Minds On Music – The Kindermusik Blog - Page 51 of 105 - For three generations, Kindermusik has helped millions of children around the world build a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning.

Love… From Top to Bottom and Bottom to Top!

This week, Kindermusik educators all around the world have been celebrating “We Love Kindermusik” week. Helen Peterson, Kindermusik educator extraordinaire and owner of Kindermusik of the Valley in Minnesota, turned We Love Kindermusik into an extra special week that celebrated not only the love she shares for Kindermusik, but also gave the Kindermusik families in her program a tangible way to show their love and care for others. Helen asked her families to donate warm hats and diapers as part of the We Love Kindermusik Week celebrations. Here’s part of her sweet note to her families:

We are embarking on a beautiful time of year, dedicated to love, love love!

Share the love by giving to our service project, sharing warm ears and dry bottoms. Show your little ones how to give by picking out a hat and/or a package of diapers to pass along to children who need them. We will take donations through February.
Nothing like a little show of love… from top to bottom and bottom to top! Helen’s caring act of organizing a service project is just one of the many very special ways our generous, loving Kindermusik community has celebrated We Love Kindermusik Week; and it’s just one small example of why Kindermusik teachers and Kindermusik families worldwide should be celebrated every day.
Come feel the love in a Kindermusik class near you! Try a Free Preview Class today.

Employee-Owners Love Kindermusik Because…

I love Kindermusik because…

“My kids, now college students, took Kindermusik classes before I started to work at KI. I love Kindermusik because it instilled in my children a love for music that continues today. And, as an Employee Owner at KI for 20 years, I know I have had a small part in sharing that same love for music with hundreds of thousands of children and families around the world as well.” ~ Scott Kinsey, Vice President/Chief Financial Officer/Owner
“…it brings families together and is FUN!” ~ Debby Pool, Vice President, Product Development/Owner
“I love hearing the multi-generational stories from families whose children—and now their children!—have benefited from Kindermusik. It’s very gratifying to work for a company that has made, and is continuing to make, such a positive impact on so many lives.” ~ Kelly Green, Vice President /General Manager Schools Division/Owner
“… around here, people know that children are children, people are people, and we all (including parents!) absorb, react, and engage according to our own personalities. Dancing is learning, sitting is learning, clapping is learning. Active children are learning! Shy children are learning! Giggling, bouncing, even distracted children are learning! Everyone is welcome, and every musical experience is offered with open arms and warm intentions. There is no negative here. Kids plus music, just good, good, good.” ~ Molly Dumbleton, Editorial Director/Owner
“…every day I get to help bring laughter and music into children’s lives, and that’s not bad for a day’s work.” ~ Adina Zoltan, Managing Editor/Owner
“… of what we do for children all over the world. Music is something REALLY special — and it’s hard to imagine that music isn’t part of the lives of some children. I truly hope that one day we will, indeed, bring the gift of music (Kindermusik) into the life of every child — amazing things would happen — of that I am certain. I also <3 Kindermusik because of my fellow employee-owners and our educators. Working with and getting to know such talented and strong individuals is awe-inspiring — and — so many friendships have been made over the years — friendships that remain constant for the rest of my life — of that I am certain, as well.” ~ Connie Schor, Manager, Educator Communication/Owner Continue reading “Employee-Owners Love Kindermusik Because…”

