Minds On Music – The Kindermusik Blog - Page 31 of 106 - For three generations, Kindermusik has helped millions of children around the world build a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning.

Carol Penney: A Tribute

So often as parents, we want others to see our children as we see them:

Beautiful.

Amazing.

Overflowing with possibilities.

That’s what we see. Right? It’s why we can spend hours watching our babies sleep, talk incessantly about how our little ones perfected their own versions of crawling and probably why our social media feeds contain hundreds of images and videos of our most cherished everyday moments.

Yes! Our children are beautiful, amazing, and overflowing with possibilities. You know it. But, you may not know the name of a person who spent the past 30 years—and her life’s best work—devoted to creating the Kindermusik community where we invite—and celebrate—every beautiful and amazing child into the Kindermusik circle (or running around outside of it or sitting quietly in a parent’s lap).

Carol Penney.

That’s her name. While you may not know her name, you know the community that she was instrumental in creating. You know the songs and the lessons that she helped craft. You know the Kindermusik educator that she trained, encouraged, and inspired. Yes, you may not know her name—Carol Penney—but you do know her.

She is beautiful.

She is amazing.

She is overflowing with possibilities—
both during her 30 years at Kindermusik and now as she enters semi-retirement.

So, while we may sing the “Good-bye” song to Carol, it isn’t really good-bye. After all, we know that just as a Kindermusik class doesn’t really end after that final song, Carol’s contributions to Kindermusik will continue throughout the rest of the week, months, and years to come. And we are better people for knowing her.

Thank you, Carol, for giving us all a Good Beginning that Never Ends. Here are just a few reasons why you are loved the world over.

Contributed by Lisa Camino Rowell, who counts Carol as a friend, mentor, and colleague. Carol, you are loved more than these words can express. Thank you for sharing your gifts and your heart with us all.

School Readiness Begins at Birth

9-month-old baby engages in scarf play with mom during a Kindermusik class designed to support early school readiness.

School readiness for babies? Sounds a little extreme, but did you know an infant’s brain doubles in size during the first year? This window of learning opens wide in those first 12 months, and the easiest way to boost school readiness is to amplify bonding moments, joyful age-appropriate play, and rich multisensory activities that support those critical brain leaps.

Shared musical play is the perfect tool.

Continue reading “School Readiness Begins at Birth”

How a Violin Teaches Kids to Read

Matching sounds to a visual image is an extremely important early literacy skill. It is, in fact, the precursor skill to the alphabetic principle, or the understanding that there is a relationship between letters and sounds. Before children can explore letter-sound relationships and learn to decode words, they must first understand the connection between a sound they hear and an image they see.

This fun early literacy game from Kindermusik@Home features violins and provides kids lots of practice with associating a specific bit of audio with a specific bit of visual. While kids have no idea that this game is actually preparing them to read, YOU will know!

Kindermusik@Home Listening Game: Which Violin?

This game also supports other important early childhood cognitive competences, including:

Selective Attention: The ability to selectively concentrate on one aspect of the environment while ignoring distractions.
Auditory Working Memory: The ability to retain information that has been presented orally (e.g., listening to a target sound and then matching the sound to its image).
Auditory Discrimination: The ability to discriminate between similar sounds.

Looking for more fun, musical learning ideas? Follow us on Pinterest.

Guest Post: Seven Years of Kindermusik

This post originally appeared on the blog: mymommyology.com

It took me a while to write this post — partly because June was quite the busy month, and also because I get emotional just thinking about it. We’ve reached another milestone in Sam’s childhood — the end of Kindermusik. sniff!

It has been seven years after all (give or take a few months!). Seven years, three wonderful teachers in three different parts of the globe. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone with kids seven and below, no matter where in the world you are.

We spent a majority of those years in our first Kindermusik home with Rebecca in Chapel Hill.

Prior to that I’d never heard of Kindermusik — I was a Gymboree / Little Gym kind of parent (which I see now is very different from what Kindermusik offers). To this day though, I am so so SO glad I came across it in my endless search for mom-child programs for my infant. And I’m even more thankful we landed in Rebecca’s little home. It’s where we made our first set of friends, who are still friends to this very day.

We owe a lot to Rebecca, as she set the bar high for the wonderful and highly educational experience we had over the years. I’ve said it time and again, Rebecca is a wonderful maestro of music, and she absolutely loves the kids and their families. I learned a lot about music, parenting, child development and even a little bit about teaching from Rebecca! I remember asking her every sort of question, from the purpose of each type of song or stage, to the perfect age for piano lessons (If you want to know what she said, ask me! I’ll never forget that piece of advice she gave).

