Where can kids march to their own drumbeats while exploring a variety of instruments? At the second annual Pumpkin Playground for Young Music Makers that took place on the afternoon of October 24 with Lori Custodero, Assistant Professor of Music and Music Education and her students. Children between the ages of 3-5 and their parents or caregivers came to explore the music play environments created by students from Early Childhood Music Fieldwork. The large music room was filled with mini-music environments where kids could stop and play for as long as they wished. One of the favorite centers was the "Spider Drum," which consists of a large drum with many plastic black spiders placed on top of it. When the kids hit the drum, the spiders bounce and fly off the drum to their delight. This idea came directly from the natural behavior of 3 and 4-year-olds which is to put small items on top of drums and watch them bounce when they hit the drum. Custodero said, "One mother was all ready to go when another instrument caught her eye and she said, 'Oh, we haven't tried that one yet.' She ended up trying out another instrument with her child, after she and her child had already spent 45 minutes playing at the spider drum."

Published Tuesday, Sep. 18, 2001