Minds On Music – The Kindermusik Blog - Page 92 of 106 - For three generations, Kindermusik has helped millions of children around the world build a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning.

Change a child’s life by casting your vote

Have you heard about our Good Beginnings grant program? We’re giving five $1,000 grants to projects submitted by individuals and organizations around the U.S. and voted on by individuals like you.

We received over 40 fantastic applications, each one touching, thoughtful, and extremely important. They are all deserving! But we need you to help choose the five that get funded.

Visit www.kindermusik.com/grants to see all of the ideas and vote for your favorite(s). You can vote every day, up to 10 times a day between now and February 9, 2011. The top five vote getters will receive Good Beginnings grants.

Here’s just one idea submitted by KidzNotes. KidZNotes transforms futures through classical, orchestral music training beginning in the pre-school years to combat poverty, strengthen inner-city education, and foster positive decision-making to unlock the world. KidZNotes is based on Venezuela’s El Sistema.

Embed YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQPB9JS4woE

Other ideas include:

> Supply MP3 players with headphones for families to enhance musical learning opportunities in learning centers, designed for parent and child interactive experiences in Canton, Ohio
> Support breastfeeding families by through the creation of the Nursing Nook in Vida, Oregon
> Offer Kindermusik classes to at-risk families in Owensboro, Kentucky
> Bring musical instruments to children in community centers
> Provide music classes at the local library for children at Round Top-Carmine Elementary School in Texas where the school district is unable to fund such classes
> Set up a themed-based building to have a place to play and learn for disadvantaged children in Irmo, South Carolina
> Create a resource guide for special needs families

And so many more wonderful ideas. Take a few minutes to visit www.kindermusik.com/grants, check out some ideas, and cast a few votes. Thanks!

Note #1: We are currently experience trouble with voting and the Internet Explorer 7 browser. We are trying to correct the issue. Other browsers appear to be working fine.

Note #2: VOTING. You may be wondering how the 24-hour voting period is determined. Voters can vote up to 10 times within a 24-hour period. Unlike the application period which ended at the same time for everyone, the 24-hour Voting period is different for each Voter. The 24-hour period starts when a person casts her first vote for the day. So for example, if a person casts her first vote on Wednesday at 1:00pm EST, she has until 12:59:59pm EST on Thursday to cast her 10th vote. Her number of potential votes (10 per day) starts over again at 1:00pm EST on Thursday. Any unused votes from the previous 24-hour period do not carry over into the next.

Try a free Kindermusik class preview in 2011

Happy new year! The new year means a lot of things: a fresh start, a resolution or two, a new calendar hanging on the wall, the struggle to remember to write the correct year on your personal checks! (Or is that just us?)

Have you thought about what special activities you’ll plan with your child to make this year one of growth, bonding, learning, and great memories? If you’ve begun mulling over this question, hopefully Kindermusik is on your list.

We know there are a lot of choices for parents today, but we think Kindermusik is simply the best choice a parent can make. Our classes are engaging, age-appropriate, and research-based, not to mention an absolute blast! But don’t take our word for it. Check out the community page on our new website to read some quotes from mommy bloggers across the web. These are unsolicited blog entries from parents who absolutely love taking their kids to Kindermusik.

So try Kindermusik to see if it’s right for you. Sign up for a free Kindermusik class preview:

CLICK HERE FOR A FREE CLASS PREVIEW

Kindermusik has it all. It’s music, it’s movement and dance, it’s learning, it’s connecting with other parents, and perhaps best of all, it’s bonding with your child. We know you’re going to love it, and we hope to see you in class soon!

Have questions? Visit our newly redesigned website at www.kindermusik.com or email us at info@kindermusik.com.

Make it a musical, TOGETHER Christmas!

Although this is the time of year when many Kindermusik programs take a brief holiday break, no one has to take a break from musical, family-oriented activities over the holidays! In fact, the holidays are the perfect time to take a few minutes here and there to de-stress, make a memory, and enjoy all that the holidays were meant to be. Here are a few ideas and resources to get you started:

Favorite holiday-themed books (teacher-tested and kid-approved!)
Dream Snow by Eric Carle
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
Flannel Kisses by Linda Brennan
Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney
The Mitten by Jan Brett

Favorite music downloads from play.kindermusik.com
Jingle Bells Play-Along
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Over the River
The Jolly Snowman
The Little Drummer Boy
Ding Dong Merrily on High
The Night Before Christmas

Family activities to bring a smile and create a memory!

