For three generations, Kindermusik has helped millions of children around the world build a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning.
Looking for a holiday or Christmas gift? Well, look no further! Kindermusik has you covered for the holiday season. Continue reading “Looking for a Christmas Gift? Kindermusik Classes to the Rescue!”
Study after study after study in respected, peer-reviewed journals in a variety of fields tell us the same thing over and over, and we don’t mind pointing it out each time a new researcher adds to the heap of science telling us what we already know: if you make music, it positively impacts other areas of learning. In other words, music makes you smarter!
Play it again! Read it again! Again!
Repeating the same songs in the car or reading the same stories at night can be cumbersome for adults, but humans are rooted in repetitive structure. And it’s that structure that catapults brain growth in the first few years of life. Continue reading “Why Repetition Matters in Early Childhood Development”
I’m guessing that if you are here, reading this blog, that music is important to you. Your kids might take part in Kindermusik, or perhaps music lessons. You may attend concerts or listen to music on a regular basis. I probably don’t have to convince you about music’s power and its importance in the human experience. I’m not worried about you. It’s the folks that might not know what music can do – the impact it can have on a person’s life – those are the folks I want to reach.
You may know some folks that might not know the benefits of music education or the effect music has on the developing brain, particularly in young kids. So…I want to turn you all into advocacy experts. I want to provide you with knowledge you can pass on to others when they ask “why is this so important?”
Here we go!
I bet you’ve had this experience. You are at a concert or you are listening to the radio and a song comes on that you have never heard before. I have had many of these experiences – many of them on the podium while conducting. But the most intense instance was about a year after my father passed away. I was living in Hawai’i by myself. My wife had relocated back to the mainland in anticipation of my discharge from the Navy. I hadn’t really processed my father’s death. I hadn’t cried. I hadn’t really mourned.
As I was driving home from an event in Honolulu, Tracy Chapman’s The Promise came on the radio. Take a listen:
It was the combination of Tracy’s voice and the following lyric that got to me:
I lost it. I actually had to pull over to the side of the interstate (yes, there are interstate highways in Hawai’i) as I couldn’t see the road through the tears. A year’s worth of bottled emotion all came flooding to the surface because of this song. The music released my previously padlocked feelings about my Dad. How? Music causes chemical changes in the brain. As far as emotion is concerned, music causes the nucleus accumbens, the amygdala, and the cerebellum to light up. These areas are related to emotion.
In this instance, music acted as a key to a lock for me. It was incredibly therapeutic.
I’ve told stories about students at festivals sharing why they sing. The answers range from sweet and silly at the beginning of a festival to deep and complex toward the end. Recently, I was in Wisconsin conducting a middle school choral festival. These young musicians had just met each other – 100 seventh, eighth, and ninth graders came together to make music. During breaks, I would ask my question – why do you sing? These kids felt safe enough to share some very meaningful reasons:
“My grandfather passed away three years ago. We would sing together in church choir. It’s my way to stay close to him.”
“It’s the only place I feel like I can really be me.”
“Music makes me realize that I am powerful.”
“Music is my home.”
Last month, I conducted a county high school choral festival. One student wrote the following:
“Music has prevented me from making a decision that could have altered my life (multiple times). It has brought me pure happiness in times of endless sorrow.”
To share these things with folks you have just met doesn’t happen too often. Making music with others builds compassion and empathy. It’s a pretty amazing thing to be a part of.
Experiencing music at a young age starts this process. It helps with social development in ways that other activities do not. If you have a second, head over and read my friend Elliot Cole’s post about why music matters. He shares the story about a prison inmate letting his guard down because of music. It’s quite the tale.
Music for music’s sake should be reason enough as to why we should study music. John Adams gave us this gem in a letter to his wife, Abigal Adams:
I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.
It’s right there – one of the United States’s founding fathers told us – music is a noble art and worthy of our time. But, in the interest of advocacy, music has a positive impact on how we learn other subjects. The National Association for Music Education provides a great list for music advocacy superheroes. Here is a selection:
– National Association for Music Education
Physical and mental health. Study after study reinforces the fact that music can have very strong, positive effects on our overall health.
The list goes on. Music can reduce recovery time after surgery and working out. It can improve cognitive brain function and help folks manage anxiety. I’ve said it before – music is magic.
