Minds On Music – The Kindermusik Blog - Page 2 of 105 - For three generations, Kindermusik has helped millions of children around the world build a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning.

Why Music Is Better Than White Noise for Babies

Everyone loves to watch a sleeping infant, but is white noise for babies the best environment for these peaceful moments?

Research tells us no, and here’s why – your baby’s auditory system is hard at work, and sleep aids like white noise can send it into overdrive.

Our auditory system is the first to develop and the last to stop. It is almost fully developed at 16 weeks in utero. So, when your baby is born, they already have 5 months’ experience in processing sound.

Before we look at why soothing, patterned sounds like music are better than white noise for babies, it’s important to understand how the auditory system works.

5 Ways Music Positively Impacts Children with Hearing Loss

Music is vital in the development of all young children, including children with hearing loss.

How do I know? I live it every day.

I’m someone with total hearing loss in one ear.

I’m a music educator who works with hearing-impaired children (at the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis, MO).

And I’m a mom of a child with severe hearing loss who, with the help of bilateral cochlear implants and years of music education, has now successfully transitioned to mainstream school.

Why Toddler Music Lessons Aren’t the Best Idea

Stressing about whether or not toddler music lessons are worth it?

They’re not and here’s why…

Why Music In Schools Post COVID Is Critical

Remember when music in schools campaigns really took off in the 90s? The quest to make music a standard part of the “3 Rs:” Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, still isn’t over.

Wait…only one of those starts with an R!

Aside from the letter discrepancy, the narrow focus of the 3Rs is outdated. So, how can we get all schools on board with a modernized view of early learning?

First, we need a new acronym. And here’s why music should get its own letter.

How Imaginary Friends Help COVID-Era Kids

Is your child conversing with an imaginary friend or stuffed animal? That's a good thing.

Does your child have imaginary friends? Wondering if it’s a positive or a negative phase? Let me tell you a story…

My mother grew up in a small southern US town in the 1940s, when polio was rampant. My grandparents, who were older and struggled to have a child, were naturally fearful of the disease and scared to lose her. So, Mom wasn’t allowed to play with other children very often.

Except for one.

Boost Early Literacy Development with Just 30 Minutes of Music per Week

How 30 Minutes of Music a Week Can Boost Early Literacy Development - Kindermusik

Increased literacy development is one of the major benefits of a consistent music program. And that can happen before elementary school!

In fact, an independent research firm found that preschoolers who experienced just 30 minutes a week of Kindermusik demonstrated 32% greater gains in language and literacy skills.

Newborn Bonding: How Infant Music Classes Connect Parent and Baby

Newborn Bonding: How Infant Music Classes Connects Parent and Baby

From the benefits of skin-to-skin to rocking to massage, there is so much conversation around newborn bonding. And that’s a good thing!

Here’s one idea you may not have heard of…infant music classes.

First, let’s look at the why, when, and how of this critical part of early development.

Outdoor Music Classes Bridge COVID Socialization Gaps

When the pandemic forced families to social distance and quarantine, the negative effects of social isolation hit young children perhaps the hardest. The need for connection is pressing and real. And that’s where Kindermusik’s outdoor music classes come in.

Many Kindermusik families love our virtual class opportunities (they’re a huge hit!) and they’re here to stay. However, some of our educators found that children responded better to a physically distanced, outdoor environment.

3 Ways Screen Time Boosts Development in a COVID-Era World

For years, parents have been advised to limit screen time. We’re all aware of the limits suggested by organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and families try hard to follow them.

But then…a pandemic hit, and the world turned upside down. Routines and rules changed, and technology was recast as a positive necessity.

3 Ways Music-Based Rituals Help Alleviate Back-to-School Change

3 Ways Music-Based Rituals Alleviate Back-to-School Change

Change—especially for children in any capacity—is hard, but one thing always helps…music! Here are 3 quick tips on how music-based rituals can help alleviate transitions (like drop-off times and hand washing) and enhance child and family engagement.