Pretend Sleigh Ride: Turn on “Over the River.” Pull a laundry basket with a sturdy rope or slide it around. Add bells to the side of the basket to get the full effect.

Make a Snowman out of Dad: Play “The Jolly Snowman” as you use toilet paper to wrap up a family member like a snowman. Add a hat, scarf, mittens, etc for fun. Don’t forget to take LOTS of pictures.

Pots and Pans Play-Along: Get out some wooden spoons and some pots and pans. Play along to “Jingle Bells” or “Rudolph.”

Easy food crafts
Marshmellow snowmen
Gingerbread house from graham crackers
Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
Reindeer Hand Print

Posted by Theresa Case, whose Maestro Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in Greenville, SC, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs world-wide.

The “Process”

This post was shared from a mom enrolled in Kindermusik classes at Studio3Music, the world’s largest Kindermusik program.

As a mom of 2 very different boys, one with sensory processing issues and one with a severe bleeding disorder, I know things in my house can be far from considered normal. I remember going to Kindermusik when the older one (with SPD) was little. He was always so BUSY!

It seemed like all the other 6-9 month old babies were happy and content to sit in their mommies’ laps and smile and clap with the music. They would wave as the shakers were put away and smile again when the next song would start. Not my baby. He would crawl around the room, looking under curtains, pulling himself up where ever he could. He’d look for anything out of place to discover and get into. I was practically chasing him around the room!

When shaker time was over, he’d fight to keep that thing in his hand and when the shakers disappeared, he’d scream and cry through the entire next song. I’d quietly soothe him, whispering in his ear. I could feel all the other moms looking at me. Sometimes we’d leave the room until things got calm.

This is when I’d come back and Miss Allison would talk about “The Process.” My younger boy never had this issue, although his deal is to just lie like a log on the floor during the dancing music. Everyone just dances over him like he’s a prop on the carpet. Of course I’m used to being the family that stands out in a crowd. Neither child really follows anything.

After years with Miss Allison and learning from Montessori school, I have become adjusted to knowing what “The Process” really means. At 6-9 months old, the older child was processing everything in his environment. Including the music and songs of Kindermusik. A week or two after learning a new song or dance he’d try mimicking it at home. Not often in class. He was too busy there. Too busy PROCESSING everything.

The little one does the same thing. He may just lay and roll on the floor in class, but on the way home he sings every single word to every song. I learned something else about The Process over these 5 years as well. Letting go of the Perfectionist in myself.

After setting out all the supplies for our family gingerbread house, I had ideas of creating a masterpiece, but after several summers of Kindermusik crafts and home art projects I knew the house was going to be anything but that. The boys jumped right in icing and decorating until every bit of candy was either on that house or had been eaten.

Throughout, I kept reminding myself that it’s all about THE PROCESS. I’ve seen other moms do all the gluing and sticking and messy work for their art projects or have a separate “kid’s Christmas tree” so that the “real” tree can look like Martha Stewart’s, and that’s fine. Those trees are beautiful and the projects look just like the originals.

What I’ve learned about The Process is that as much as I want that perfect looking tree and gingerbread house for my very own, I remember the original ones even more. I remember the hand turkey with 3 eyes and feathers on his head but none on the fingers part. The gingerbread house with candy only on one side or only decorated with the blue candies. I remember the Santa picture that I had to be in with my sweats on, hair a mess and no makeup because the little one would not go near the man in the red suit. This is all part of The Process.

The Process, where not only the children are learning and growing and absorbing, but I am too! The perfectionist still wants to fight it but I remember all these things to keep her at bay, and until the children can hang outside Christmas lights on their own, I can still light up the neighborhood in my own Martha Stewart-ness. So the next time you see us dancing to the beat of our own drum, you can stare, it’s okay. We are just processing and making memories while doing it.

Shared with permission from Studio 3 Music, the world’s largest Kindermusik program, from a Studio 3 Music blog post written by Kindermusik mommy Heidi Forrester… who still hopes her gingerbread house will one day look like the picture on the package.

Introducing: America the Musical, the Vook!