Now that you have the details – spread them far and wide! And if you are looking for more ways to pull music into your life, take a class! Get your kids involved with Kindermusik! Write a song! Don’t wait any longer – go see that band you’ve been wanting to see or maybe head to your local symphony.
Remember friends…music makes it meaningful.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you get to spend any time at all with Dee, you are immediately touched by her joyful energy and beautiful spirit, something which completely infuses her studio, Music with Ms. Dee, as well. A licensed Kindermusik educator and business owner since 2006, Dee’s Kindermusik program is flourishing, attracting south Florida families to multiple class options at her two studio locations in the Boca Raton, Florida area. Described by her families with words like “engaging,” “energetic,” “loving,” and “fun,” we are delighted to feature this dynamic educator known as Ms. Dee to all of her Kindermusik families and to highlight what it is that makes Music with Ms. Dee so special!
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[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]TC: What do you feel has made your studio business a success?
DP: I’ve been blessed with AMAZING families who have been so loyal and supportive throughout the years. I am TRULY grateful!
TC: What’s your favorite part of teaching Kindermusik?
DP: I hear parents tell me repeatedly how their child’s love for music is because of their coming to my Kindermusik class. This could not make me happier!
TC: This is always a fun question to ask a Kindermusik educator who’s been teaching as long as you have, but what’s your favorite Kindermusik song to sing?
DP: There are too many to count! At the moment, I’m loving “Walk Along Rover” but I also love “Butterfly Wings” which is one of my all-time Kindermusik favorites!
TC: And how about your favorite Kindermusik dance to lead?
DP: Today? “Kerry’s Ten Penny Wash.” But I will probably have a different answer tomorrow![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/243921752″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]TC: If you had to name just one secret to success in the Kindermusik classroom, what would it be?
DP: Connection. Connecting with the children while teaching is a must.
TC: Connection – love that! Is that part of what makes your studio such a special place?
DP: Yes! I really feel that our studio is a special place because it’s where families come to intentionally connect with their children. Learning is an added bonus.
TC: What are some of the goals you have for your business?
DP: I look forward to growing with more teachers and families, and adding seasonal playdates with Grandfriends at either an assisted living facility or convalescent home.
TC: Outside of the studio, what are some of your hobbies?
DP: I love the beach and anything music related. Singing, dancing, going to see live shows, concerts, musicals… I love it all!
TC: What is your favorite inspirational quote?
DP: I have several on rotation. Here is one very special one to me: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11 NIV[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Shared by Theresa Case, director of Piano Central Studios in Greenville, SC.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Oh, the directions we could take this article! Written music is a language. Phrase structure…how a piece of music unfolds section by section can be considered a language. And like any language, the more you experience these aspects of music, the easier they are to understand. When you get used to Bach’s compositional language, you are more likely to spot a piece by Bach you don’t know. The same can be said for Miles Davis’s playing or James Taylor’s style. If you’ve experienced a lot of those artists’ output, you know their “language” when you hear it.
But that’s not what we are talking about today. Our brains actually process music much like our brains process language. Let’s science!!! (Yes…I used science as a verb. It’s okay. Roll with it.)
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Jazz Improv and Dr. Charles Limb: Otolaryngological Surgeon and Musician
What is improv in jazz? Well, first, it’s music made up on the spot, following agreed-upon rules, like tonal center, meter, and duration. It’s almost like a good debate. One person expresses their views and then another person counters. This happens often in jazz, this dialogue. Dr. Limb decided he wanted to learn more. He wanted to see what was going on in the brain of a performing musician. From The Atlantic:
He and a team of researchers conducted a study that involved putting a musician in a functional MRI machine with a keyboard, and having him play a memorized piece of music and then a made-up piece of music as part of an improvisation with another musician in a control room.
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[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]What did Dr. Limb discover? While taking part in these jazz dialogues, while musicians improvise with other musicians, the parts of the brain that process language light up on the MRI. What’s more important, the area of the brain specifically linked to syntax, the arrangement of words to construct well-formed sentences in a language, also lit up.
