Minds On Music – The Kindermusik Blog - Page 96 of 105 - For three generations, Kindermusik has helped millions of children around the world build a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning.

Dear Kindermusik — a letter that makes it all worthwhile

Dear Kindermusik,

I am writing to you to tell my family’s Kindermusik story and express our utmost gratitude for the Kindermusik scholarship that helped us to stay in the program last semester. It really begins with the birth of my first son, Evan. When I was 7 weeks pregnant with him in 2004, I began to miscarry and carried on this way for 3 weeks. I believed in a miracle. Evan was born nearly 4 weeks early on May 16, 2005. Due to the blood and oxygen loss serving Evan in the womb he was born with his left hand deformed. Seven weeks happens to be the point for critical hand development in utero. It is the point where the hands grow from a paddle shape to 5 single digits. At this point his hand was bound with amnion strands, which are protein strands my body developed to protect the growing baby, while I was in a state of miscarriage, two opposing forces, indeed. His underdeveloped thumb and pinkie were bound in an opposing position which did not allow the joints in those fingers to develop. His second digit developed a third of the way, but his 3rd and 4th digits are nubs.

I am convinced as the mother of a living miracle nothing can stop my child from doing all the things in life he is purposed to do. When he was 7 months old I discovered there was a Sign and Sing class available in the area. Cyndi Bohner was the teacher and she immediately made me feel comfortable with her heartwarming smile, love for the children and enthusiasm for the program. Sign and Sing gave myself and son our first experiences with communicating with each other on a deeper level. It was also a wonderful opportunity for networking with other new mothers.

I was very interested in attending Kindermusik’s Village after such a positive experience with the former and it’s been a Kindermusik love affair ever since. In 2007, I had my second son Aidan and actually started taking him to Evan’s classes when he was newborn, asleep in his basket. If it wasn’t for Cindy Bohner’s open heart and the flexibility of the Kindermusik experience, we never would have been able to continue. We enrolled Aidan soon thereafter.

My boys and I adore Kindermusik. It is so much more than a music class. It is a well rounded approach to learning with a musical foundation that brings joy to parent and child. This encourages excellent bonding as each learns a little more about the other. The classes have increased confidence socially for the children, as well as me. I would never sing out loud around others before the classes. Now after nearly 5 years of Kindermusik, I am not afraid to belt it out!

Cyndi Bohner encourages the curious whims of the little ones, which in turn stimulates that same flexibility in the moms. It is a liberating feeling to be a part of a program where you are not looked upon as a “bad” mother with an “uncontrollable” child if they just do not want to sit, but strikes a delicate balance of impacting the children to learn how to self regulate while developing good listening skills.

Particularly, my son Evan has triumphed and used his hand in ways he normally would not have. This has encouraged incredible development with his fine motor skills. There is no stopping his learning abilities, with hopes of learning the Glockenspiel and even the piano in the future. He also has a speech delay and I believe Kindermusik has been the single best speech therapy he could have ever had. That is why I can’t stop talking about it to everyone I meet with young children.

I just want to reinforce what a treasure you have in Cyndi Bohner. Kindermusik is great ideas on paper until a wonderful teacher like Cyndi comes along and makes it come alive! It is evident she has a vibrant passion for Kindermusik. She has encouraged me as a new mom in ways no one else has. She has never been without a kind word usually telling me what a great mom I am and what a great job I am doing, when I feel just the opposite. On those days where feelings of failure loom, Cyndi is always there each week with a hug and loving support.

All of these things keep us coming back, until the dreaded economy collapse. All extracurricular activities had to be cut to make way for basic necessities. My husband is a self employed furniture designer/developer and I recently went back to school part-time to finish my degree to be more of a help financially. The economy attacked my husband’s small business hard. If it weren’t for the scholarship so graciously presented to our family, we would not have been able to continue, which is a heartbreaking prospect. Thank you Thank you for enabling us to stay in the program and a huge heartfelt Thank you to Cyndi Bohner for seeing us as valuable enough to sacrifice for us to stay. The generosity is humbling.

