Learning made fun

Musical Minis - Bringing The Young And Old Together

Musical Minis is a pre-school fun time music group based on developmental activities. Each structured session encourages cognitive, physical and emotional development through the use of music, instruments and stories. Often elderly relatives accompany children to Musical Minis classes and we have noted how much satisfaction the older members get out of the session. Parents have mentioned how when their grandparents, the Musical Minis child’s great grandparents, have been to a class, how interactive and ‘alive’ they become and it is quite a contrast to how they usually behave. Musical Minis uses many traditional songs and nursery rhymes which can trigger memories with the older generation as it’s familiar for them. The older people also clearly get delight from seeing how the babies and toddlers in the classes respond.

As the population of a developed country ages, the number of cases of dementia identified increases. As a way of helping care for and support people with dementia, music has been shown to often have a dramatic effect. The power of music, especially singing, to unlock memories and stimulate the brain has been shown to be a valuable feature of dementia care. With people with dementia music seems to reach parts of the brain in ways other forms of communication cannot. People with dementia often have an ability to remember songs from their past. Some people with dementia aren’t able to talk but they can sing, clap, tap their feet or move to the music.

There have been a number of studies recently which show how elderly people, especially those with dementia, respond positively to music. There have also been a number of studies which show how elderly people benefit greatly from interacting regularly with children. With this in mind, together with our experience of how elderly relatives react at our regular Musical Minis classes, we decided to explore the possibility of running Musical Minis sessions in Residential Care Homes.

Over the last few months Musical Minis has linked up with a few Residential Care Homes throughout the UK for trial sessions. The programme has been well received and has resulted in regular sessions being held. Staff in the Care Homes have noticed that their residents who don’t usually respond to other activities, to their surprise have joined in with Musical Minis. The residents have expressed how much they enjoy the Musical Minis sessions and have still been talking about it days after our visit. As well as being stimulated by the traditional songs and playing the instruments provided, it is clearly apparent that they love the interaction with the young children at the classes. Likewise, the babies and toddlers together with their parents or carers find the experience of interacting with the elderly residents rewarding and worthwhile.

The Musical Minis programme hopes to boost confidence, self-esteem and quality of life by involving elderly people, including some with dementia, in interactive singing sessions. The fact that young children also participate in the same sessions adds to the experience and enjoyment by the residents. For everyone, the residents, the staff, the children and their carers, all joining in the Musical Minis session together helps them to feel life is valuable. It has proved to be beneficial to everyone taking part and something we are keen to expand.

If you would like to find out more about Musical Minis running pre-school music sessions in a Residential Care Home in your area please contact [email protected] . We would be happy to explore ways Musical Minis could work with you to achieve great results for both the young and old in your community.

Where Do Nursery Rhymes Come From? London Bridge

Watching the Queen's Diamond Jubilee River Pageant I was intrigued by the nursery rhyme London Bridge. In researching it, I've found it relates to difficulties experienced in bridging the River Thames.

London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair Lady.

London Bridge is one of the most famous landmarks in London. Before 1750, London Bridge was the city's only crossing over the Thames. The current London Bridge is located between the City of London and Southwark. A bridge has existed at or near the present site for almost 2000 years.

The first London Bridge, built by the Romans sometime around AD 46, was made of wood and clay as in the nursery rhyme (build it up with wood and clay) and was re-built over the years with the various materials mentioned in the song as numerous disasters struck the bridge. 

It is commonly thought that the rhyme originated when London Bridge was burned down in 1013 by King Ethelred to split apart the invading Viking forces. The reconstructed London Bridge was destroyed twice again - first by a storm in 1091 (wood and clay will wash away) and then by fire in 1136. Building materials changed due to the many fires that broke out on the bridge. The first stone bridge construction (build it up with bricks and mortar) started in the reign of Henry II in 1176. 

By the 1300's the bridge contained 140 shops, some of which were more than three stories high. The reference to build it up with silver and gold, refers to the trading which was conducted on the bridge. The shops and houses on London Bridge put pressure on its arches and also created a fire hazard.

In 1212 fire broke out on both ends of the bridge killing 3,000 people (silver and gold will be stolen away). In 1633 another blaze destroyed more of the bridge. London Bridge survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 but its arches and foundations were weakened.

In 1799, an engineer proposed a bridge with a single iron arch, (build it up with iron and steel) however, this design was never used. In the 1820s a new London Bridge was built on another site and the old bridge was demolished. However, the new bridge was sinking an inch every eight years and by 1924, the eastern side of the bridge was already three to four inches lower than the western side.

The present-day London Bridge was built during the period 1967 to 1972.