While the brain’s language areas light up while conversing in jazz, there is a substantial difference that actually makes sense. Syntax areas respond – but semantic areas do not. What does this mean? Semantics has to do with meaning. When speaking or listening to a sentence, the brain will work out structure (syntax) and meaning (semantics). When dealing with improvised jazz, the parts of the brain responsible for meaning are dormant.
Ok. What does that mean? Dr. Lamb explains:
Music communication, we know it means something to the listener, but that meaning can’t really be described,” Limb said. “It doesn’t have propositional elements or specificity of meaning in the same way a word does. So a famous bit of music—Beethoven’s dun dun dun duuuun—we might hear that and think it means something but nobody could agree what it means.
– Dr. Lamb/The Atlantic
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Victor Wooten, a bassist, composer, and author, expands on this idea in his TedEd video:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=3yRMbH36HRE”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Dr. Lamb’s TedTalk is pretty interesting. Take a look and see what you think.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.ted.com/talks/charles_limb_your_brain_on_improv”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
All you have to do is look around the classroom during a Kindermusik class, and you’ll see why children love Kindermusik so much — from beloved class routines to pint-sized friends to favorite instruments to that teacher they absolutely adore. Look a little closer, and you’ll notice that the adults are really loving “their” Kindermusik too. Here are some of the surprising reasons why.
This support comes in many different packages. Sometimes it’s that hug of empathy when your child is having a bit of a rough day. Sometimes it’s that spontaneous celebratory cheer of delight when your child takes his first steps in class. Sometimes it’s sharing the joy as another child sings for the first time. Sometimes it’s that interesting fact about child development or that musical tip you can take home with you. And then at home, you can find all kinds of musical parenting insight and support through the Home Materials.
Let’s face it. Parenting a young child can be lonely sometimes. It’s tough work too. And that’s why so many adults tell us that they look forward to coming to Kindermusik as much as their child does! In class, Kindermusik parents meet other adults with children – and challenges – that are similar. And there’s nothing that inspires community and connection more than the circle dances and social activities that are built into every class.
There’s something about being in a music class with a proven curriculum that’s been so carefully rooted in child development. Being in a Kindermusik class opens various windows of understanding as you observe your child in the weekly class setting, interacting with other children and adults, participating and engaging in his/her own way, and even listening to the teacher.
From the “toys away” song to that one lullaby that works every time, you’ll have a whole playlist of songs and rhymes to make day-to-day routines and transitions a little easier. Best of all, these will be the kinds of songs you’ll enjoy singing – songs that bring a smile, soothe, distract, or inspire play.
It isn’t every day that the things you do with your child can strengthen your heart ties with each other or create the feelings of connection and stability that being in Kindermusik does. And knowing that you are fostering a lifelong love of both music and learning makes being in Kindermusik all the more special.
You might think that you enrolled your child in Kindermusik because the Kindermusik experience is so good for him or her. But after over 30 years of bringing children and families together in the Kindermusik classroom to enjoy and make music together, we can say with confidence that Kindermusik is just as good for the grownups who participate as it is for the children they bring to class each week.
Shared by Theresa Case who has had the joy of making a difference with Kindermusik in the lives and hearts of children and families at Piano Central Studios in beautiful upstate South Carolina for nearly 25 years now.
It’s the cutest thing to watch even a very young baby’s first responses to music and being in a Kindermusik class. As Kindermusik educators, we have the incredible privilege of observing these young children very closely so that we can most effectively adapt and personalize the activities we teach in our Kindermusik classes. What we have come to know about how and why Kindermusik resonates with children so strongly might surprise you. It really is about more than just the instruments… though they do take great delight in the bells, drums, and egg shakers!
Kindermusik classes are purposely designed to have a predictably comfortable flow of activities in every lesson, although there are always happy surprises and new challenges along with the repeated activities. The routines help children feel secure, because they know what to expect, and the new things not only help keep their brains firing and making new learning connections, but also add to the excitement and joy that fills every class.
Ask any empty nester, and they’ll tell you wistfully that those early years go by oh-too-quickly. So while the children absolutely adore the together time and common experience of Kindermusik with their favorite grown-up, Kindermusik gives the adults in class a chance to linger in the precious moments of early childhood just a little bit longer. The shared memories of class time become an integral part of the happy memories of childhood.