It has been a wonderful opportunity to be a part of such a great thing during the formative years of my children’s growth. We are literally growing up with Kindermusik and it’s been an excellent journey! Though the economy has stayed the same and whether we will be able to continue in the curriculum is uncertain, one thing remains certain, we will not stop singing the praises of Kindermusik and one of their best instructors, Cyndi Bohner!

Sincerely,
David, Ashley, Evan and Aidan

Why Kindermusik educators do what they do

There are lots of reasons why Kindermusik educators do what they do. But the story below illustrates a thread common to every Kindermusik educator in the world – to help children learn and grow into amazing adults.

This story was shared with us by Kindermusik educator, Uta Weiland in Greensburg, PA.

In early April, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette published an article about one of Uta’s former Kindermusik students. The student, Kaitlin Price, is now 16 years old and clearly way ahead of the curve, as the article’s title suggests. Kaitlin’s mom attributes lots of her daughter’s success to attending Kindermusik classes as a child. In the article, Kaitlin had this to say about her early educational experiences:

“I could already read in kindergarten,” said Kaitlyn, a senior at Shaler Area High School. “So when other kids were learning their ABCs, I went down to the principal’s office and read to him because I had nothing better to do. And he listened to me read the Harry Potter books, if I recall correctly.”

When Uta asked Kaitlin’s mom if she could share the article with others involved in Kindermusik, Kaitlin’s mom said:

“I would be honored to have you use it for the good of Kindermusik. I do often try to recruit for you guys. I KNOW Kindermusik was a large part of why my kids are as successful as they are. Sometimes I’m so jealous of them because they have that music knowledge. Being comfortable with reading music has such an impact on all aspects of learning. Hope her story can gather more to the fold.”

We know Uta deeply appreciated that, and the rest of us at Kindermusik do too. Good luck to Kaitlin on all her future endeavors. There is no doubt big things lie ahead!

Want to read the full article that was published about Kaitlin? Click here.

Arts with the brain in mind

I believe that music, as the only activity that simultaneously stimulates every area of the brain, is the best choice for my children through first grade. But what after they were done with Kindermusik?

All my children are homeschooled, so I get to help make those choices. In my house, we continue music . Rob plays violin, Nathan plays flute. (And no, I don’t force them to do music!) But what about the other arts? Visual arts (painting, drawing, photography, graphics, set making, etc.), and kinesthetic arts (movement, dance, and theater).

My instincts told me that as my children were interested (Rob loves musical theater and gymnastics – Nathan loves Sculpey clay and drawing), I should let them integrate the other arts into their day.

Thanks to Facebook, I reconnected with 2 college girlfriends over Christmas. Pam the percussionist is now an elementary music teacher, Lucy the trumpet player now a Principal at middle and high school. We traded memories, laughs and books.

Pam gave me a book she’d read by Eric Jensen called Arts with the Brain in Mind. It confirmed what my heart already knew – arts enhance the process of learning. The brain systems they nourish, which include our integrated sensory, attentional, cognitive, emotional and motor capabilities, are, in fact, the driving forces behind all other learning.

That doesn’t mean your child can’t learn without studying music, or visual or kinesthetic arts. The arts, however, provide learners with opportunities to simultaneously develop and mature multiple brain systems.

The arts develop neural systems that often take months and years to fine-tune. The long-term benefits of the arts include everything from fine motor skills to creativity and improved emotional balance.

Maybe the most valuable benefit of including the arts in your child’s education is that the arts make better human beings. The arts promote self-discipline and motivation, social harmony, enhanced creativity, emotional expression and a greater cultural awareness.

What long-term studies are beginning to show is that students who participate in the arts may be less likely to be dropouts, have higher attendance, be better team players, and have an increased love of learning.

And who doesn’t want to have children grow up to be happy, well-balanced, creative, problem solvers, and work and play well with others?
-posted by Miss Analiisa, who as her children’s teacher, is seeing for herself the long-term benefits of clay, paint, band and drama.