When we moved to Manila, I sought out Teacher Jeannie (upon Rebecca’s recommendation).

She and her staff of teachers (Teacher Maya in particular!) were also another set of wonderful teachers for the girls. Little did we know that Kindermusik with Teacher Jeannie was in the top 1% of the total Kindermusik programs in the world. But the wonderful experience continued for both myself and Sam, and she continued to look forward to Kindermusik every week.

Because of the volume of Teacher Jeannie’s enrollment in the country, at the end of every Kindermusik year, she’d hold a Kindermusik Festival, the highlight of which would be the Young Child students’ performance and graduation.

It’s one event Sam misses and talks about with so much gusto, until this day. Sam joined last year’s performance and was looking forward to graduating on Teacher Jeannie’s stage, except we’d moved to California.

And so, Sam finished her last year in Young Child 3 and 4 in Kelly Meyers’ studio.

Ms. Kelly, as we fondly call her, held a little graduation ceremony for all the parents and friends in her Young Child class and the kids performed several numbers together. Each one did a solo too on the instrument of their choice.

At the onset, Kindermusik may seem like any other music program, with song and dance, instruments and games, but across our transcontinental encounters of it, I was very impressed with the consistency of its program and curriculum. We picked up exactly where we had left off. And at the end of it all, Sam had so much fun learning the different musical concepts, composers and terms, and remember them all to this day. She and Jamie, who has been in Kindermusik since she was in my tummy) can tell you the difference between piano and forte, crescendo and decrescendo, staccato and legato among other things. They both already know the different instrument families, as well as facts about Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, and their respective work. All of these things, I learned when I was in high school, and most of it was because I took the time to learn it myself as well!

In my opinion, what sets Kindermusik apart from all other music programs is its Young Child curriculum. Young Child is a 4-semester course for 5-7 year olds that is run over a period of two years. At the end of it all, the child learns how to read through the entire C scale, and play simple tunes on three different instruments. Sam knows about flats, and sharps, and she can read the notes and their respective rhythms. She can write her own beat and tune, and find where it is (on her own) on a keyboard, on a dulcimer, a glockenspiel and a recorder!

Each week’s session has a different song, story or theme, but it is readily applied to what they’re learning, and it progressively builds on each other. Everything has a purpose, and it becomes much clearer as the lessons go by.

I am a true believer in the Kindermusik program. I grew up knowing that music has many benefits to a child’s development, and I can see how Kindermusik has shaped that into the fun and interesting curriculum it has today. I can’t imagine the childhood of my girls without it!

My girls love music because of Kindermusik. The teachers, the program and all of our experiences have shaped Sam’s musicality into what it is today and I will forever be grateful. I’m so glad Jamie has 2 more years left!

Contributed by Jenny Reyes. Jenny Reyes is a mother to two beautiful girls. They teach her about parenting and motherhood everyday. Apart from the blog, Jenny is a marketing consultant and part-owner to a locally manufactured Children’s Furniture and Accessories line. She currently resides with her family in California.

Create your own family musical memories. Find your local Kindermusik class!

Why Your Child Needs Routines and Rituals

Routine. Ritual. Often the words are used interchangeably, but they have slightly different nuances. Routines are every day. More commonplace. Things we do at the same time in the same way. Rituals are special and meaningful, memory builders, if you will. They have purpose and are carried out with intentionality. Your child needs and thrives on both. Here’s why.

Routines give your child predictability, and with predictability comes a great sense of security for your child. Routines are the defining structure of a day or a week and provide a certain organization that prevents chaos. They are comforting and reassuring, helping your child know what to expect.

Rituals define us. They help us bond and connect. Rituals are enjoyable and repeated shared experiences – a certain way you celebrate life’s happy occasions or that special way you put your child to bed each night. They contribute indelibly and inextricably to a happy childhood, making for a lifetime of the best of memories.

Here’s a good example of the difference between routines and rituals. Attending a weekly Kindermusik class becomes a favorite routine, something you and your child both look forward to. You have a familiar and predictable structure to each week’s class (with a little new coming in with new themes, songs, and activities), and the same wonderful Kindermusik educator year after year.

What you learn in class and the Home Materials you receive then become the inspiration for memorable, heart-warming, bonding rituals at home. Like the toe-tickle you do each morning to chase away the morning grumpies. The way you cuddle up and read your Kindermusik story before naptime. The happy dance you do around the kitchen together when daddy walks in the door. Or the sweet lullaby that calms and quiets your child before bedtime… the very same one he’ll sing to his own little one someday.