Kindermusik educators love Kindermusik because…

“…I get to do what I LOVE and know that it matters. How can anything be more fun? “ ~ Deborah Foster
“…I am a rock star to my preschoolers! ~ Anne Hendrix
“… it fills me up to the brim with the love of my families and children! Kindermusik is my passion because I am given the opportunity to share music with children and their families and they in turn share their most precious musical moments with me!” ~ Julie Stewart
“…it makes people happy, even on bad days.” ~Addie Kaessens
“…of the energy, enthusiasm and endless fun it brings to every class, every age, every day.” ~ Suzanne Dunn
“…I’m bringing my community the joy and fun of music while children are positively affected in many aspects. It is a joyful program that provides me as a mother and the rest of the mothers in the different age groups with tips on quality time activities to spend with their beloved one. As a business owner, Kindermusik is great for me as I choose the class timing and the beneficial return is good.”—Lucy Barhoumeh, Jordan
“…the combination of music, children and community make every class dynamic and emotional. There is never a dull moment at Kindermusik, always creation, growth, excitement and song. The energy is electric.” ~ Caroline O’Toole
“…I get to do the “crazy dance” at work and nobody thinks I’m actually crazy while doing it!” ~ Brandi Lowe
“…As a young person I always admired people that were able to be fulfilled and passionate about their jobs. Being a Kindermusik Educator and Mentor has made it possible for me to be just such a person. I count myself tremendously lucky to be in a position that allows me to inspire and nurture a love of music in so many families.” —Anja Michael, Cyprus
“… as my own children grow up, I get to relive the joy and wonder of the early years with my students and their parents.” ~ Jennifer Chau
“…it first taught me to be a better parent and continues to inspire me to be a better teacher and musician.” ~ Christa Sigman
“…it is fulfilling and meaningful and fun!” ~ Pam Carmagnola
“…it is a rich, varied, and joyful curriculum!” ~ Wendy Nelson
“…As an educator, I love to see how my Kindermusik children grow and progress….I have witnessed how Kindermusik makes it possible for all children to learn and express themselves in English through song, bringing them together across cultures and languages like nothing else I have seen. As a business owner I love the flexibility Kindermusik provides, allowing me to work hours that fit in with my family and the needs of my own children. The support and continuous training from Kindermusik, makes the job an easy one. This, coupled with the knowledge that I am making a difference in each child’s life through the development of improved movement, listening and expression, makes this the most rewarding job ever!” —Chantelle Laubscher, Qatar
“I love Kindermusik because of the joy it brings to families.
I love Kindermusik because it’s like a happy bubble in the midst of whatever else is going on in the world.” ~ Teresa Birch
“…there’s no feeling like the joy you share when a row of little teapots tip towards their handles! It’s very tricky being a teapot you know!” ~ Marina Smith
“ …I get to go to work and have a blast playing with children and their parents sharing my passion for music and child development. …..it allows me the privilege of impacting the lives of parents and their children. …..because with each class I have the opportunity to become a better teacher. …..because each classroom experience allows me to learn to be a better parent. …..because I have the flexibility to run my own business and be my own boss within the support system that is Kindermusik International with provisions for excellent research based curricula, educator training, marketing options and so much more.” ~ Beth Anspach
“… of the deep joy it gives me to watch parents and children bonding through the shared experience of great music and meaningful activities.” ~ Melanie
“… I get to inspire children and adults to wiggle & giggle, sing & sway, dance & laugh, bond & play, smile like never before, and explore life in a wonderfully new and expressive way!” ~ Melissa Mika
“…Out of all working adults in America only 17% like their job and feel like it fits who they are… I consider myself in the top 1% of the 17%. It is the perfect combination of Music & Child Development. Besides that it’s crazy Fun!” Jeanneane Palczewski
“…I have grown as a parent and because I can say to all my friends that I go to a job that I love and I get to play giggle and provide a wonderful musical experience for little kiddos and their parents. I not only enjoy the growth of my students but I have seen the growth, musically in the parents that attend the class…it brings a smile to my face each and every class.” ~ Kate Barry
“…Every day is an exciting journey, touching the lives of children and helping them discover the creativity that is inside of them. The best part of my job is sharing with parents how intelligent and artistic their children are, and that these children communicate their talents in many different ways. The glow on their faces is incomparable, as they realize the many unique ways that their children are special!”—Crisel Consunji, Hong Kong
“…I get to work barefooted!” ~ Kathryn Nobles Continue reading “Kindermusik educators love Kindermusik because…”

Kids & Parents Love Kindermusik Because…

Kids Say:

“Music class is the best part of being a kid.” ~ Marcus
“I love to play my glockenspiel.” ~ Olivia
“I love Ms. Karen and to play all the instruments.” ~ Jake
“It makes my brain bigger.” ~John
“All my friends are there ” ~ Alicia
“I like all the things we do. I like everything at Kindermusik” ~ Morgan

Parents Say

“When I went to a trial of Kindermusik I thought I was going to a singing class. It is so much more. Children learn to share, listen, express themselves and they don’t even know they are learning. They have so much fun and for my daughter, it increased her confidence 10 fold. Thank you Kindermusik.” – Louise T.
“We have recently begun Kindermusik classes for our 21 month old son to help with his speech development. He is a little delayed with his speech compared to other kids in his PK1 class, but loves music and dances alot. Within our first month, we are already noticing that he seems to be “babbling” more and along to the songs that we are playing from the at home materials. He is also picking up the some of the signs that are being taught by his teacher Ms. Desi (especially the sign for ‘stop’)! I also really enjoy the opportunity to spend time with him and participate in the activities because I feel we are deepening our bond and it makes me feel really connected to what is going on his little mind.” –Tammy V.

