Music Man's visits enlighten kids

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Jan-Michael Stump
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Jan-Michael Stump

March 30, 2010

Circle time starts the day and jump-starts learning

By MARTA HEPLER DRAHOS The Record Eagle Tue Mar 30, 2010, 07:15 AM EDT

LELAND -- "We're going to rattle, rattle, bang, bang; let's make plenty of noise ... "

It's 9 a.m. at the Leelanau Children's Center, where preschoolers, parents and staff are starting their day in the usual way: with a sing-along led by the center's "music man," Doug Hansen.

Seated on a low stool with his acoustic guitar, "Blue Angel," Hansen moves easily between traditional children's songs, camp songs and made-up songs about everything from what the kids are wearing ("I see a poodle on a shirt, on a shirt, on a shirt ... ") to the mild spring morning ("I think it's going to be a great day and I'd love to spend it with you.").

It's a soothing yet energizing tradition that sets the tone for the rest of the day, said M Brown, after rounds of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" in English and Spanish.

"Even if I didn't work here, I would want to come over for music circle to start out my day," said Brown, a teacher in the center's Fox Island classroom for kids ages 2 to 5. In fact, the circle often draws unenrolled children and their parents who live nearby.

The arts have been a centerpiece at the Leelanau Children's Center since the late 1980s, said Executive Director Maggie Sprattmoran. But Hansen's arrival in 2000 drove the music program to new heights. With his spontaneous song lyrics and zany antics, the multi-instrumentalist helps kids build their emotional, language and social skills in and out of the classroom.

"We've had a series of folks who have music skills, but never a Doug," said Sprattmoran, whose students include children with autism and speech and language delays. "When Doug does music with kids, he's not just 'doing to.' It's very interactive."

Besides heading up music circles, Hansen rotates through classrooms at the center's Leland and Northport locations, where he writes songs with children about what they're learning.

A lesson on birds leads to a song about their sounds: "When owls wake up in the evening, this is what they say (repeat): Hoo Hoo Hoooo, Hoo-Hoo Hoo-Hoo Hoooo (repeat)." A section on shapes inspires a song about directions: "Which way should I go with our arrow? Should I go up, should I go down, go to the front or spin around?"

"It sounds like a simple little ditty, but it's actually supporting the developmental program," said Hansen, who sometimes swaps his guitar for a banjo, ukulele or autoharp. "We're just doing it with music."

A classically trained musician who has released several solo guitar recordings, Hansen also is a versatile songwriter who toured with and wrote music for two children's theater troupes. But it wasn't until working with children at church and YMCA summer camps that he became smitten with preschoolers or "binkies."

"I was just so touched by their openness. I like the way they think. Everything is new all the time," he said.

After his daughter started attending the Leelanau Children's Center, he got a job there as a preschool teacher and then became the center's artist-in-residence. He and his band, Doug Hansen & Twang, Bang, Fiddle, open the center's winter carnival each year.

Although he also performs at Circa Estate Winery and directs music at a couple of churches, Hansen, 54, said he likes working in the classroom best.

"It's the most creative part of what I do. It's open-ended," he said. "You go with the flow, wait for something to happen."

For instance, when 6-year-old Braden Martin showed an interest in conducting, Hansen brought in classical music CDs, snapped together markers to make "batons," and led the Beaver Island classroom in a conducting exercise.

"If I tried to come in and create that (interest), it wouldn't work," Hansen said. "You've got to go with the flow."

Hansen's first CD for families, "Songs from the Circle," is available at the Leelanau Children's Center and at bookstores in Leland, Suttons Bay and Glen Arbor. Proceeds benefit center scholarships and operations.