The beautiful thing about a Kindermusik class is the mix – the mix of personalities, learning styles, and ages in any given level. Quieter children learn from the more outgoing children. Visual learners become more willing to explore alongside their physically interactive peers. Older children unconsciously take on the role as leader when the younger children move up to their same level.
Even if children cannot put it into words, making friends and gaining life skills through the social interactions in every Kindermusik class are a big part of why they look forward to each weekly class. It’s truly a beautiful thing to see many children start in Kindermusik as babies and then go on to graduate from Kindermusik together.
Every child who participates in Kindermusik classes on a consistent basis will unquestionably be a more musical, well-rounded, confident child. But it’s really what happens in their hearts and minds as a result of being in Kindermusik that creates such a compelling, lasting, memorable, and delightful experience for them…and for their grown-ups.
Shared by Theresa Case who has loved bringing children and families together for over 20 years now in her award-winning Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in beautiful upstate South Carolina.
You can’t be around Emilie for long without sensing her deep love for children and her absolute belief in the power of Kindermusik, something that led her to begin her Kindermusik business and became a licensed Kindermusik educator in 2010. Lovingly known as “Miss Emmy,” Emilie’s families describe her as patient, kind, fun, and energetic. Her enthusiasm for teaching music is absolutely infectious, as evidenced by how Emilie’s Kindermusik program has grown and thrived since she first opened Kindermusik with Emilie. Emilie not only inspires a love of music in the children and families in her program, but she also supports and inspires her Kindermusik colleagues as a member of the SOUND Board, an advisory committee and professional organization for Kindermusik educators.
TC: What makes your studio, Kindermusik with Emilie, so special?
EG: Our studio is bright, cheery, full of laughter and joy, with teachers who genuinely enjoy what they do and love the families in their classes. Love and joy comes through in everything we do at our studio and our families see it and see that our studio is a special place.
TC: Every Kindermusik educator seems to have at least one favorite Kindermusik song to sing. What’s your favorite?
EG: I would have to say “Love Somebody.” I like to sing it slowly when I’m introducing this song to the families in my class so they can really take time to connect with their little one and it’s usually how I sing it to my own little ones. But it’s also fun to put on the fast, recorded version and dance along as well.
TC: And how about your favorite Kindermusik dance to lead?
EG: This is a hard one as I have many favorites! But my top ones would be “Mama Paquita” and “Shoo Fly.“
TC: What’s your favorite part of teaching Kindermusik?
EG: Seeing the growth and transformation in children from week to week. Oftentimes a child will come in very shy, hesitant, and unsure and within just a couple of weeks (sometimes sooner even!) they are running into the classroom eager and excited to be there. Also, seeing the joy on parent’s faces as they see the change and growth in their child. There’s nothing better.
TC: If you had to name just one secret to success in the Kindermusik classroom, what would it be?
EG: I know it sounds cliché’ but for me, success in the classroom comes from me being in the moment. I try not to think too much about what’s coming next in the lesson plan and just completely enjoying what’s happening in that moment and noticing the “little things” that are going on. Being in the moment allows me to truly focus on my families and being well prepared allows me to be in the moment and not stress about what’s coming next.
TC: What’s one of the most touching things that’s ever happened to you as a Kindermusik teacher?
EG: I could share many individual stories here as well, but what has been the most touching that I’ve been able to witness is watching the kindness of our families. Each year in February we collect hundreds of new pairs of socks for a women and children’s shelter in our city and in the spring we do a food drive and collect non-perishable food items for a homeless shelter. I’ve also had families donate money to help pay for Kindermusik classes for families who otherwise couldn’t afford it. Our families are some of the most kind and generous people I’ve ever met.
TC: You’ve mentioned having a special Kindermusik family that really impacted you as a teacher. Can you share a little more about them?
EG: I have many Kindermusik families who are special to me and have become like family, but one family that will always have a special place in my heart is a family who was one of my first families ever enrolled in my program 7 years ago. They enrolled in a Village class when the little boy was 15 months old and last May he was in my first ever Young Child graduating class. He’s the first child to go all the way through my program and graduate and he and his family are some of my biggest fans. And now his younger brother is enrolled in my YC class this fall!
TC: What do you feel has made your studio business a success?