The fair lady in the nursery rhyme could be Matilda of Scotland who was responsible for the building of a series of London bridges. However, the most popular view is it is Queen Eleanor who was given custody of the bridge income in 1269 by Henry III . She was the "fair lady" who didn't use the money on actually maintaining the construction.

Previous posts: Where do nursery rhymes come from?

See Saw Margery Daw

Little Miss Muffet

Wee Willie Winkie

Jack and Jill

Five little monekys jumping on the bed - it's a mystery

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Humpty Dumpty

Ring O' Roses

London's Burning

Politically correct nursery rhymes

At Musical Minis, we sing various songs and have fun with music to help your child develop. We aren't a stuffy music lesson but a chance for your children to enjoy themselves with music. Hope to see you there! Watch the video on the right for a good idea for how a session unfolds.

Photo by Flickr Wallyg

Where Do Nursery Rhymes Come From? See Saw Margery Daw

The nursery rhyme of See Saw Margery Daw first appeared in its modern form in Mother Goose's Melody, which was published in London in around 1765.

See-saw, Margery daw,
Johnny shall have a new master
He shall have but a penny a day
Because he can’t go any faster

I have come across a few possible meanings of the rhyme. One is just linked to a children's game. The see-saw is one of the oldest 'rides' for children and before they were constructed and put in playgrounds, children could play see-saw with logs of different sizes. The words of "See Saw Margery Daw" can reflect children playing on a see-saw and singing this rhyme to accompany their game. See-saw is played by two children sitting opposite each other holding hands and moving backwards and forwards in a rocking motion. When my children were babies I found it a great way to see which teeth had come through, as I was facing a smiley baby with an open mouth!

I couldn't identify anyone with the name Margery Daw and it is assumed that this was purely used to rhyme with the words 'see-saw'.

The rhyme may have its origins as a work song for people sawing logs, helping to keep rhythm when using a two-person saw.

"Daw" sometimes is said to mean a lazy person or an untidy woman, which links the rhyme with a nasty undercurrent..Johnny is sometimes substituted for Jacky or Jack.

The end of the rhyme could be linked to the use of child labour in work houses, where those with nowhere else to live would be forced to work for hardly any money, that is, a penny a day. They could be paid by the amount of work they managed to do, so only a penny a day because they can't work any faster. The words of "See Saw Margery Daw" could have been used to taunt a child by implying his family were poor and destined for the workhouse.

Previous posts: Where do nursery rhymes come from?

Little Miss Muffet

Wee Willie Winkie

Jack and Jill

Five little monekys jumping on the bed - it's a mystery

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Humpty Dumpty

Ring O' Roses

London's Burning

Politically correct nursery rhymes

At Musical Minis, we sing various songs and have fun with music to help your child develop. We aren't a stuffy music lesson but a chance for your children to enjoy themselves with music. Hope to see you there! Watch the video on the right for a good idea for how a session unfolds.

Where Do Nursery Rhymes Come From? Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet
eating her curds and whey
along came a spider, who sat down beside her
and frightened Miss Muffet away.

The nursery rhyme of Little Miss Muffet dates back to the late 16th century. I have come across two possible meanings of the rhyme. One is simply about a young girl eating and being frightened by a bug. The other links the characters in the rhyme to real people prominent in 16th century English history.

In the first version, Little Miss Muffet was a small girl whose name was Patience Muffet. Her stepfather, Dr. Thomas Muffet (1553-1604) was a famous entomologist (someone who studies insects) and he wrote the first scientific catalogue of British Insects. Whilst eating her breakfast of curds and whey Little Miss Muffet was frightened by one of his spiders and ran away!

In the second version it is claimed that the nursery rhyme refers to Mary Queen of Scots (1542–87), who was said to have been frightened by the minister and religious reformer John Knox (1514–72). Some believe John Knox wanted to scare Mary off the throne due to religious differences.

Perhaps Little Miss Muffet was the first person with arachnophobia. Maybe she purposely spilt her curds and whey as the mixture of curdled milk and the acidic watery part of the milk just didn’t appeal to her. Possibly she blamed it on a spider to stay out of trouble. Spiders if swallowed, have supposedly been reported as curing various illnesses. Maybe the curds and whey gave her a stomach ache and she was being fed a spider to cure her stomach ache!

Previous posts: Where do nursery rhymes come from?

Wee Willie Winkie

Jack and Jill

Five little monekys jumping on the bed - it's a mystery

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Humpty Dumpty

Ring O' Roses

London's Burning

Politically correct nursery rhymes

At Musical Minis, we sing various songs and have fun with music to help your child develop. We aren't a stuffy music lesson but a chance for your children to enjoy themselves with music. Hope to see you there! Watch the video on the right for a good idea for how a session unfolds.

