Elephants on the Web
Part of what makes The Music Class so special is that we introduce different kinds of musical sounds from all over the world, AND we try to make our songs more melodically interesting by making sure there are examples of different key signatures throughout our collections!
“Elephants on the Web” is based on a traditional counting rhyme from Latin America. It’s been so popular that you can now find variations of this Spanish nursery rhyme in many languages all over the world! All have their own twists on lyrics and melody, but all count the elephants as they join each other on the spider’s web. All variations are also in a major key.
Except for The Music Class’s version! TMC put its own fresh spin on the tune, adding the spider’s response, and moving the melody into a minor key to provide that super important musical variety that will help our kiddos reach their highest potential.
See if you can hear the difference between our version and these in Spanish…
in Italian…
in French:
in Mandarin (Song starts at 1:53)
and a similar rhyme in Hindi:
By introducing this popular nursery rhyme in a minor key to your children, we’re helping to develop their ear, and by listening to it (and the other fun Dolphin Collection tunes) every day, your child might just develop perfect pitch! Read on for a perfect pitch story time...😄
Story Time!
As The Music Class teachers, we all have our favorite TMC songs. “Elephants on The Web” is a favorite of our Atlanta teacher, Ms. Janelle, for the sweetest reason. Check out the video below to see why.
That adorable child is Ms. Janelle’s kid, Tenna. This video is from the moment Ms. Janelle caught him playing with The Music Class songbook and singing a recognizable song all by himself! Janelle told us: “I was cooking mac and cheese, looked over to see what he was doing, and immediately grabbed my phone and hit record!” Tenna was about 2 years old at the time, and at first Janelle thought she just captured a sweet moment of her kid singing a favorite tune. It wasn’t until years later that Janelle was watching it and realized he started singing the song on the right note! What a superstar.
That might have been the first sign that Tenna was going to develop perfect pitch, or the ability to recognize a note like it’s a letter in the alphabet. We are all born with a range of musical aptitudes, but the music education that we are exposed to early on (specifically before the age of nine) has a huge impact on our abilities as adults. So, while nature is essential in someone’s ability to develop perfect pitch, so is nurture! Ms. Janelle herself does not have perfect pitch, maybe because she didn't go to The Music Class when she was little! 😄
It's all in the family at The Music Class! Ms. Janelle and Tenna at age 9!
So, what can we do to encourage our kids to reach their highest musical potential?
Sing and dance, then sing and dance, and then sing and dance a couple more times. Play The Music Class collections until your whole family hears the songs in their sleep! Expose your kids to as many different kinds of music as possible, as many different keys and meters and styles as possible, as often as possible. With music as an integral part of your daily routine, you just might discover your little one has perfect pitch too!