Minds On Music – The Kindermusik Blog - Page 80 of 106 - For three generations, Kindermusik has helped millions of children around the world build a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning.

FOL Fridays: The Language of Music

Children instinctively understand the language of music. Music draws children in, inviting them to match its pitches, incorporate its lyrics, move to its beat, and explore its harmonic and emotional dimensions. Music’s physical vibrations, organized patterns, engaging rhythms, and subtle variations interact with the mind and body. Even as music delights, it helps mold children’s mental, emotional, social, and physical development (adapted from Campbell, 2000).

Ideas for parents: You may not have any musical background, but you can be a musical parent by the kind of environment, experiences, and encouragement you give to your child to foster and support a love of music. Playing music in the home and car and taking your child to Kindermusik classes and later, to music lessons, are important aspects of musical parenting. The best gift you can give your child is to instill a love of music in the early years and then support your child as she pursues and develops that interest throughout the rest of her life.

– Contributed by Theresa Case, whose Greenville, SC program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

The Recipe for Learning Success

The below post comes to us courtesy from Miss Analissa via the Studio3Music blog. Studio 3 Music is a Maestro Kindermusik educator, meaning in the top 1%, and serves the greater Seattle area with locations in Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond and more!

I started reading the Little House on the Prairie series to Natalie a couple of months ago. (She’s 6, and unlike my boys, totally enraptured by Laura’s story.) She was shocked to learn that on Sundays, Laura had to sit still and play quietly or read. Natalie tried it, and lasted about 7 minutes.

We just got to the part in On the Banks of Plum Creek where Laura and Mary go to school for the first time. This time, Natalie was dumbfounded that Laura would have been slapped on the hands “many times” with a ruler if she had wiggled, swung her legs, or talked during school.

What a difference a 120 years makes! I’m so glad we live in a time where we know so much more about the brain, and how learning and moving go hand in hand.

Carla Hannaford (award winning author and eductor) writes, “Movement is essential to learning. Movement integrates and anchors new information into our neural networks. Every time we move in an organized…manner, full brain activation and integration occurs, and the door to learning opens.”

Combine movement, which fully activates the brain, and creates and strengthens neural networks, with music, which is the only activity that simultaneously stimulates every area of the brain, and you have a recipe for successful learning. Continue reading “The Recipe for Learning Success”

FOL Fridays: The Movement-Learning Connection

Children learn best with their bodies. By providing a venue for movement, either in Kindermusik class or at home, children have a chance to “try out” a variety of creative, self-expressive movements. Being sensory learners, children should be encouraged to move, use their imaginations, and engage their large and small muscle groups, all in a safe place where they are mentally and emotionally connected. Physical, mental, and emotional developmental qualities of young children are so interwined and interrelated that when one area is affected, the other two areas are equally affected (adapted from Geigert, 2006).

Ideas for parents: Find ways to give your child the freedom and opportunity to move. Children who are not yet walking still enjoy moving with, and being moved by, an adult. Once your child learns to walk, encourage him to run and play outdoors, both in free play time and as age-appropriate, with more structured or organized activities. Simply dancing and moving to music is one of the best ways to help children learn through moving, whether that’s at home with the iPod or radio or in the studio at a Kindermusik class.

– Contributed by Theresa Case, whose Greenville, SC program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

FOL Fridays: The Singing-Speaking Connection

“Singing ability is related to the ability to control speech fluctuations, and speech activities appear to help develop tuneful singing skills. The ability to sing and the ability to converse with expressive speech are closely related. Playing with rhythm speech (chants, poems, rhymes, etc.) as well as simple tonal melodies helps the child develop both singing and speech skills.” (adapted from McDonald and Simons, 1988)

Tips for parents: So what is the best resource for learning (or remembering!) those all-important songs and chants that help your child become a better speaker and a better singer? You’ll learn a ton of great music and activities in your Kindermusik classes, but you can also borrow from Mother Goose, pull from your childhood memories, or make up your own songs and chants. Piggyback songs, where you adapt a song by substituting your own words, are also lots of fun.

– Contributed by Theresa Case, whose Greenville, SC program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

Sing & Sway the Summer Away!

Looking for a summer adventure?

Look no further! It’s time to swing, sway, dance & play the summer away with Kindermusik. Your local Kindermusik studio offers a variety of Kindermusik summer camps & adventures – from baby music classes to drop off music camps for older kids. With fun, summery themes you can sink your feet into, discover why so many families with young children love Kindermusik, especially during the summer time! In our short summer camp classes, we’ll give you a summer’s worth of music, stories, and activities created to inspire a lifetime of learning and love for music.

You can find a Kindermusik studio near you on www.kindermusik.com.

A Minds on Music Quote

Without music, life is a journey through a desert. ~ Pat Conroy

Activities for Babies 6 to 12 Months: “Pop!”

Sit on the floor cross-legged holding baby in your lap. Sing Pop! Goes the Weasel and sway from side to side with the beat of the music. On the word “Pop!” gently topple backward, and then roll forward again. Helping your baby feel a steady beat by engaging him in music and movement is important to his developing physical coordination.

Download Pop Goes the Weasel and other Kindermusik baby songs on play.kindermusik.com

Kindermusik and Your Child: Listen… Listen..

Shhh! What do you hear? Turn on your listening ears and you will hear many things in a Kindermusik class on any given day: the sound of a dog barking, the rain dripping on a tin roof, or the quiet, low “thump-thump” of your very own heart beat. But why is listening so important for a child?

The infant listens and learns to recognize the sweet sound of his mother’s voice early on. The toddler listens and learns to imitate and speak his language. The preschooler listens, and learns to follow instructions. As they listen, and listen, they learn, and grow, and their world expands.

Active listening differs from simple hearing in that we must choose it as an intentional act. We are surrounded by a cacophony of noise in our world, and we must choose whether or not to listen and process the sounds we hear. Active listening opportunities like those provided in Kindermusik allow children the opportunity to learn to listen intentionally. So turn on your listening ears! You might be surprised what you will hear!

Compiled by Theresa Case, whose Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in Greenville, SC, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

FOL Fridays: The Value of Play

Play is a natural activity for children. The child a play is self-motivated and actively engaged. Whereas

games are governed by rules, the value of play is that it provides freedom from evaluation and judgment. The freedom of a playful atmosphere fosters intellectual development as well as self-construction and the development of personality.

Tips for parents: There are many things we as parents can do to inspire play. Just making sure your child has lots of time for free play is an important first step. You might also want to look at the play areas – inside and outside – and ensure that they are safe and inviting. Finally, consider adding some very simple toys and props to the playroom – things like wooden blocks, cardboard boxes and tubes, blankets, dress-up clothes, etc. will all help your child make his imagination come alive through his play.

– Contributed by Theresa Case, whose Greenville, SC program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

FOL Fridays: Benefits of Reading Aloud

Reading to a child on a regular basis benefits him in several key ways. Reading increases his knowledge of the world, his vocabulary, his familiarity with the written language, and his interest in becoming literate. In fact, the larger the variety of fluent readers a child hears, the better.

Ideas for parents: Even if other special adults in your child’s life do not live nearby, it’s still possible for your child to hear them reading aloud. Hallmark has recordable books. Skype offers free video calls. And MailVU makes it possible to record and send a video email. The possibilities are endless!

– Contributed by Theresa Case, whose Greenville, SC program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.