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.
The world is slowly reopening, but there may be some long summer days at home ahead. Don’t worry…there’s a silver lining! You can boost development, lower stress, and have fun with these easy-to-create, beneficial musical moments.
Here are 7 simple ways to keep little ones busy, in a good way:
Continue reading “7 Simple Ways to Make Musical Moments at Home”
Summer is the perfect time to bring music-making and nature together. Young children love exploring the world around them—from animals to plants to weather—and they love creating sound. In Kindermusik, we have a song for everything, turning your ordinary day into a musical summer day! Try these easy family activities to add a lovely tune to your day.
Continue reading “A Musical Summer Day | Creating Musical Memories”
When you think back on the summers of your childhood, you might have special memories of things you anticipated all through the long school year. Freedom! Sunshine! Swimming! Sleeping in!
Parents who seek information about what is best to do for their child—parents like you!—are relieved when an idea can be described as definitively true. It’s even better when that idea involves something that is easy and fun for children and caregivers to do together.
For a child, celebrating the little moments today become the most treasured memories of tomorrow. In many parts of the world, spring is just around the corner, and we have a few musical and artsy-crafty ways to help you celebrate the change of season even as you enjoy some precious child celebrating time with that sweet little someone who lights up your world all through the year!
With all of the hype and focus on Valentine’s Day, Groundhog Day is often overlooked — except by the weatherman and the groundhog, of course. As we all know, the big deal on Groundhog Day is whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow, and if we have hope for an early spring or if we’re in for a longer winter.
Continue reading “Groundhog Day Fun: Make Your Own Shadow Puppets”
If you’re looking for some simple and enjoyable Valentine’s crafts, look no further. We’ve pulled together a few of our top favorites to share here with you so you could check off the Valentine’s needed for teacher, Grandma, Uncle Joe, and more, and best of all, so you could sprinkle in a little extra love, giggles, and special memories of time together around the very holiday meant to be a time to express our love in special ways.
Continue reading “Fun and Favorite Valentine’s Crafts Just for Young Children”
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”
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Ahoy, mateys! Did ye know? Tomorrah is National Talk Like a Pirate Day! Huzzah! Hoist the main sail! Batten down the hatches! WHERE’S MY PARROT?! It’s fun to talk like a pirate…ye just need an extry big bucket of RRRRRRRRRRRs!
Here in Kindermusik land, we be doin’ a bit more than just talk like a pirate! We sing like pirates! How do we do that? Well…ye came to the right place!
Arrrrrrrrgh![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Our first test…know someone with a birthday tomorrow? Why not sing the traditional Happy Birthday song in Pirate instead of boring old land lover language? Let’s give it a go. It’s pretty simple…
Easy as an albatross pie! Let’s try another one…[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
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The pirate version of Mary Had a Little Lamb has Mary out on the high seas looking for treasure! Here be a link for some accompaniment music for ye!
Did ye ever hear tell of a parrot demanding gold? Well, this be a pirate parrot. Always best to do what a pirate parrot asks of ye!
Try makin’ up yer own verses![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
What be a Sea Shanty, ye ask? Well, I’ll tell ye – but listen up, mateys! Capt’n Dr. Boyle doesn’t like repeatin’ his-self. I’m busy tryin’ to talk a parrot out of his gold.
A Sea Shanty is a work song – used to get a group of people to complete a task that requires cooperation – or in pirate speak, a song to make us move as one, like a school of fish swimmin’ in the sea….ARRRRRRRRRRGH!
Here’s a classic – Haul Away, Joe![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBigLvMyKzU&index=1&list=PLC161314B67D41FE1″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There be some great songs about pirates, and Ward, the Pirate is probably one of the finest ye’ll hear. Take a listen to Ralph Vaughn Williams’ setting of the story of Capt’n Ward. Here be the words of the song! Ye can listen to a recordin’ below…
Come all you gallant seamen bold,
All you that march to drum,
Let’s go and look for Captain Ward,
Far on the sea he roams;
He is the biggest robber
That ever you did hear,
There’s not been such a robber found
For above this hundred year.
A ship was sailing from the east
And going to the west,
Loaded with silks and satins
And velvets of the best,
But meeting there with Captain Ward,
It proved a bad meeting;
He robbèd them of all their wealth
And bid them tell their king.
O then the king provided a ship of noble fame,
She’s call’d the “Royal Rainbow,”
If you would know her name;
She was as well provided for
As any ship could be,
Full thirteen hundred men on board
To bear her company.
‘Twas eight o’ clock in the morning
When they began to fight,
And so they did continue there
Till nine o’ clock at night.
“Fight on, fight on,” says Captain Ward,
“This sport well pleases me,
For if you fight this month or more,
Your master I will be.”
O then the gallant “Rainbow”
She fired, she fired in vain,
Till six and thirty of her men
All on the deck were slain.
“Go home, go home,” says Captain Ward,
“And tell your king from me,
If he reigns king on all the land,
Ward will reign king on sea!”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeZh_xnwZyo”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]So there ye be! Enjoy the day and have fun singing like a pirate. If ye want to talk like a pirate, just be sure it’s not like our friend, Rupert. He get’s the words wrong all the time. Ye can learn about his tale in the book, Rupert the Wrong Word Pirate.
Sail on, me hearties! Sail on![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Whether it’s a first-time experience of going to school or having to say goodbye to an older sibling going to school, that change – as exciting as it may be – can also be unsettling for a child. Once-predictable routines are different. There’s a new schedule. Mom or Dad’s attention has to shift a bit, and maybe they’re feeling a little anxious about all the change too. Things just aren’t quite the same.
Finding something that’s familiar and comforting to keep constant in the midst of all of this change can go a long way towards helping a child successfully transition to a new routine. For many of our Kindermusik families, that “something familiar and comforting” is their Kindermusik classes… and the Kindermusik songs and activities they enjoy together in between classes throughout the week at home.
It may be tempting to let all activities go, even beloved ones like Kindermusik classes, in the face of big life changes like starting school or even welcoming a new little sibling into the family. It’s understandable for adults to feel a certain stress or concern over juggling an increasingly busy schedule, and you may feel concerned that it’s too much for your child too. But young children are actually relieved to have the comfort of a predictable activity with a Kindermusik class or teacher they adore, a setting that’s familiar, and all of their Kindermusik friends they enjoy seeing each week. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Even if the child is moving to a different Kindermusik class level or changing a class day and time, what they love and look forward to about Kindermusik doesn’t change. And that’s where the comfort is for them.
Here are some of our favorite musical routines guaranteed to help back-to-school routines become much smoother:[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
Check out Sing Music Studio’s King Kong Kitchie sin-along below. These kids are having a blast![/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZvTtQPMn-o”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The things you love most about Kindermusik can continue to be the things you love most about Kindermusik, even through those times of transition and change. That’s the really wonderful thing about Kindermusik. It’s truly a beautiful beginning – and continuation – for you and your child.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Shared by Kindermusik educator Theresa Case, who has been sharing the delightful routines of Kindermusik with kids and families at Piano Central Studios for almost 25 years now.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][class_finder_form css=”.vc_custom_1500661347758{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row]