Routines. Rituals. They are beautiful things, especially when they are set to music.

Make Kindermusik a part of your weekly – and daily! – routine. Find a class near you today.

Shared by Theresa Case whose award-winning Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in Greenville, SC, has been helping families enjoy delightful routines and special rituals for over 20 years now.

5 Easy Ways to Boost Early Reading Skills

Dad boosts early reading skills by reading a board book to his baby.

My nine-year-old daughter CAN NOT put down Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Her eyes gulp down the words while her imagination dives into the depths of the wizard world. It’s the 11^th time she’s made the same journey, not counting the first time we read the book out loud together. So when did her reading skills take flight?

She wasn’t a born reader—no one is—but a love of reading can develop early (and the earlier the better). My daughter’s love of reading began practically at birth, certainly long before she heard the name Harry Potter, and it 100% had to do with integrating these easy reading development tips…

Continue reading “5 Easy Ways to Boost Early Reading Skills”

How Scarf Play Amps Up Early Development

Mom uses sheer yellow scarf to practice scarf play with 3-year-old daughter in a Kindermusik class.

Swish. Twist. Float. Twirl. Bounce. Wave. Scrunch. Toss. Peekaboo…there are a thousand and one ways to promote early childhood development with scarf play.

That’s precisely why scarves are such a valuable prop at home, in a school setting, or in a musical play class. Surprisingly, what looks like just fun and games is actually enhancing brain, body, and social-emotional growth, especially when you combine scarf play with a song, chant, or rhyme.

So, what exactly happens when you take out those scarves?

6 Benefits of Scarf Play

Imagination Building. “Can you move your scarf like the wind?” That connection between our mind’s eye and an animate object is powerful, so children not only get to imagine how the wind might flow, they get to demonstrate it. That satisfaction spurs more and more curiosity.

Try this: Grab a lightweight towel, blanket, or scarf and follow the prompts with your child(ren) in “Wind and Rain” in the free Kindermusik App. Watch how they “bounce like rain drops” and put their imagination to use.

Directional Tracking. For babies in their first year, swaying a brightly colored scarf back and forth and tossing it up and down to the music is a safe and easy way to maintain their gaze and monitor progress for this important milestone.

Object Permanence. Another baby-specific benefit of scarf play is the demonstration of object permanence. Scarf peekaboo with babies helps them understand that something can exist without them seeing it (like a parent!).

Eye-hand Coordination. For babies, reaching out and grasping a scarf is a big deal! They can clench it, pull it, and swish it around while building up those motor skills. For older toddlers and preschoolers, tossing and catching scarves is an ideal exercise to increase eye-hand coordination needed for everything from brushing their teeth to catching a ball.

Early Handwriting Skills. Trace it. Pinch it. Twirl it. For preschoolers, scarf play can help build the directional and fine motor skills needed to write. Kiddos can easily practice the pincer grasp with something like a lightweight scarf—it’s a great brain break from and supplement to traditional practice workbooks.

Try It: Check out these three no-cost musical scarf play activities to help prep your little ones for handwriting success.

Vocabulary Enhancement. Verbally describing actions during scarf play (like “Up!”, “Down!”, Toss!”, “Float!” ) helps build vocabulary and comprehension skills.

Aside from the developmental benefits of scarf play, one of the pluses to incorporating it into your activity rotation is that it’s transferrable from class to home and back, and it’s full of joy.

Try scarf play in a group setting.

The best kind of learning happens with repetition, play, and support. Scarf play is a big part of our grownup-and-me studio classes and within our curricula kits for schools and other learning environments.

Join a Kindermusik class near you (in-person and virtual options available) or check out our teach-along solutions for your early learning space!

What Your Musical Tastes Might Say About Your Personality

I must confess. Back in the days of CDs, I would always ask to browse the collections of new friends. Okay…I wouldn’t always ask. Sometimes, I would stealthily investigate their musical offerings. The insights gained by glimpsing the soundtracks to their daily lives and memories offered a pathway to understanding them akin to reading their diaries. Of course, it would be socially awkward to ask to read a copy of a person’s diary, unless “of a Wimpy Kid” followed “Diary.” Right?

I am fairly certain I am not alone in my confession. You probably did (and do!) the same thing! I know I often busted my friends digging through my music with their eyes on more than one occasion. Well, it turns out we were all on to something. A new research study indicates that the “field research” we conduct by looking at a person’s musical collections really does offer insight into their personality.

Are You a “Systemizer” or an “Empathizer”?