Drum roll, please!! Kindermusik International is very excited to present our new Vook, America the Musical.

In partnership with Vook, makers of video-enhanced books for the web, iPhone, and iPad, Kindermusik International has created a music-and-video-enhanced, interactive version of our popular America the Musical book. If you have an iPad, you just have to check this out – America the Musical. It’s tons of interactive fun and learning. Read on for your sneak peek…

Who was Yankee Doodle anyway? Many of you have been singing these ballads by heart for years. Now you can get the real story behind songs like “Oh! Susannah“ and “This Land Is Your Land.” Take a musical journey through history and learn about the cultures, politics, and lifestyles of the people who settled America and inspired the famous lyrics.

You will delight in exploring the pages of this book through interactive touch. You”ll hear stories, listen to music, watch short, funny video clips about “Amazing Presidents,” and interact with historical figures like Paul Revere and Lewis and Clark who are brought to life through imaginative dialogue and entertaining character voices.

Penned in kid-friendly language and filled with odd, interesting facts sure to delight young listeners (one president had hippo bones and cow’s teeth in his mouth!), this interactive app is an unforgettable musical history lesson that brings ten decades of the American story to life with vivid characters, engaging and humorous dialogue, Monty-Python-style videos, and ten favorite American folk songs.

Click here to check it out now in the iTunes store! Available now for just $6.99. We hope you enjoy!

Meet a Kindermusik educator: Aimee Carter

Name:
Aimee Carter

Location:
Brandon, Florida

Studio name and link:
Delightful Sounds
www.delightfulsounds.com

Number of years you’ve taught Kindermusik:
7

Describe yourself in five words or less:
Creative, fun, energetic, and silly

Favorite Kindermusik song:
The Morning Song, because I like coming up with crazy animal sounds for the unexpected, animal choices like manatees or hippos.

Favorite Kindermusik activity, and why:
Anything with bilibos. I love all the ways we can play with them!

A proud moment in a Kindermusik classroom:
I love getting to see all the first steps and first words along with the parents. I get pretty excited about seeing the children grow and learn.

Something your Kindermusik children or families have taught you (could be inspirational, humorous, practical, etc.):
The children have really helped me become even more creative. They can really get outside of the box sometimes, and I LOVE that!

Something funny a child has said or done in your classroom:
The preschoolers crack me up. I never know what they will say or do next. Last week, one of the children stopped me in the middle of a song to ask “if I ever had fire come out of my butt?” LOL I never could figure out what it had to do with the train song???

The reason you teach:
I am passionate about music and the development of children. Kindermusik allows me to combine both of these as I work side by side with such wonderful families each week!

One way to show how thankful you are

Yesterday was the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. As an international company, we know that many of our parents and educators are outside the U.S. and don’t celebrate this day. But the holiday’s theme is universal—setting aside a time to stop and give thanks for everything that we have. It doesn’t matter what date the calendar shows, any day is a good day to do this.

One of the most common ways we show thankfulness is by helping others. This could be a friend in need, a special group of individuals, a stranger—anyone. And if there’s one thing we at Kindermusik International have learned after 30 years, it’s that our Kindermusik community of educators and parents is one of the most giving, caring, and generous communities you’ll ever find. Bar none.

This led us to develop the Kindermusik Good Beginnings Grant Program. If you haven’t heard us talking about it yet, the program allows anyone (individuals, small organizations, schools, foundations, Kindermusik educators, etc.) to apply for a $1000 grant for any project that will help children. We will be awarding five Good Beginnings grants, as chosen by the general public. Voting on project ideas will open in early January and run through February. We are currently accepting project applications through December 16, 2010.

So, in this time of thanks, consider demonstrating how thankful you are by applying for a Good Beginnings grant. If you live in the U.S. or Canada, all you need to do is come up with a project idea that will help children. It can be anything! Need help thinking of an idea? Visit the application site for some examples to get the juices flowing. When you’re ready, simply fill out the online application at www.kindermusik.com/grants. (Consider including photos and/or a short video to give your application some pop!) When voting opens in January, spread the word to family and friends to vote for your idea. Simple, right?

To our friends beyond the U.S. and Canadian borders, we wish we could have extended this program worldwide. Though we tried, strict international rules and regulations prevented it. However, you can still be part of the process! When voting opens on January 5, 2011, we invite you to visit the grants site and vote for the projects you like best. Anyone can vote (up to ten times a day, each and every day through February 9, 2011).

