Minds On Music – The Kindermusik Blog

Kindermusik 30-year veteran and guru Carol Penney shares some thoughts on music in a five-day, five part series. Check back with Minds on Music each day for the next post!

Ahhh! Life with a preschooler. New skills, new questions, new activities, new friends. It can be downright exhausting! But you learn to embrace the emotional rollercoaster. Equilibruim: “I love you.” “I love my hamster.” “I love everything.” Disequilibrium: “My shoelaces aren’t right.” “I hate salad.” “I won’t go to bed.” (Do they still make shoes with shoelaces?)

You expect their world to be of opposites: conforming/rebelling; in-bounds/out-of-bounds; security/insecurity. But never underestimate the joy and the learning potential of their turn-on-a dime toggles from reality to fantasy. When you play with 3- and 4-year-olds, you really learn how to play. You don’t pretend to be a princess or pirate…you are a princess or pirate. The world magically transforms into a palace or a ship despite the uniformed eye seeing sofas and chairs.

As a grandma, I will not let the challenging aspects of a preschooler’s growth and learning sap my energy. I plan to capture their world of energy and eagerness and lean into that imagination.

Silly and Creative
Take those beloved nursery rhymes and make them silly – adding new rhyming words to foster their listening acuity, sense of rhythm and phrases, and creativity. Future reader. Future musician.

Sing a Story, Sing a Transition, Sing a Chore
Use familiar melodies (e.g. Row, Row, Row Your Boat) or make one up, then add your own words. (e.g. Toys, toys, toys away; Now it’s clean-up time; Quickly, neatly, that’s the way; Soon you will be done.)

Dance and Move throughout the Day
Like princesses, like pirates, with happy feet, with angry feet. Fill the day with a wide variety of musical styles and join in the creative expression while building musical awareness and a wonderfully expressive and coordinated body. (Theirs and yours!)
-Carol Penney, Kindermusik educator and employee-owner

Check back tomorrow for part 5, the final part of the series!

Kindermusik 30-year veteran and guru Carol Penney shares some thoughts on music in a five-day, five part series. Check back with Minds on Music each day for the next post!

When my boys were toddlers, I perfected the art of clenching my teeth as I encountered strong will, defiance, and creative problem solving that usually involved something dangerous (we've all see the chair with three books precariously stacked on top while little hands reached for the cookie jar). I also discovered how quickly my locked jaw could transform into a melted heart. Toddlers are so darn cute! It was frequently hard to stay present for all that adorableness as I juggled the responsibilities of family, job, church, and neighborhood.

As I hang around toddlers — perhaps to continue my grandmothering internship — I'm amazed at what I'm learning. Jumping, for example, is filled with a therapeutic joy! Songs, movement, and rhymes are always a hit, no matter the mood or time of day. And, not coincidentally, these activities create the foundation upon which music skills are built.

Incorporate these into your day to encourage a happy, musical toddlerhood:

• Rhymes — rhyming words support the development of languages, both spoken and musical. (Kindermusik will expand your repertoire. It sure did mine!)
• Movement — moving large muscles promotes both learning and the development of steady beat. Toddlers especially love movements that challenge, such as jumping and galloping. Add a stopping part and you’ll be rewarded with spontaneous giggles and great partice of self-control.
• Sing, sing, sing! — no training necessary…only the joyful enthusiasm that your toddler will model. From "The Wheels on the Bus" to "Yellow Submarine" to some silly nonsense song you make up, singing creates sweet moments, fosters creativity, and establishes a great sense of pitch.
• Play, play, play! — anything is a potential drum or shaker. Explore the house for sound makers and accompany your singing, dancing, and favorite iPod hits. (Sound discrimination supports language development and auditory skills.)
-Carol Penney, Kindermusik educator and employee-owner

Check back tomorrow for part 4 of the series!

Kindermusik 30-year veteran and guru Carol Penney shares some thoughts on music in a five-day, five part series. Check back with Minds on Music each day for the next post!

