music with quality speakers might be able to help her pick up the right words. Hopefully, when the audio is already loud and clear enough, she will be able to hear and sing the lyrics of the song correctly.

the musician's best fake friend

Being a music lover is something that daughter and I have in common. We both really love to watch concerts and gigs of my favorite bands, both local and foreign. Too bad, we can only get to watch these things on TV and in youtube. At one point, though, I was wondering how these musicians are able to play all the songs flawlessly in every performance. Not that it was really a big deal for me then to be able to find that out but a friend of mine who happens to be a member of a show band has once shared to me their secret. Aside from regular rehearsals with the members, they have got to have one thing to complete their music paraphernalia - the fake book! I was told this has been what's keeping their trade alive in every gig. Truly, musicians have found a real friend from what is called a fake book. :-)

learning from soap opera

While watching my favorite Tagalog-dubbed soap opera, I suddenly got curious and wanted to know how the voice over was done. So, I visited my favorite video site to see it for myself. As I was watching the demo from a video, I saw this thing in front of the microphone. After a quick research, I found out that this thing is called a pop filter. I got this information by browsing these collections of unique and exciting pop filter at guitar center over the internet. This pop filter is being used to control loud popping sound which can ruin the voice dubbing recording. I found it amusing, though, how a simple soap opera led me to learn something new.

on watching live band performances

I must admit that I was once the type who goes to concerts to watch my favorite local bands and to buy their albums. I would even find the time before to follow blogs with interviews about my favorite performers. I would also usually update myself with their latest hits by listening to the radio on weekends. That's how I love music and I can't wait to be able to tell my little girl about how much fun I had with my friends when we go to concerts and cookouts. I also have friends and family members who play musical instruments in their respective bands before and I have always loved to be part of the audience when they perform. Generally, I would love to be able to watch them onstage whenever they have gigs and performances. I realized that I am always drawn to watch and to listen to them and this is also partly because of the wise use of elation lighting controllers that would somehow make them look more charming and attractive onstage. Indeed, aside from showing off your musicality, sometimes you gotta play with the lights to be more appealing to the audience. Anyhow, this huge craziness to watch live band performances has gradually died down when I became a wife and a parent. I simply just don't have that luxury of time anymore for such an escapade. :-)

amazed again at daughter's musicality

with my little girl, when we were younger :-)

Last night, I couldn't help but be amazed again at our daughter's fondness for music. While she was writing at her kiddie table, she was also singing. Although she's still not getting some of the lyrics perfectly right just yet, she seemed to be hitting the right notes. Even with the instrumental part of a song, she would also hum along. I guess she got this musicality from the genes of my relatives and from my mother-in-law. The little girl never gets tired of singing any time of the day and even during bedtime. Speaking of musicality, I also remembered that she was still a few months old when she started showing an interest in playing the piano. This was during the time when we visited the house of a relative. We thought it would be great if we can support her if she wants to be a singer and/or a musician. But how can we ever afford a real piano? We have been seeing a lot of well-known brands lately that have already lowered their prices. Perhaps they'll become even more affordable in the future. Crossing my fingers here. :-)

how music lets me accomplish more

I feel like I have more energy doing all my stuff online if I am listening to my favorite songs. Next to coffee, music is my weapon against sleepiness and lack of focus. Of course, I am also aware that not everyone will go for my choice of music. That's why I would rather listen to my playlist all by myself rather than sharing it. By using a headphone, I'll have my music to myself and I can play all the songs I want to listen to. Unless I get carried away and unconsciously sing along, I wouldn't be disturbing people with my music. Speaking of headphone, I realized that it is already due for a replacement. I thought it would be great to own one with a noise reduction feature. It's definitely a good idea to wear a headphone while doing my tasks. This way, I'll get the job done faster and I can then catch up with my responsibilities as a wife and a mother. It is also likely that people will hesitate to approach or to talk to me when I have both ears covered with a gadget. :-)

daughter's favorite Christmas song

Last night when we arrived from work, we found our daughter standing in front of the television watching and listening to CCTN Channel 47's (a local Catholic TV network) latest Christmas Station ID. She really couldn't help but sing along with the song "Christmas Is Meant To All", an original composition. She's been hearing it a lot of times a day lately that she already became familiar with the song's melody and lyrics. Like my daughter, I also love to listen to this song over and over again  and that's also because it sends a wonderful message, reminding us that Christmas is not just for the rich but for everybody.

Below is the song that I am talking about. You may want your children/kids listen to it and see how easy it is for them to  sing along.

fascinated with another musical instrument

I recently watched a concert aired on TV with my little musician in the making. She really enjoyed listening to the performance of an orchestra. I noticed that her eyes were glued more on one musical instrument - the cello. Cellos fascinate her since she thought it's the same as the guitar that she was able to hold the last time we went to my hometown for a short vacation. Definitely, I would not be surprised that one day she will ask permission to take short courses on a particular musical instrument. Whatever musical instrument that is, I just hope that we would be able to afford it. I guess I'll have to start looking around for ideas how much a cello, a violin, or an electric guitar would cost.

a great song for dads

Last Friday, I was happy that we were able to visit my dad. It wasn't really a perfectly comfortable ride going to the place but the long trip was really all worth it as my little girl is also excited to see his grandfather again.

As my way of welcoming November in style, I found it fitting to share a great song going for all dads out there. :-) I was able to learn about this song when my husband was listening to it - something he unconsciously did after doing a few clicks on Youtube. For those who are looking for a wonderful song to honor their dads, then a Father's Love from Gary Valenciano is definitely a great choice!

a musician in the making

My little girl is definitely a music lover. She loves to sing and to listen to many of today's popular songs. However, I remembered she was about a year old then when she didn't have good experience with music. This was the time when her regular naps would often get interrupted by one of our neighbors practicing with an electric guitar. I did not choose to complain over the loudness of the guitar attached to an amplifier, though. After all, the culprit is a kid rehearsing for an amateur band. Since this went on for nearly a month, I must admit that there were times that I wished the kid had rehearsed in a soundproof area of their house; or if not, his parents could have taught him to use the headphone jack when rehearsing especially if he is still trying to familiarize/master the part he is going to play. Thankfully, Dipdip already got used to it that she can now practically tolerate the sound of loud guitars and live bands. In fact, she'd happily dance or sing along. And whenever there's a 'karaoke' or singing session in the house, she'd like to have the chance to hold the microphone and to sing. Well, we've got a musician in the making!