Falling Leaves and Singing Acorns: Preschoolers Find Music in the Changing Season 

Submitted by Lisa Dove

Preschool is a time of wonder and discovery, when young eyes begin to open up to the world around them.  The change of seasons can be a magical thing, as leaves change color and winds blow colder.  And in the LS music class, our windows are a front row seat to these changes. We can watch the leaves tremble on the trees or fly in the wind, and then enact the leaves’ journey ourselves with scarves and piano accompaniment. Sometimes a squirrel will stop in its scramble to watch our class – in which case we will sing “Grey squirrel, grey squirrel, swish your bushy tail” to him!

One of the jobs of a preschool music teacher is to encourage young voices to sing and explore a widening range of musical expression.  My favorite way to do this is with ‘singing acorns’ and ‘singing leaves,’ which I ‘just happened to find on my way to school.’  The acorns have little faces – and they can sing when asked singing questions! The leaves similarly have faces, but with many different expressions and emotions; they sing their answers to “How are you feeling, little yellow leaf?”  Truly these acorns and leaves are tiny puppets, little manipulatives that allow children to sing with less self-consciousness.  They sometimes name themselves, sing why they are angry or sad, and at the end of class they dance out the door with their new owners. 

Music educator John Feierabend calls this spontaneous singing exploration ‘Arioso,’ and it is a form of early improvisation. The hope is that children can become as comfortable in their singing as they are speaking. After all, singing is one of the ways human beings express themselves!  Having a safe place to practice this form of self-expression can foster each child’s musicality and make them more confident communicators.  

The preschool music classes will continue to gallop and swirl through the strong winds of autumn, until the gentle snows of winter usher us into new musical experiences!