When my boys were babies, I was learning the Kindermusik curricula as a new educator. I was constantly singing, and quickly realized that soothing melodies could help with colicky nights and young ADD meltdowns. Singing and dancing could transform times of lethargy (i.e., the TV trance) into silly or joyful moments of movement, energy, and expression. Nursery rhymes and bouncing games could develop a strong sense of rhythm and beat (which helps in learning, sports, and music competencies).

In hindsight, I may have even underutilized these powerful tools that support development in all areas: social, emotional, physical, and cognitive. I can imagine that the busyness of today’s mom and dad allows precious little time to be together and sing, rock, bounce, dance, or listen.

In my next opportunity to parent — in that “grand” way — I will take full advantage of music’s power for learning, delight, and bonding. Nurturing a true music lover begins at birth (and probably even before).

Try following this prescription (begin practicing during pregnancy):

• Sing EVERY night at bedtime. (You don’t have to be a singer…the child hears the heart behind the voice.)
• Enjoy dancing with abandon every day to favorite recording. (You don’t have to be a dancer…all movement supports growth and development.)
• Accompany every diaper change with a nursery rhyme.
• Play calming music at naptime(s) or meltdowns.
• Incorporate a time to bounce to a beat. (Just bouncing steadily and stopping will evoke spontaneous giggles.)
• Rock, rock, rock.
-Carol Penney, Kindermusik educator and employee-owner

Check back tomorrow for part 3 of the series!

Kindermusik 30-year veteran and guru Carol Penney shares some thoughts on music in a five-day, five part series. Check back with Minds on Music each day for the next post!

I can barely remember a time that “mothering” (to my boys of 26 and 30) hasn’t been a prominent presence and driver in my life — celebrating, worrying, guiding, overcoming obstacles, desiring involvement, cherishing the hug/call/email/text, and so on.

More and more often, I experience “ahhhhh” moments as I realize my hand is off the tiller. They are launched — living beautiful, independent lives, and I am humbled to have played a part. I often think about what I learned as a mom, afforded by the hindsight of age, experience, and 30 years of Kindermusik involvement. I also visualize who I will one day become as a grandmother.

The consistent thread through it all: music! It’s the panacea for many of the challenges that wreak havoc as children grow up. It calms babies. It brings joy to toddlers. It builds confidence in preschoolers. It develops far-reaching and long-lasting skills that grow musicians, creative problem solvers, and confident lovers of learning.

My single best advice for young parents? Let music permeate your home (and car)! Music makes parenting more joyful. Music helps children unfold into wonderful, responsible, caring adults. And you don’t have to be a musician to bring music in your child’s life — just participate and enjoy singing, dancing, and listening together!
-Carol Penney, Kindermusik educator and employee-owner

Check back tomorrow for part 2 of the series!

Did you know…

…providing musical experiences in the early years gives your child benefits that last a lifetime? How does it affect your child. Well, growth may be observed in any or all of the following areas as a result of early and consistent exposure to music:

perseverance, confidence, responsibility, identity and self-esteem, discipline, love of music, art, culture, identification of talents, using time wisely, teamwork, following directions, intellectual and social development, precision and motor control, overcoming fears in public speaking and shyness, commitment to excellence, creativity, and self-expression.

Music is so important. Research supports this claim, and we at Kindermusik see it first hand every day. So make sure your child is getting exposure to music. It's a vital piece of the learning puzzle.

Priscilla Dunstan has two amazing talents — an understanding of sound and an understanding of babies. As a musical prodigy who preformed Mozart piano concerti at the age of 4 (!), Dunstan has used her self-described "photographic memory for sound" in many different ways. One of the most notable is in developing a system for understanding the cries of a baby.

This may sound a bit "out there" to some, but many think Dunstan is really on to something. In fact, she was even featured on Orpah to share her theories and findings.

Want to test her findings for yourself? After working with more than 1,000 infants around the world, Dunstan says there are five words that all babies 0–3 months old say, regardless of race and culture:

Neh = ”I’m hungry”
Owh = ”I’m sleepy”
Heh = ”I need to be changed”
Eair = ”I'm gassy”
Eh = ”I need to burp”

You can learn more about Patricia Dunstan and her findings at dunstanbaby.com. Who knows, this might come in really handy the next time baby is crying!