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.

Mommy (or Daddy!) and Me

Have you ever been to a Kindermusik class? If the answer is “yes”, you know the music is great. You know the classes are more fun than you can imagine. Your child probably loves it! And the Home Materials help you enjoy Kindermusik even when you’re not in class, making your daily routines just a little bit easier.

But as Kindermusik teachers, one of the things we hear over and over from our parents is that the they love the way Kindermusik inspires those magical moments of bonding and together-time. These are the moments that we as parents treasure and remember forever.

Here’s one mom’s story about a simple, but special, Kindermusik day: http://www.themitschkes.com/2010/05/kindermusik-in-park.html

Music. Smiles. Dancing. Hugs. Happiness. And parents enjoying their children. . . . I think I must have the best job in the whole wide world.
-educator Theresa Case

Theresa’s Kindermusik program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is in the top 1% of all programs in the world.

Kindermusik International: the company behind your educator

These days consumers give serious pause when considering the company behind their favorite brands. With recession, product recalls, harmful ingredients, investment scams, CEOs going to jail, and so on. Whew! It’s enough to make us think twice about with whom we exchange our hard earned dollars for products and services.

Making the choice to entrust our children to others is among the most important work we do as parents. As a Kindermusik parent, you rely on both the Kindermusik licensed educator and Kindermusik International, the publishing and training company behind your teacher.

Kindermusik teachers are experts in early childhood music, trained to follow a proven, research-based curriculum, and a delight for your children to be around. I have trusted these teachers with my own children and I delight in the fabulous work they do for our communities. If you go to Kindermusik, you know them well.

But Kindermusik International (KI), the company that stands behind them, is perhaps less visible to you. We are North Carolina based and 100% owned by our twenty-seven employees. We have no investors to satisfy. No dream of going public. Our dreams get fulfilled every day: doing our life’s best work in service of the extraordinary music educators who teach and delight you and your child.

Before KI, many of us worked in taller buildings, wore suits and ties or dresses (as 19 of us are women), and were taught to obsess about profits. KI is our second career – the one where we work together to “do good” rather than simply to “do well.” Many of us, myself included, have been on this musical mission for fifteen years or more, an uncommon allegiance in today’s transient workforce. We are bound together by doing the hardest and most meaningful work of our lives.

I refer to KI as a sustainable social enterprise, not a company. Above all, we seek to do no harm: that is, always putting the needs and safety of families. This is why we invest relentlessly in product safety testing. Next, we focus our efforts on supporting our educators, for making a livelihood as a music teacher is not for the faint of heart. Finally, we aim to honor our communities: our environment through sustainable products and packaging; our world of less fortunate children through our outreach and scholarship programs.

Our goal is simple: make this world a more musical place for children – today and for generations to come.
-Michael Dougherty, CEO of Kindermusik International

An educator’s thoughts on a “perfect child”

Is your child perfect?

I read this interesting blog this morning. It is so hard as parents (especially mothers) to not get caught up in comparing our children to others –- both favorably and unfavorably. But the beauty and wonder of our children is that they develop in their own time and in their own way. Every child is perfect at being who they are. We can help our children become confident adults by not pushing them too hard or holding them back too long. What a fine balance that is!

This is why at Kindermusik we allow each child to experience class on his own terms. The one who want to sit snuggled in the grown-up’s lap and observe is perfect, the runner at the back of the room is perfect, the one climbing up my leg is perfect. As long as we set appropriate boundaries for safety and how to treat others, it doesn’t matter if he hides the eggshaker in his pant leg, refuses to take it, or shakes the dickens out of it. It is all perfect.

Here’s the article I was reading: www.mamapedia.com/voices/perfect

So enjoy YOUR children and their milestones to the fullest by not putting pressure on yourself or other moms to keep up. Remember, they are perfect.
-by Kindermusik educator Christa Sigman (pictured above are Miss Christa’s “perfect” girls)

Miss Christa is a Kindermusik Maestro educator, which means her program is one of the top in the world.