Now it’s our turn to give thanks: thank you for being part of our Kindermusik community, and thanks for everything you do to get children off to a great start!

New mommies’ brains grow bigger

The following post was shared by Kindermusik educator Analiisa Reichlin.

I always said that I lost brain cells with each child I delivered. It’s been my excuse over the last 12 years for all the information and appointments and tasks that seem to fall out of my head. However, some recent research I read seems to contradict that idea.

A recent Science Daily article says this, “Motherhood may actually cause the brain to grow, not turn it into mush, as some have claimed. Exploratory research published by the American Psychological Association found that the brains of new mothers bulked up in areas linked to motivation and behavior, and that mothers who gushed the most about their babies showed the greatest growth in key parts of the mid-brain.”

The authors of the study proposed the idea that all the hormonal changes after birth allow mother’s brains to reshape in response to their baby, and the instinct and drive mothers have to take care of their infant is the result of brain growth.

The researchers performed brain scans on women several weeks after birth, and again at 3 to 4 months post partum. They found that the mothers who most enthusiastically described their infants as wonderful, perfect, precious, beautiful, etc., were significantly more likely to have growth in the gray matter of their brains linked to maternal motivation, rewards and the regulation of emotions.

What made the authors believe that this brain growth was linked to motherhood was the fact that in adults, gray matter volume doesn’t normally transform over a few months without significant learning, brain injury or illness, or major environmental change.

So the questions arose. Does the constant touching, holding, cuddling, between a mother and baby cause her brain to “orchestrate a new and increased repertoire of complex interactive behaviors” with her baby?

Does growth in the brain’s “motivation” area lead to more nurturing by the new mommy, which in turn helps her baby thrive? Does behavior change the brain, or brain change behavior?

Finally, is it possible that post-partum depression reduce the same areas in the brain that grew in the non-depressed moms? Is there something in these findings that could help them?

More research is definitely needed. But these results are interesting, to say the least. So in the meantime, go ahead enthusiastically gush about your baby to everyone!

Special thanks to Studio 3 Music for allowing us to share this great post from the Studio 3 Music blog. Studio 3 Music in Seattle, Washington, the world’s largest Kindermusik program.

Want a $1000 grant to help children? Here’s your chance!

Ever had a great idea for a project that would make children’s lives better but you didn’t have the financial support to make it happen? An idea like:

– Collect new children’s books for children in foster care
– Add universally accessible playground equipment at your local elementary school
– Create a database of service providers who work with children with special needs in your area
– Offer a “Craft Camp” for preschoolers with a military parent who is currently deployed

Well, the Kindermusik Good Beginnings Grant Program is just for you! Anyone can apply for a Good Beginnings Grant. (Note: you must be 18 or older and live in the U.S. or Canada.)

At Kindermusik, we always say “a good beginning never ends.” Our worldwide network of Kindermusik educators will tell you that nothing compares to getting a child off to a good start. We’ve been doing it for 30 years, but now it’s YOUR turn! We are looking for parents, teachers, individuals, organizations, schools, or small businesses with a passion for making a child’s life better.

Our Good Beginnings Grants are your chance to put $1,000 toward a project that will make a difference in the lives of children. The project can be education, playful, musical, or whatever!

From now until December 16 we will be accepting applications. Then, starting in early January the public will vote on their favorite ideas! Get your friends and family to vote (and keep voting each day) to better your chances of winning. The top five vote getters will have their projects funded.

Ready to complete your application? Or want to learn more? Head to:

www.kindermusik.com/grants

Have questions? Post them below in the comments area. Good luck!

5 Aesthetic Awareness Activities for Kids

A young girl picks up leaves on a nature walk to build aesthetic awareness.

Aesthetic awareness, or the ability to observe, process, react to, and value nature and artistic expression (including sound!), plays an important role in early development.

Our reactions to sights and sounds in any environment can occur naturally, but grownups nurturing the listening skills, self-control (think: standing still to watch a hummingbird), and conversation it takes to really appreciate the beauty naturally around us, and the aesthetics we’re born to create, is critical for children.

Here’s a look at the science behind early aesthetic awareness and a few specific activities you can try…