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The Magic of Musical Storytelling
Dateline: 7/25/01
by Nancy Mellon
A mother, dismayed at her son's resistance whenever she wanted
to go anywhere, discovered that the gentle singing of songs
from her own childhood eased him into new activities where
plain words could not. Although she had no musical training,
eventually she learned to make
up little songs and to sing him in and out of stories too.
A parent storytelling group encouraged one another to include
music at bedtime. One reported :
"When I let myself hum a simply melody at the beginning
of a story, it clears the air and makes me feel more present."
Another said: "
"Just humming two or three notes helps me find my heart
an soul."
A tired mother returned home to her children to sing her way
through The
Frog Prince as a spontaneous little grand opera. The children, who already knew
the story, joined in with gleeful fascination.
Each time words are repeated in a story, try singing those
words simply and spontaneously. Humming, singing or whistling
a musical chorus to the storyteller's words summons joy. Speaking
about creating music in the midst of life, one parent who, for
the sake of her young children, was beginning to sing again after
many years mused:
"Doesn't everything in nature sing, more than speak?
I try to make the melody of a crow landing or a deer running.
I love to imagine the moon singing to a stone or to a rose. When
the children participate in the tones of starlight , or the drone
of rocks and stones, we become very happy together."
These parents also experimented including instruments in their
storytelling. Sounding a little clear-toned xylophone, a bell,
small cymbals before the first words of a story and at the end
increased for them the sense of expectation and finality. A wooden
flute poured forth simple melodies of bird-song and the sounds
of wind and water. The parents collected basketsful of simple
musical instruments and taught their children to use them sensitively
to bring out key moments in the stories they told. Children who
knew a story well enjoyed added the sounds of instruments they
made, such as polished stones and carved sticks struck together.
A father encouraged his twins to make up stories as he played the piano. Gradually the
children learned to be playfully sensitive to major and minor
modes and to enjoy the interplay of tones and images. By seven
years of age they were delightfully competent and inspiring musicians
and storytellers.
"Singing and instruments carry our souls to a different
reality," confided the mother in this family, who also had
to found confidence for storytelling through music.
"When I feel anxious about what will happen next in the
stories we create together, singing opens us all up to the next
inspiration."
More Resources for Reading with Songs
Words
That Sing
Reviews of beautifully illustrated children's books that are
also musical classics. By Polly Schulman in Mothers Who Think.
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- Songs
For Teaching
- The Source for Educational Music.
Storytelling
with Children
Nancy Mellon,
Thomas Moore
This phenomenal book not only explains why telling stories is
important, but also gives many examples of how to get started.
It is available here through Amazon.com or you may call to
order at 800-856-8664. Be sure to mention that you heard about
the book on A to Z Home's Cool.
The Fox
Peter Spier, Illustrator
Oh, The Fox went out on a chilly night, and prayed for the
moon to give him light, for he'd many a mile to go that night
before he'd reach the town-o, town-o, town-o. He'd many a mile
to go that night before he'd reach the town-o
This is the House that Jack Built
by Pam Adams
In this famous series, magical die-cutting draws the reader from
page to colorful page. Soon, the story can be read-pr more probably
sung-by heart.
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