Marching Band of Friends

Today we met at a park gazebo for our Parents as Teachers educational playgroup. Mrs. Macey taught a class on Marching Bands. She let the children make drums from empty baby formula cans. They put some rice in the cans for added noise effects then they decorated the outside of their drums with markers and stickers.

There were lots of different instruments on a blanket in the gazebo. Everyone got a chance to play with them while Mrs. Macey talked about the different instruments and showed us some pictures of instruments. She even played a real flute for us! Next she gave each child a band leader hat that she made out of paper bags and we all lined up to form our own marching band. Mrs. Macey had a great CD of band music that she played as we all marched around the park lake. Everyone took turns being the leader of the marching band. We learned that when the leader wants the band to stop marching, he stops, turns towards the band and holds up his baton. Nicholas loved being the leader!

We made it back to the gazebo and enjoyed a snack while Mrs. Macey read a book called Froggy Plays in the Band. Then Mrs. Macey showed us how to twirl a baton. The children loved trying to twirl the batons but it was a little scary seeing all of these 3 and 4 year old children swinging batons around. Fortunately no one poked their eye out! Each child got to leave with their band leader hat, a handmade drum, a maraca, and a CD of the marching band music that we marched to.