EG: I would say being willing to try different things to find what works best for our studio and thinking big. If you name it, we’ve probably done it and if it worked we’re still doing it but if it didn’t we’ve moved on quickly. Nowhere does it say that you have to keep doing the same old, same old. If it works, fantastic! If it doesn’t, it’s time to move on and find what does.
TC: What are some of the goals you have for your studio business?
EG: My goals for my business would be to continue to grow to reach more and more families in our community with the specialness that is Kindermusik. I also want our studio to become a place that our community sees as the “go-to” place for early childhood learning. We’re getting there!
TC: What’s something new and exciting that’s happening with your business?
EG: After renting classroom space for the past 7 years, an amazing opportunity presented itself and on July 24th we purchased a beautiful, 5,000 square foot building for our Kindermusik Studio! We now have 2 Kindermusik classrooms, a coat and shoe room, a waiting room, an office, a playroom, smaller rooms for private voice and instrument lessons, a full basement for storage as well as a kitchen! Our Grand Opening at our new studio was September 11th and we are LOVING our new space! I am so grateful for God’s provision in giving us this amazing building. This will allow us to offer so much more for our Kindermusik families and community, from private music lessons to Kindermusik birthday parties to much more in the future. The possibilities are endless!
TC: If you could share one tip with a new Kindermusik educator, what would it be?
EG: Know your value and don’t apologize for it. When I was first starting out I would practically apologize for what I was charging for classes. I was nervous people couldn’t/wouldn’t pay what I needed and I was nervous to talk about tuition costs. That changed one day when a parent overheard me talking with another parent who was trying out the class. She sent me an email later that day listing child-related activities in our area and what they were charging. She pointed out that we were right on track for and told me to be confident in talking to parents about costs because our classes were worth it. That was life-changing for me.
TC: I think I already know the answer to this one, but what are some of your hobbies?
EG: I used to have lots of hobbies but to be honest, the last year especially has been focused on my family and my business. After 12 years of marriage, God blessed my husband and I with our daughter who we adopted in January of this year. She just turned 1 in August and she is the sweetest little blessing you will ever meet. Then on August 1st, we welcomed into our home a little baby boy who we are fostering. Life with a 1-year-old and 2-month old is both exhausting and rewarding all at the same time, and while running a business and being a Mama to two little ones definitely has its challenges, I wouldn’t trade my life for anything.
Shared by Theresa Case who has loved bringing children and families together for over 20 years now in her award-winning Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in beautiful upstate South Carolina.
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In this touching and triumphant rhyme of a story, we meet Gerald, a giraffe who sadly believes what the other animals have always told him – that giraffes can’t dance. His legs are too long, his neck is too skinny, and his knees are too crooked.
“Hey, look at clumsy Gerald,”
the animals all sneered.
“Giraffes can’t dance, you silly fool!
Oh, Gerald, you’re so weird.”
He leaves the Jungle Dance in utter defeat until his path crosses with an insightful little violin-playing cricket who offers a different perspective… and a solution.
“Excuse me!” coughed a cricket
who’d seen Gerald earlier on.
“But sometimes when you’re different
you just need a different song.”
The compassionate cricket begins playing his violin and suddenly, Gerald realizes… he is DANCING! Soon the other animals gather round and witness the incredible transformation. Animals who before scoffed and taunted are now applauding Gerald as the “best dancer that we’ve ever, ever seen!” As Gerald finishes his dance with a flourish, he says, “We can all dance… when we find music that we love.”
In other words, we are all unique and have something special we can do – which sometimes is something that others don’t expect or think we can do. But all we need is a little confidence and encouragement.
With vibrant illustrations by Guy Parker-Rees and an engagingly lilting rhyme written by author Giles Andreae, Giraffes Can’t Dance engages the reader from the very first page and then tugs at the heartstrings because of the teasing and bullying that Gerald endures. It’s available in hardcover, paperback, and audiobook formats. This is a lovely story not only to teach children the power of words, but also other important life lessons like helping others, kindness, resilience, acceptance, empathy, and compassion.
This review was contributed by Theresa Case whose award-winning Kindermusik program has been making a difference in the lives of upstate South Carolina children and families for nearly 25 years now.