Minds On Music – The Kindermusik Blog
For three generations, Kindermusik has helped millions of children around the world build a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning.
In this book review installment, we turn to the first book in the Kate the Great picture book series, written by Wayne Bartholomew and Jaime Garcia. If the rest of the books in the series are as interesting as this one, these are definitely some books to consider adding to your home library as more books in the series are released.
Continue reading “Book Review: Kate the Great and the Middle C Music Shop“
I live a life of music. I’m surrounded by it. In my role as Editor of Minds on Music, I regularly write and read articles about it. I conduct several choirs here in the Pittsburgh area, both at my University and in the city. I travel the country working with groups as a guest conductor with people from 12 to 90. I compose. I sing. Yes, I live a life of music, and I am constantly in awe of music’s power to impact my life and the lives of people around me. We mark the moments of our lives with music, from the simple to the most important.
Katesurf, an American expat living on Australia’s Gold Coast, has some thoughts about why kids tend to misbehave in front of mom but seem like winged angels with dad and others.
Continue reading “Mommy Re-Blog: Why Kids Misbehave Around Mom”
I’ve talked about the unlikely places that music has made an appearance – in concentration camps, in the fields of pre-Civil War plantations, and prisoner of war camps. We, as a species, always find a way to make music. Soldiers at the front during World War I were no different. In the mud and the muck of front line trenches, doughboys made music. They sang and played, and when they didn’t have actual instruments available to them, they made them out of whatever materials they could get their hands on.
For this beak review, we take a look at Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball, written by Vicki Churchill and illustrated by Charles Fugue, the book. This book is one of those golden oldies, the kind of well-worn, much-loved book that stays on the shelf or in the basket of books for a long, long time.
Continue reading “Book Review: Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball“
A failing school in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England needed to do something. The staff was unsure what to do. Parents were not happy with the progress and success of their children. There were issues with funding. The surrounding area was one of the poorest in the area. What to do…what to do…
“Music training can alter both the structure of the brain’s white matter, which transfers signals through the brain, and gray matter, which has most of the brain’s neurons that are active in processing information.”
Continue reading “Science Center Stage: Music Changes the Brain”
One of the great things about musical activities is that they make really great indoor activities. When it’s too hot or too cold to be outside, you can make musical fun indoors with a little creativity, a little inspiration, and these five simple ideas.
Continue reading “5 Simple, Easy Ways to Enjoy Musical Fun Indoors”
It’s that time of year when everyone is talking about resolutions. Losing weight. Exercising. Working less…but when it comes to parenting resolutions, those are little harder to navigate.
Here’s the thing—changes you make for the sake of stronger development for your child(ren) and easier communication between everyone are WORTH it. So, here are 4 practical musical resolutions you can start right away and stick to.
Continue reading “4 Musical Parenting Resolutions for the New Year”
It’s that time of the year again. Gifts, egg nog, and mistletoe are everywhere. But along with the drinks and decorations, Christmas music is everywhere. To celebrate the season, we turn to the the folks over at Vox. In this video, Vox tells the tale of that secret chord that shows up in so many Christmas songs, from Bing Crosby to Mariah Carey.