folk and roots music classes for babies, toddlers, "big kids" and their grown-ups
LITTLE ROOTS CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
The Little Roots Family Class is an enriching and engaging community music experience for the young child and their grown-ups. This is your little one’s introduction to the joy of music. As longtime professional musicians, Little Roots founders, Annie Stevenson and Maggie Shar, recognize the value of quality live music for people of all ages. Maggie and Annie select and write songs rooted in a variety of folk music traditions. The repertoire is fun and accessible, including elements of storytelling and exposure to various instruments. Children will enjoy group singing with guitar, banjo, or ukulele to accompany, hand and stick drumming, bells, movement, dance, and more!
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Classes are currently taking place outdoors and online.
Little Beats (4-8+) is an introduction to hand drumming, body percussion, and global rhythms. We’ll practice keeping the beat and develop hand and feet coordination like the drummers do! Each class will include a show-and-tell of a different percussion instrument from somewhere around the world, and feature lots of movement activities along with familiar songs from the Little Roots repertoire.
Little Ukes (4-6+) is a fun introduction to playing the Ukulele for children ages 4-6 yrs who have outgrown the mixed age classes but are still too young for private lessons. Our curriculum includes some familiar instruments and songs from the Little Roots repertoire, and the children also learn to sing and play familiar folk songs on the ukulele. They will learn two or three chords, how to keep a steady rhythm, and how to listen and play along with other people. The classes are fun, hands-on, and interactive. We focus on rhythm, pitch, melody, and dynamics through musical games and activities. The students learn basics like parts of the ukulele, how to hold, how to strum in different ways, names of strings, through playing, moving and lots of ukulele jamming!
Little Ukes II (6-8+) is slightly more advanced than "Little Ukes", this class includes chord learning, song playing, and exploration of rhythm using songs and concepts from the Little Roots repertoire.
Fiddle Roots (6-8+) is a lively and fun introduction to playing the fiddle! Using songs and games, we’ll learn how to hold the fiddle, bow and make beautiful sounds. We’ll learn some fiddle tunes by ear and do some dancing! Taught by Mia Friedman
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Grown ups asked to stay, learn and listen
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Rental information:
Stamell Stringed Instruments in Amherst is a wonderful place to rent a fiddle. They make it fast and easy, and have a deal for first time renters. You will want to make an appointment with them to help pick out the correct size for your child. Go to www.stamellstring.com/ to make an appointment and fill out a rental form.
The Little Roots Show is filmed music series for families featuring Little Roots & Special Guests.
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Featuring - Singing, learning, playing, stories, movement, puppets, crankies & surprises!