Wiggle while you read

From the moment you get pregnant, you’re inundated with literature telling you to read to your child. It’s pretty hard to not see articles touting the lifelong benefits of reading and the importance of reading to your child early.

But let’s face it…reading to a young child can be stressful.

Young children do not like to sit still for hours and hours, or for minutes and minutes, for that matter. It doesn’t matter if you are telling them a hilarious story about what happens if you give a pig a pancake, some children do not want to sit still for it. I have heard about children who, from infancy, cuddle up on their parents lap and desire nothing else in life other than to sit there and be read to. I’ve sat and listened to soft-spoken moms tell me how they spend hours just reading, reading, reading to their kids. And I am thrilled for those parents, I truly am.

But let me just be clear about this…none of the Venning Children exhibited anything remotely close to that kind of behavior. My early parenthood visions of what reading to my kids looked like soon gave way to the reality that reading more often entails me loudly reading words over a moving passel of arms and legs on the living room floor.

Now, I’m not advocating total chaos while you read. I mean, kids need to learn proper behavior and jumping on the living room couch is not acceptable movement during reading time (uh, or anytime for that matter). But simple movements, such as rolling on the floor or building with blocks can actually enhance your child’s learning.

I remember my breaking point. I had a newborn and was a probably a little post-partum, but I remember sobbing and sobbing one day after attempting to read to 2-year-old Kevin because he would “NEVER learn to read and would NEVER enjoy sitting and reading and what kind of mother was I that couldn’t read to her child?” (Okay, from the sound of that, I was probably a LOT post-partum!) Anyway, for a while, I think I even gave up reading to him altogether.

My enjoyment in reading to my young kids greatly increased once I learned that it’s okay for kids to be moving while you read to them. In fact, it’s good for them. Now, if I were my friend Analiisa (one of the smartest people I have ever personally known) I’d be able to insert a paragraph here about the connection between young children’s brains, motor skills and learning styles. I absolutely love listening to her teach me this kind of info, but I do her injustice when I try to retell it and it comes out something as simple as this “kids moving = good learning.” So I apologize, my dummy brain just gives you the bottom line.

And the bottom line is that kids need to move in order to learn, and some more than others. To require them to sit still during reading time actually works backward for them: they’re using their brain’s energy to concentrate on sitting still, instead of concentrating on learning the rhythm and rhyme of the words. Let these wiggle worms play quietly on the floor and you’ll notice their love for reading time increase.

Now, in our home, the rule is that they can choose what they want to play with while I read, but it cannot be a noise maker and they cannot be a noise maker. Other than that, they can wiggle, roll, lay, bounce or build. And now, eight years later, do you know what Kevin often does (yes, the Kevin I had a breakdown)? His favorite thing now is to cuddle up on my lap and read along with me! Where was this child six years ago? Trapped inside a little body that needed to wiggle while I read.
-posted by Donna Venning, a stay-at-home mom who, after fifteen minutes of reading to her older kids, will make them get up and “shake the wiggles out” before going back to read for another fifteen minutes. She can even be caught wiggling with them more often than not.

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.

Kindermusik’s Inspirational Educator of the Year

Last week Kindermusik International announced our list of “Maestro” educators for 2010-2011. These are the educators with the largest programs, our masterful teachers, and those doing significant outreach work in their communities. Our Maestros are a special group, and we couldn’t be more proud of them.

As well, we announced our Inspirational Educator of the Year. This year’s recipient of the award was educator Ally Trotter from Columbia, South Carolina. Ally has captured our heart with her incredible passion. Just as inspiring as Ally herself is Bryann Burgess, who Ally has taken under her wing to mentor. Ally writes of her mentorship with Bryann:

This movement began the summer of 2009, as a partnership with Kindermusik By Ally and USC’s newly founded Carolina Life program. This partnership has united Carolina Life with Kindermusik by Ally, and is making all the difference in finding the stepping stones to making Bryann’s dream of becoming a music teacher a reality.