A new research study conducted by a team of psychologists categorized people’s thinking styles into two categories:

Empathizer: A person who likes to focus on and respond to the emotions of others.

Systemizer: A person who likes to analyze rules and patterns in the world.

Depending on which category of ‘cognitive style’ a person scored highest in during the testing accurately predicted musical choices. The research team conducted multiple personality studies with over 4,000 participants and used musical selections from 26 genres and subgenres.

“Although people’s music choices fluctuates over time, we’ve discovered a person’s empathy levels and thinking style predicts what kind of music they like,” said David Greenberg, one of the researchers. “In fact, their cognitive style – whether they’re strong on empathy or strong on systems – can be a better predictor of what music they like than their personality.”

The Results Are In

The Empathizers: Participants who scored high on empathy tended to prefer mellow music (from R&B, soft rock, and adult contemporary genres), unpretentious music (from country, folk, and singer/songwriter genres) and contemporary music (from electronica, Latin, acid jazz, and Euro pop). This group tended not to like intense music, like punk and heavy metal but instead likes music with “low energy,” sad emotions, or emotional depth.

The Systemizers: Participants who scored high on systemizing preferred intense music, but disliked mellow and unpretentious musical styles. Systemizers prefer music with “high energy” (strong, tense), positive emotions, and music that features a high degree of cerebral depth and complexity.

The results proved consistent even within specified genres: empathizers preferred mellow, unpretentious jazz, while systemizers preferred intense, sophisticated (complex and avant-garde) jazz.

“This line of research highlights how music is a mirror of the self,” said Dr. Jason Rentfrow, the senior author on the study. “Music is an expression of who we are emotionally, socially, and cognitively.”

What do you think musical tastes reveal about personality? Join the conversation on the Kindermusik Facebook page.

Contributed by Lisa Camino Rowell, a freelance writer in Atlanta, Georgia, who no longer looks at people’s CD collections. Instead, she follows people on Spotify.

Musical Hacks that Help Kids Be a Good Friend

Happy Friendship Day today!! Just wishing you “Happy Friendship Day” probably made you think of certain people you’ve been blessed to know and who have made your life better just by being your friend. A good friend is someone who is caring, supportive, understanding, interested, kind, and giving. It’s a joy to not only have a friend, but also to BE a friend!

But have you ever wondered how to help your young child learn to be a friend? Music classes are a great place for children to gain the skills they need in order to be a good friend. Skills like…

Learning to share
Practicing the skill of sharing usually happens around a box of assorted instruments, books, or puppets.

Try this at home: Before your next play date, talk with your child about what it means to share their toys or favorite stuffed animal. You might even try a little role play to practice sharing.

Taking turns
During instrument demonstrations, children learn to wait for their turn. And oh the joy when the resonator bars finally get around to them!

Try this at home: The concept of taking turns seems so obvious, but it might really help the light bulb go on if you explain to your child what taking turns is – and is not. You could even do a mini demonstration of taking turns.

Speaking kindly
We parents do try to teach this at home, but there’s something about having another adult (the music teacher) model and encourage this in class too.

Try this at home: When your child’s tone starts to escalate in the wrong direction, ask them to use their low and quiet voice. This is a good example of getting the results you want by being very specific and concrete in what you ask.

Being empathetic.
Music puts kids in touch with their feelings, but the group experience of a music class helps kids learn to consider the feelings of others, especially when it comes to watching out for our friends and missing them when they miss class because of sickness.

Try this at home: Talk to your child about how they feel, and also how they think their friends might feel. With a younger child, this might take the form of telling. With older children, this will likely have the most effect if you are asking questions and taking time for the give-and-take of a healthy discussion.

Becoming a good listener
To really enjoy music, you have listen. Not just hear the sound, but listen to it – the nuances, the contrasts, the instrumentation – everything that makes music what it is. This is why focused listening activities in music class are so beneficial.

Try this at home: Encourage your child to pay attention to the sounds around them – a bird singing, a train whistling, baby brother giggling. And then help them understand what it means to be a good listener with others – giving attention, focusing, and making eye contact.

And as a word of encouragement to parents… Think of how long it has taken you as an adult to develop the skills it takes to be a good friend. Likewise, it takes years of positive reinforcement, good modeling, and patient practice for a child to gain these skills too. Starting them off young and giving them social experiences, such as those found in a music class, where they can learn and practice these skills means that they might learn these skills even sooner maybe than you did. And that’s a good thing because there’s nothing quite like the life-enriching gift of friendship.

Looking for a close-knit group of friends for your child and YOU? Join the Kindermusik community of families! Find a class near you today.