Photo by Flickr Seabeak

Where do nursery rhymes come from? Wee Willie Winkie

 

The original text of 1841 was written in Scots and is below:

Wee Willie Winkie rins through the toon,

Up stairs an' doon stairs in his nicht-gown,

Tirlin' at the window, crying at the lock,

"Are the weans in their bed, for it's now ten o'clock?"

Where do nursery rhymes come from? Jack and Jill

 

 OH no...this is another one with a reportedly grisly history.

According to the Rhymes website:  

Jack and Jill referred to are said to be King Louis XVI - Jack -who was beheaded (lost his crown) followed by his Queen Marie Antoinette - Jill - (who came tumbling after.)

The words and lyrics to the Jack and Jill poem were made more acceptable as a story for children by providing a happy ending! The actual beheadings occurred in during the Reign of Terror in 1793.

But says, Wikipedia, there are several other possible explanations. These include:

• In Norse mythology, Hjúki and Bil, a brother and sister (respectively) who, according to the 13th-century Prose Edda book Gylfaginning written by Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson, were taken up from the earth by the moon (personified as the god Máni) as they were fetching water from the well called Byrgir.
• Jack is Cardinal Wolsey and Gill is Bishop Tarbes who attempted to arrange the marriage of Mary Tudor to the French king. Their failure to negotiate this peace with France led to tax raises and thus a Jack and Jill protest song.
• In the 17th century, King Charles I tried to reform the taxes on liquid measures. He was blocked by Parliament, so subsequently ordered that the volume of a Jack (1/2 pint) be reduced, but the tax remained the same. This meant that he still received more tax, despite Parliament's veto. Hence "Jack fell down and broke his crown" (many pint glasses in the UK still have a line marking the 1/2 pint level with a crown above it) "and Jill came tumbling after". The reference to "Jill", (actually a "gill", or 1/4 pint) is an indication that the gill dropped in volume. 
• Jack and Jill were forms of currency referring to dollars and cents, respectively. The rising value of Jacks and Jill caused them to "go up a hill" until a plague caused a lack of water, causing a drop in the values of this currency (falling down and breaking his crown).

Phew - those are some very complicated stories for such a simple ditty. I wonder which one's true.

Previous posts: Where do nursery rhymes come from?

Five little monekys jumping on the bed - it's a mystery

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Humpty Dumpty

Ring O' Roses

London's Burning

 

 

Where do nursery rhymes come from? Five little monkeys jumping on the bed

By Linda Jones

THIS has to be my favourite nursery rhyme and I have happy memories of singing along with my daughters when they were much younger.

Author of a book of the same name, Eileen Christelow, says she didn't invent the ditty and that it's a well-known chanting rhyme loved by generations of children. You can see her website here:

Picture books by Eileen Christelow.

So for the first time since I've been finding out about the origins of nursery rhymes, they remain a mystery!

Unless anyone knows different of course. 

Previous posts: Where do nursery rhymes come from?

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Humpty Dumpty

Ring O' Roses

London's Burning

 

 

 

What's your least favourite children's song?

By Linda Jones

THIS is mine. I've very much enjoyed writing about the origins of nursery rhymes. But my mind can't help but wander to those I'd also rather forget. My girls loved the big purple dinosaur...I wasn't so keen! How about you and which songs (*if any) would you like to be see consigned to the trash can? (As Barney would say...)  

Where do nursery rhymes come from? Baa Baa Black Sheep

By Linda Jones

WHEN Karen wrote about 'politically correct' nursery rhymes, she was thinking about how much she preferred a black sheep to a rainbow sheep after reports have told how Baa Baa Black Sheep has been banned in some settings.

Where do nursery rhymes come from? Humpty Dumpty

By Linda Jones

DID he really fall and was he really an egg?

The answer to both these questions is 'not likely!'

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

The term Humpty Dumpty used to be a term for someone who is overweight. Later, around the 18th century, we are told it was used to describe someone who was ham-fisted or clumsy.

A Humpty Dumpty was also a concoction of boiled brandy and ale mixed together.

A Humpty Dumpty character appeared in Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.

But according the the Rhymes website, the Humpty of the nursery rhyme fame, was in fact a cannon used in the English civil war.

I never knew that!

I thought he really was an egg...

Here's a detailed explanation.

The following, alternative wording, is included in an informative post from Associated Content:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
Threescore men and threescore more
Could not place Humpty as he was before.

Picture shows cover of a 1904 adaptation of Humpty Dumpty by William Wallace Denslow, shared through Creative Commons Licence.

Previous posts: Where do nursery rhymes come from?

Ring O' Roses

London's Burning