Preschoolers love new things. Have you considered trying sign language with your preschool agers? Not only is it fun and an additional way to communicate, they'll love having a "secret" language to share with you.

Sign language can come in handy and is easily learned by preschooler. Use signing to:
– create an environment for understanding without words
– help children avoid frustration when words don’t come easily
– foster language refinement – they can use signs to clarify
– provide ways to communicate with non-hearing people
– help them focus attention more directly since signing requires eye-contact (children are often overloaded with sound)
– foster self-esteem by giving children more control in expressing themselves
– channel kinetic energy positively
– have an option for stopping poor behavior in a calm, quiet way

Here are some resources to check out on signing:

ASL – American Sign Language Resources
An article on sign language and autisum
Sign & Sing – Kindermusik's signing class for children ages 6 months to 3 years

-by Kindermusik educator Theresa Case. Theresa's Kindermusik program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is in the top 1% of all programs in the world.

Yes, Kindermusik is for kids of all ages. No doubt about it. Their ears open and their eyes widen. They blossom before your very eyes in music class.

But here’s something you may not have considered: Kindermusik is for parents too! In fact, parents tell us that they get as much out of Kindermusik as their kids do. Think about it — with Kindermusik you have a special time each week that’s set aside just for you and your child. In class, you’ll learn all kinds of great things you can do at home to help your child continue to grow. What parent doesn’t love that?

Parents in our Village (age newborn to 18 months) especially tell us that they can’t wait to get to class to socialize and connect with other adults. Many lasting friendships have formed on a Kindermusik mat. At Kindermuisk you’re surrounded by parents who have a child the same age as yours, so it’s easy to make connections.

So, yeah, your child will love Kindermusik. But we’re pretty sure you’ll be looking forward to class just as much!

Click here sign up for a free kindermusik class and see if it’s right for your child. …And you!

A recent study called “Effects of Parent/Child Group Music Activities on Toddler Development: A Pilot Study” turned up in the journal Music Therapy Perspectives.

Conducted out of Florida State by Standley, Walworth, and Nguyen, its goal was to assess whether structured group music activities have an effect, either positive or negative, on toddlers between 12 and 24 months old. As well, the study group combined children at typical developmental stages with those who were considered at risk of developmental delays.

Did the study get results? Well, let’s just post a quote:

“Results showed that participation in four to seven music sessions significantly increased higher level developmental skills. Significantly more children in the music group demonstrated higher level music and cognitive skills than did those in the control group.”

The study goes on to recommend that…

“Future research should pursue these findings with larger sample sizes and consider long term implications.”

We certainly hope they pursue a longer term study. We at Kindermusik believe the results will be just as encouraging!

It’s no secret that music is important to children’s development. But what this study adds to the mix is that structured group music activities appear to have measurable benefits.

Music is food for children’s brains. We want their brains to grow big and fat, right? So make sure you’re stuffing them full of music—and for some extra vitamins, try doing it in a structured group setting.

Want to learn more about the benefits of Kindermusik? Click here. For a link to the Music Therapy Perspectives website, click here.

 

One of our recent posts at Minds on Music highlighted the developmental benefits of play.

We all know that play is important to a child. Playing with your child can make a cranky toddler smile. Getting your baby to laugh more means less time spent crying. And the bonus: spending time playing with your child will put a smile on your face, too! Check out this article for more resources and tips on how to make play an easy, natural part of your everyday routine.

http://www.salisburypost.com/Lifestyle/120609-Emily-Ford-Sunday-People-column-baby-games

P.S. Want to learn even more ways to play with your baby or toddler, while they gain key developmental benefits? Consider trying a Kindermusik class. Click here to find a class near you, then click the "Free Preview Class" button to try a class at no cost and no obligation.

-by Kindermusik educator Theresa Case. Theresa's Kindermusik program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is in the top 1% of all programs in the world.