Minds On Music – The Kindermusik Blog - Page 83 of 105 - For three generations, Kindermusik has helped millions of children around the world build a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning.

Minds on Music Quote

“Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons. You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Community Caring: Help a Kindermusik Educator & Her Family

Kindermusik is a community and, when a community member is in need, we’d like to do everything we can to help. Alex, the 14 year old son of Michelle Smith, a Kindermusik educator, recently underwent a liver transplant. The family is fundraising to cover the cost of the operation and medications. And, ’tis the season for giving!

To donate, write a check payable to COTA with ‘in honor of Alex F.’ on the memo line and send it directly to:

Lyndsi Bennett
c/o Children’s Organ Transplant Association
2501 W. COTA Drive
Bloomington, Indiana 47403

Or, you can go online and donate at http://cota.donorpages.com/PatientOnlineDonation/COTAforAlexF/.

FOL Fridays: Audi-what? Audiation!

Dr. Edwin Gordon, of the Gordon Institute of Music & Learning, defined audiation as “the hearing and comprehending of sound that is not physically present.” According to Gordon, “audiation is to music as thinking is

to language.” Just as children babble before speaking and thinking in language, they also progress through steps in music before they fluently speak and think in music.

Tips for parents: This is a fun game to play with in the car, in the kitchen, or while cuddling on a lazy Saturday morning when the children pile in bed with you. Start singing a favorite song, and then stop before you sing the last note of a phrase or the end of the song. Wait and see if your child sings it for you. If he does, he is successfully “thinking music,” or hearing it in his head.

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

The Importance of Repetition in Child Development

The below article is from Kindermusik Educator Analiisa Reichlin, of Seattle, Washington.

Do We Have To Do This Again?

Recently, I received a great question from one of our Studio3Music mommas. I’m sure she’s not the first person to wonder, so I thought I should share it with you all.

Question: Is it typical for each class to be very similar each week? We’ve noticed that we are singing the same songs each week and I’m hoping that the class changes a bit from week to week. Could you let me know?

Continue reading “The Importance of Repetition in Child Development”

FOL Fridays: Rocking and a Sense of Balance

As you rock from center to one side then the other, or even as you rock forward and backward, there is an experience of alternating between being on-balance and off-balance. This gentle motion stimulates the vestibular system, helping children develop an improved sense of balance and coordination. Rocking, especially active rocking, is also a good way to burn energy without having to race around the house!

Tips for parents: Rocking can be a quiet and

calming activity, or it can be a wonderful outlet for pent-up energy! Depending on the need of the hour, choose the appropriate music and take some time together just to rock.

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

The Top 5 Best Toys of All Time

Any normal Mom can be driven quickly insane by the annual Christmas toy craze. If I hear my 5 year old exclaim, "I want that!" during another toy commercial, well, it just might throw me over the edge. I came across an article on Facebook titled: "The 5 Best Toys of All Time" and noticed it had been shared by a number of my friends, including some of our top Kindermusik educators. I figured this article must include some great toys that are educational, musical, imaginative and would help me finish my Christmas shopping. What I found was even better… Continue reading “The Top 5 Best Toys of All Time”

A Minds on Music Quote

“To me…music exists to elevate us as far as

possible above everyday life.”

– Gabriel Faure

FOL Fridays: Pretend Play

Imitation is the first stage of pretend play. As imitation evolves, it becomes more imaginative. The complexity of pretend play can be seen when a

child re-examines life experiences by adding or changing the happening. Benefits of pretend play include:

vocabulary development
social skill development
differentiation between reality and fantasy
emotional support

Ideas for parents: Play is a child’s work, and one of the best things you can do for your child is to let him just play. Have a dress-up box with costumes and props. Save empty boxes or cardboard containers that can become forts, binoculars, or doll houses. And when you can, play WITH your child and enter into their world of imagination. There’s nothing quite being like a kid again – even if it’s just for a little while!

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

6 Tips for Less-Stressed Holidays for Parents

With the holidays just around the corner, it’s a good time to have a plan for reducing the feelings of stress and overwhelm that are often a part of the holiday season, despite our best efforts otherwise. Here are six tips that can help you formulate a plan to ensure that the whole family can enjoy the holidays to their fullest.
Determine to take time for the little moments. A holiday-themed or other favorite book before nap or bedtime. A dance around the kitchen while the pasta cooks. A drive through the neighborhood to see all the lights. A cup of homemade hot chocolate.
Choose to establish one new tradition or special holiday ritual for your family. Perhaps it’s attending a local kid-friendly holiday concert. Or maybe you might choose to make or buy an Advent Calendar to help you count down the days. With older children, you might opt for taking cookies to an elderly shut-in.
Enjoy the music of the season. Take all of your favorite Kindermusik-style activities right into the holidays! Move-along, play-along, dance-along, and sing-along to all of your holiday favorites. You might even find some new musical inspiration for the holidays at Kindermusik’s music download site, play.kindermusik.com. Enjoy a free holiday music download of Winter Wonderland on us this month only!
Keep your daily routines as consistent as possible. While everyone in the house benefits from a predictable routine, young children especially need the familiar predictability of their regular schedule to keep them from falling apart or feeling out of sorts. Continue reading “6 Tips for Less-Stressed Holidays for Parents”

Kindermusik's Favorite Road Trip Playlist

“Are we there yet?!?!?!”
Sound familiar? We all know road trips can be tough with little ones. So, considering we have entered the heaviest traveled season of the year, it’s time to gather up some songs, toys, and games for those long car rides. We at Kindermusik have a few ideas to help make a long car trip just a little more fun & musical for your child, which means travel gets just a little easier for you!
We asked our community to tell us their favorite Kindermusik song that they listen to in the car. Below is the Kindermusik Road Trip Playlist, which we compiled out of your favorites. You can download the below kids songs right off play.kindermusik.com to build your own portable road trip playlist.
The Kindermusik Road Trip Playlist

Give your child the gift of music by adding in holiday song downloads for your holiday playlist!
We also built an interactive Kindermusik Kids Music Radio mobile application to try to bring the benefits of Kindermusik to your home and car. You can download this to your iPhone, iPod, or iPad. There are multiple radio stations, over 100 Kindermusik songs, and interactive instrument buttons within the app to allow your little one to practice their steady beat!
Safe travels!