Visit Ally and Bryann’s blog, Notable Accomplishments. We dare you to not be inspired by it! Trust us, it’s impossible.

Bryann had one of the most noble dreams we can think of – to teach music. Ally is helping her reach that dream. Thanks to Ally. Thanks to Bryann. Thanks to all our educators around the world who are helping make this world a better place.

Happy Earth Day! Let’s try something new today.

Happy Earth Day!

Almost any parent would agree that children should spend more time actively engaging their bodies and minds and less time in front of TVs, PSPs, DVDs, and computers. But even our best intentions can be hard to follow through on unless we have something to replace those things. If you want your kids to try something new, you’ve got to have replacement activities ready to go.

Not only is today Earth Day, but we’re also midway through TV Turnoff Week. So it’s the perfect day to say, “Kids, we’re going outside!” Make it fun! Make it an adventure. The more we can teach children that there is as much stimulation in the world outside the moving screen, the more willing they’ll be later in life to make that decision for themselves. As an added bonus, those who spend time outside inevitably develop an appreciation for Mother Nature, which is a perfect tie in on Earth Day.

So head outside! Tell your kids a story about the Earth. Make up an Earth-related song. Find some sticks or little stones and drum out a beat. Play a game that involves weather or seasons or plants. Do something different today. Who knows, tomorrow they may just want to do it all over again!

Want some more suggestions for TV Turnoff Week? Here’s some ideas for both indoors and outdoors.

www.screenfreeweek.org – this website was specially created by the publishers of the early childhood magazine, Tessy & Tab. It has lots of great ideas and tools!

play-activities.com – play activities for screen-free week

www.dorchesterhealth.org – 101 screen-free activities

play.kindermusik.com – our Kindermusik Play website has a number of free downloadable activities to accompany songs. Just look for the orange buttons with a capital A in a box. Those are free activities you can download and try at home.

Click here for a fact sheet on screens and very young children.

Special thanks to Kindermusik educator Theresa Case for contributing to this post. Theresa’s Kindermusik program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is in the top 1% of all programs in the world.

A life changed through music

As you may know, ABC Music & Me is a Kindermusik curriculum that was developed to be used in preschools and group child care settings. We knew it was special, we knew it was good, and we knew it would allow us to reach out to so many more children—but I’m not sure any of us were quite prepared for the power of what was to come!

Every week, with joy, our “ABC team” receives calls and letters from parents and teachers who are quite simply bursting to tell us about the incredible impact ABC has had on their children and students, including so many who are at-risk or who have physical impairments or developmental delays. We never forget: music is magic, reaching out to every single child!

Here is a quick peek into our ABC Mail Bag. It’s the story of Ethan, from a letter from his mom:

My 4-year-old son, Ethan, has a mild form of autism and has been diagnosed with developmental delays, speech delays, and low muscle tone. It’s hard for him to run, bounce, and sometimes even walk. Even something as simple as sitting in circle time is hard. He struggles to sit and do schoolwork all day; he really needs a physical release.

We love ABC Music & Me because it’s so easy to use, it helps Ethan develop, and it lets us get involved at home. We listen to the CD at home and around town in the car, we have fun and get lots of ideas, and it gives us different ways to work on his speech, social, and OT issues, too. It’s so nice to get to use something at home that he truly enjoys!

In class, Ethan gets to play instruments and refine his motor skills. The scarf activities have been some of his favorites. At school, Ethan goes straight from music class to work on speech and reading, and his teachers tell me that he has been improving ever since ABC started! It’s such a confidence-builder for him to have his learning carry over to other parts of his day! He may not be able to do everything the rest of the students can do, but he CAN do this.

The program has been so good for Ethan. Music is a common thread for him. It helps him truly grasp what is going on. Some children may not be able to communicate their emotions, but through music, they can express themselves.
–Lisa Clifford, Ethan’s mom

For more information about the amazing impact Kindermusik’s ABC Music & Me curriculum is having in public school classrooms, visit www.abcmusicandme.com.