“We looked for a long time for an activity that our 2 year old Mirea would enjoy doing and at the same time teach her something great, like most importantly, English. I stumbled upon a Kindermusik sign one day and we loved it! Mirea applied herself during the lessons and continually learned more and more. It was fun to hear her sing in English, with greater clarity, and do the movements associated to the words and objects. We were moved by the pleasure she got out of figuring out new sounds….We will certainly continue this experience, confident that it will open many doors for her small receptive mind in the future.” Paola P.
“I love kindermusik because it is a place where my children and I can escape. We move our body, we play some instruments and make noise to a melody!!! It is a time to teach and a time to play with no judgement and no ‘rules.'” –Laura P.
“We love Kindermusik because of how inclusive their classrooms are! My daughter is 3 years old and is autistic. The teachers at Kindermusik have gone above and beyond to make sure that we were comfortable in the class and always email us to see what they can do to help our daughter feel more included. My daughter has gone from being nonverbal to singing and participating in class, which is a huge change compared to when we started a year ago with Kindermusik. We are forever grateful to have found such an accepting program that truly values every child that walks in the door. Thank you Kindermusik for making my daughter smile every week!” –Jessica R.
“I love that I can share the joy of music with my sons of different ages, in a relaxed and warm environment. The first time my youngest son sang the ‘Goodbye’ song to me at home made me realize just how much they really do absorb in class!” –Lindsay J.
“We love Kindermusik because it’s ‘our thing,’ special time together for me and my daughter. As a full-time working mom, our Saturdays at Kindermusik are precious and have only strengthened our bond. We now have another little one in our family, so we’ve expanded this special time to the 3 of us. I recommend Kindermusik to everyone I know with young children. It is the best money spent because the lessons last forever!” –Elizabeth O.
“Kindermusik started out as a way for our family to bond and a place for my daughters to express themselves long before they had words to communicate. Now it is a place for us to be silly, meet new families, and make lots of music together. We love Kindermusik!” –Emily R.

Music & Movement Benefits: "Scaffolding" Your Child's Learning

The term scaffolding evokes the image of a temporary support structure in a construction site. The process of scaffolding in an educational sense is much like the traditional definition of scaffolding as a temporary support system used until a task is complete and a building stands without support. That sounds a lot like our job as parents, doesn’t it? We provide a temporary support system for our children until they can stand on their own in the world.
Scaffolding occurs all the time in our Kindermusik classes as parents and children play with instruments, props, your voices, and movement and discover ways to adapt activities to their own style and their child’s unique interests and abilities. Kindermusik combines this educational strategy (scaffolding) with music and learning activities as just another way to enhance the child’s whole development – cognitive development, emotional development, language development, and more!
Helps for Parents: Be on the lookout for scaffolding opportunities at home, at the park, the grocery store…anywhere at all. Three easy directives to remember (while you’re providing that “temporary platform” for life): Ask questions, make observations (eye-to-eye, imitate & label), and give challenges – and before you know it, that little “building” will be standing with no support.
Learn how to scaffold with us – try a free Kindermusik class today!
Compiled by Theresa Case, whose Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in Greenville, SC, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

Kindermusik brings smiles to orphans in Kenya

Kindermusik International donated the instruments and Teacher Guides to help support this initiative in Kenya.

If a smile is worth a thousand words, then the smile on this girl’s face and the other children at her orphanage must certainly be worth an entire library of words. Thanks to a partnership between two organizations—Make A Difference and the British American Pre-school (BAPS) —young children at an orphanage in Kenya will be receiving the benefits of music by participating in ABC English & Me classes.

