STOMP your heart out!

Crazy crazy days.  So many hands to hold, mouths to feed, kisses to give, minds and souls to excite, so little time.

 In 4th-6th grade today, I showed clips of STOMP.  We discussed how music is made of sounds and silence, specially timed.  I explained how some boys from England wanted to explore noise, every day noise as music.  They didn't believe me until they watched.  Our excitement built as we scoured the classroom for "found instruments".  Each found their own amazingly creative noise maker and we began our rhythm add on.  I started with a pulse, then one by one they added on their own unique rhythm until we really rocked the house. 

After a short family home evening complete with lots of finger plays in honor of our two little guests, Cody and Megan, I shared STOMP with my little ones.  After a few clips, I started to hear, "ding, dong, ding ding, rat tat a tat tat rat rat."  Then "grunt" and "ahhhh!"  Then "stomp, stomp, leap leap, twirl, dip, dip, dip, stomp."  My dish washer was adding her own signature to the music and my preschooler couldn't contain her fervor and danced behind us. 

Naturally, within minutes we all had our own "found instrument" of a different timber and tone.

Some beat with hands, others with knives.

Soon our family room was jamin' with drum rolls fit for the Blue Devils!  Each person added their own rhythm and we sounded so professional I thought we should record ourselves and make a CD.  Our jam session was stopped reluctantly when we realized that our volume that could easily reach the neighbors would surely wake our tired babes.  Only with the promise of future STOMP sessions would the musicians be content to put away their instruments. 

I yawn as I switch laundry loads.  I hear "boom, rat, tat tat.  Swish, click swish swish."  Dishes are drawn out as Ladybug continues to experiment with rhythm on each  item she finds.  I should put my foot down but I am too excited to share the joy of musical discovery, even hidden in the other room.