Week 6 FOL: Major, Minor, & Modes
Each Kindermusik curriculum contains songs composed in a variety of tonalities and modes. The musical scale is composed of a set pattern of pitches using whole and half note steps. Major and Minor scales and each different musical mode use a different pattern of pitches in the scale. Each of these tonalities is like a different set of musical flavors and presents a different set of musical patterns for the child’s brain to process. Exposing children to a wide diversity of musical tones and modes will make it easier for them to recognize and sing musical patterns as they grow older. Much of the music we are familiar with in the Western culture is written using the major or minor scale. However a lot of folk music and Celtic music uses the Dorian mode. Experiencing patterns in music and in movement help the child’s brain later learn to identify patterns in math and language.