The project is lead by Debbie Chilver, director of BAPS, and her sister, Mariann Chilver, along with the

support of Debbie’s husband, Luca Paloschi, and the collaboration of many families and children.

“As our association works principally with very young children, the opportunity to introduce the Kindermusik program to them is very exciting and it will be a wonderful opportunity for our Kenyan students,” explains Debbie Chilver.

At BAPS in Milan, children participate in ABC English & Me and experience the powerful impact of musical learning on language and literacy development, social-emotional skills, and more. “I feel that music is one of the greatest vehicles for teaching. Music is a form of communication that is great for teaching English as a second language,” Chilver explained in a previous blog post.

Over 3,000 miles away, young children experience those same benefits of music. While the setting looks different and the backgrounds of the children are different, the smiles are the same.

Take a look at the images and do the impossible: Try not to smile, yourself, when you think about how the music from the Appalachians, played in a Kindermusik class in Kenya, led by the British Director of an Italian school brings music and learning to these children.

Baby Talk Helps Your Baby Talk

Even before your baby is born, she responds to the sound of your voice. It’s one of the really precious things that bonds parents with their unborn child. In fact, researchers have

observed that a baby in the womb can respond to the sound of a mother’s voice as early as 5 months along in the pregnancy.

Later, when your little one is born, you’ll naturally talk to her in a sing-song language called “motherese” or “parentese” – also known as "baby talk." Research shows that these are the first sounds that your baby will try to imitate with cooing and babbling – babbling being the first vital step towards saying words.

A recent study funded by The National Science Foundation Science of Learning Program further emphasizes "…that what spurs early language development isn’t so much the quantity of words as the style of speech and social context in which speech occurs." Here are some tips from that study to help get your little one happily babbling back and forth with you:

Talk in an animated "baby talk" style. Elongated vowels and a higher pitched voice really stimulate the babbling.
Keep the conversation private. Your baby will be more inclined to babble without others around, and you’ll probably be less reserved about your baby talk too!
Let it happen naturally. Talk through everyday activities like changing diapers or getting dressed.
Emphasize the important words. Speak slowly and with a happy tone of voice.
Focus on the interaction. It’s the back-and-forth verbal engagement that’s most important, more so than one-sided conversation.

In Kindermusik, we give you lots of opportunities to babble, bond, and build connections that prompt early communication and enhance language development through songs, rhymes, vocal play, bounces, and more. We help you mix up your language-building parentese with singing, talking, and rhyming, to expose your baby to a variety of sounds that will aid her singing and language development. Language AND music AND learning – just one of the many benefits of early music learning you’ll enjoy in Kindermusik.

Find inspiration for your baby talk in a free Kindermusik preview class. Go online to schedule your free visit today!

Music is a Super Power

Ever wonder why there is not a superhero with the Power of Music? Seriously. Sure, super strength and the ability to fly come in handy, but the Power of Music can sooth and calm a fussy baby (well, really a person of any age—adults included!), convince a reluctant toddler to clean up toys, help a preschooler discriminate between letter sounds, and even teach a child self-control.
Let’s face it. The Power of Music is a super power, especially when it comes to the cognitive development in children. But, wait, there’s more! Studies even show that the benefits of music extend well beyond childhood. Who needs to leap tall buildings?

Two long-term cognitive benefits of music

Two recent studies on the benefits of music show that music lessons in childhood can protect an adult’s brain from dementia, positively impact memory recall, and help aging adults maintain sound discrimination that supports speech:

As explained in the Journal of Neuroscience when adults age, many experience challenges in understanding and responding to speech, especially in certain environments, such as restaurants. However, older adults with music training as children do not exhibit neural timing delays. Adult participants with 4 to 14 years of musical training as children had faster response times to speech than those without musical training as children. Most surprisingly, they had not attended music classes in over 40 years!
Dr. Luis Fornazzari of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto has also studied adult musicians’ memory in relation to dementia. He noticed that older adults who could play music as children did not experience the same level of decay in the discrimination of sounds when compared to non-musicians. “The brain becomes absolutely trained in the discrimination of the sounds, the human voice and the different instruments, the different notes and that lasts,” Fornazzari explained in Learning music early build’s up brain’s reserves. “If the disease [dementia] occurs and you have good brain reserve capacity, you can tolerate the effect of the disease for longer not showing the symptoms until later.”

