I have a piano student who would like nothing more than to dive right into each piece, skipping all the intermediate steps and playing both hands together the first time he lays eyes on it. This, of course, causes lots of frustration for him (and me).
“Slow and steady” is a term I’m always using with him, and it applies to many of my other students, as well. Piano pieces aren’t mastered in a day, nor are music therapy goals achieved in a single session.
This song is one I wrote specifically for tone blocks, but my intention is that while my kiddos sing and play along, they are also internalizing the value of going “slow and steady” across settings and situations.
I’m sure you recognized the piggybacked tune, which has quite a calming effect on especially energetic groups (like my Church Mice). I also adapted this song for drums, changing the word sounds to “rum-pum-pum, pum”, “thump, thump, thump”, and “boom, boom, boom”.
As much as I love an upbeat song — and that is apparent if you go through my song collection — it’s always nice to take a breather. What are your favorite “slow and steady” tunes?
