English Show 2017: Drama, Singing and Music
Preschool
April 13, 2017
On March 26, 2017, we held an English drama and music performance.
Castanets: “Omocha no Cha-cha-cha”
Song: “Donna Iro ga Suki”
♪If You’re Happy
English drama: “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”
For castanets, practice began with holding the instrument in the left hand and putting a finger through the loop. The children learned not only to play in rhythm but also to carry it quietly when entering. At first, they simply enjoyed making sounds. By the performance, they could follow the rhythm and stop playing at the end.
For singing, we practiced standing well and using a pleasant singing voice. Asking only for a loud voice can lead to shouting, so we encouraged the children to think about how their own voices sounded.
The drama was based on their much-loved book “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” They had learned and repeated the story during read-alouds and enjoyed turning its pages themselves at playtime. Some even replaced Brown Bear with friends’ names. Although not yet reading the words, they understood enough English to enjoy this wordplay.
Rather than simply memorizing lines, the drama included questions such as “Can you fly?” This let the children practice useful everyday English and express their own ideas.
A performance gives families a chance to see their children, but it must also be meaningful for the children themselves. An excessive focus on presenting something to adults can lead to too much practice and pressure. We instead wanted the children to enjoy performing and sharing what they could do, with families seeing the results of that experience. This show gave us that opportunity.
Castanets: “Omocha no Cha-cha-cha”
Song: “Donna Iro ga Suki”
♪If You’re Happy
English drama: “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”
For castanets, practice began with holding the instrument in the left hand and putting a finger through the loop. The children learned not only to play in rhythm but also to carry it quietly when entering. At first, they simply enjoyed making sounds. By the performance, they could follow the rhythm and stop playing at the end.
For singing, we practiced standing well and using a pleasant singing voice. Asking only for a loud voice can lead to shouting, so we encouraged the children to think about how their own voices sounded.
The drama was based on their much-loved book “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” They had learned and repeated the story during read-alouds and enjoyed turning its pages themselves at playtime. Some even replaced Brown Bear with friends’ names. Although not yet reading the words, they understood enough English to enjoy this wordplay.
Rather than simply memorizing lines, the drama included questions such as “Can you fly?” This let the children practice useful everyday English and express their own ideas.
A performance gives families a chance to see their children, but it must also be meaningful for the children themselves. An excessive focus on presenting something to adults can lead to too much practice and pressure. We instead wanted the children to enjoy performing and sharing what they could do, with families seeing the results of that experience. This show gave us that opportunity.