So, while we may not be able to give our children the Super Power of flight or strength—or even an invisibility cloak for that matter—we can give our children the super power of music! Do you want to bring the power of music to your child and family?

Find a local Kindermusik educator.

Music & Movement Benefits: Why and How to Sing to Your Child

Most of us have some songs we can recall from our childhood. Start singing and the tune and the words will probably come back to you. And if you’re in a Kindermusik class, you are enjoying a growing repertoire of songs to pull out and sing for almost any occasion!
Why Sing
Singing to a child is a priceless gift. It doesn’t matter if you feel like your voice is not star quality; to your child, the sound of your voice is the best sound in the whole world. According to Scholastic Parent & Child Magazine (Dec/Jan 1999), singing with and to your child can:

calm when upset, soothe fears, and reduce irritability;
enhance a child’s grasp of language and sense of beauty;
remind a child that he/she is cherished and loved;
improve communication and intimate bonding between parent and child.

How to Sing

Bounce your child in your lap and sing a song together.
Pick out individual words or groups of words from the song and let your child echo you. Change your voice, using lots of inflection.
Accompany yourselves by tapping wooden or plastic spoons together with a beat.
Dance while you sing.
Put your own words to a song – whatever fits the occasion or the task at hand.
Let a song inspire dress-up and pretend play.

Take the song, “The Muffin Man,” for example. The words are:
Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man?
Do you know the muffin man who lives in Drury Lane?
Yes, I know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man.
Yes, I know the muffin man who lives in Drury Lane.
You can have fun singing, adapting, and playing with this song in many ways. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

Try inserting another occupation, like “the bakery lady,” “the lawn mower man,” “the fireman,” or “our doctor friend.”
Substitute your own street name for Drury Lane.
Accompany yourself by tapping a spoon on a muffin pan.
Explore the many different kinds of sounds you can make as you tap, rub, or scrape the muffin tin.
Create a muffin game.
Put on an apron and/or a chef’s hat and then bake some muffins together – or just pretend to do so!
Play with the question and answer part of the song.
Come up with your own muffin song.

Shared by Theresa Case, who has an award-winning Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in Greenville, SC.

Bringing the benefits of music to the slums of Thailand

The benefits of music can transform a child’s life. Music can also be a lifeline. In early childhood music classes around the world, music brings light and laughter and joy to children surrounded by poverty and crime and exploitation. Kindermusik educator, Nikol Hellebrandova shares ABC English & Me (an English Language Learning program) with young children in one such place.

Early childhood music in the slums of Thailand

Two times each week Nikol Hellebrandova teaches ABC English & Me to a small group of children between the ages of 4 and 6 at a charity daycare in the slums of Pataya, Thailand. The Hand to Hand nursery school is located in an old business building. The former garage and warehouse area now serve as two classrooms for 60 children. A third room is used to store material, clothes, non-perishable food, and various items distributed to families and others living in the slums.
“Despite the hardships these children encounter each day, they love music class! The lessons are very interactive and the children are really getting into it,” explains Nikol. “They especially love interacting with the orangutan puppet and playing the instruments. In the class, children also enjoy taking turns being the ‘activity leader’ and giving instructions in English for the rest of the class—including me—to follow!”
Since beginning the ABC English & Me classes, children can now answer simple questions, name pictures, and sing the English songs for kids. Although the children can only access the home and classroom materials at school, Nikol also integrates the English vocabulary throughout other parts of the day so children’s English language learning happens naturally and through play.
“Sometimes it is difficult to arrange everything to make a nice learning environment,” confesses Nikol. “I really salute the courage and self-sacrifice of the Hand to Hand staff. They do so much more than run a daycare. They visit and take care of people in the hospitals, in jail, and in the neighborhood by supplying food, clothes, and medicine. In spite of everything, they always find the reasons and the way to enjoy life!”
Hand to Hand works everyday, one child at a time to make a difference to the children living in the slums. Hand to Hand provides a safe place where potentially exploited children can come and play and receive food, clothes, and a sense of worth. Hand to Hand is changing the lives of children.

Minds On Music – The Kindermusik Blog

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