Kindermusik classes Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Minds On Music

Lessons for a Lifetime

Authored by Kindermusik educator Aimee Carter as originally posted on her blog, More Than A Children’s Music Class. Aimee is the director of Delightful Sounds, a Kindermusik program in Brandon, Florida.

It’s spring time, and in most households that will include some “spring cleaning”. At my house, my children have been sorting through their toys and removing the items that they have outgrown or no longer enjoy. I’m guessing that you’ve been there at some point too. I have often said that Kindermusik classes are a gift that will last a lifetime for your children. My children loved their years in my Kindermusik classroom, and I can still see its effects today.

Recently, I read an article discussing the life-long effects of music study. In this study, 70 healthy adults age 60 to 83 were divided into groups based on their levels of musical experience. They found that the musicians had better performance scores on several cognitive tests than the adults who had never studied an instrument or learned how to read music. “Based on previous research and our study results, we believe that both the years of musical participation and the age of acquisition are critical,” Hanna-Pladdy says. “There are crucial periods in brain plasticity that enhance learning, which may make it easier to learn a musical instrument before a certain age and thus may have a larger impact on brain development.”

So as you are considering what activities to do this summer, I hope you’ll choose the gift of music. It’s benefits last a lifetime!

Editor’s note: If you are looking for Summer Kindermusik classes in your area, click here to access the Kindermusik Class Locator.

Peter’s Story

He was in our Village class for such a short time….I’ll call him Peter. Just a few weeks to enjoy the waning days of Rhythm of Our Day and a little Busy Days, but in that short time we saw a flower open.

I remember his first visit to our class. Peter brought Mommy, Daddy, and Auntie with him and all were intently focused on Peter; his every move mattered. Any indication of pleasure or displeasure a one year old could convey was noted and evaluated. There were tears as he clung to Mommy, not knowing what to make of the wiggling bunch of bouncers and shakers surrounding him. “Peter doesn’t usually hear English spoken in his home.” But there were many hands to console….six to be exact! “I think we’d like to join this class…at least for a little while. They are only here for a short time,” said Auntie.

Only Mommy & Daddy came along next week to shore up little Peter. Fewer tears, but still well sheltered by slightly anxious parents, Peter’s fearful gaze seldom came my way. Mommy and Daddy quietly tapped his tiny hand keeping the steady beat he was not ready to feel.

Week 4: Peter brought only Mommy this week. Timid hands reached outside the cozy confines of Mommy’s legs to pick up a bright red shaker. Mommy and Peter stayed around after class to enjoy the chatter of their cohorts.

Today: Peter sat happily in his white plastic carriage…which looked remarkably like a Target laundry basket. Even a ride to the “Doctors office” wasn’t so bad if all your friends were going, too! The sudden stops for red lights created a palpable tension in the circle and even Peter’s gaze turned towards me in anticipation. Snug in his green towel, he peered out at those around him as if he had been doing this forever….well, for at least 3 weeks. Time to dance! I stood opposite Peter and Mommy. We swayed happily to Mama Paquita, do-si-doed a sly peek-a-boo, and as we met in the middle to say “hello”, Peter giggled and gave me the biggest smile ever!

It’s a friendly and chatty class who linger long, but Mommy and Peter were the last to leave today. Mommy quietly and shyly said, “This is our last class, Miss Colleen. We will be moving far away next week. I just want you to know Peter is much different child now. He loves class. He loves you. Thank you for my child happy now.”

~ Special thanks to Miss Colleen at Studio 3 Music for such a beautiful post, shared with permission from the Studio 3 Music blog

FOL Fridays: Imagination and Pretend Play

“Learning to imagine [is the] first step in stretching the human potential.” (Karen Miller, Ages and Stages, p. 65) The ability to pretend and imagine usually starts at around 18 months. From there, the developmental progression of pretend play generally moves from using one object to represent something else, to dressing up and/or pretending to be something else, to role-playing and interacting while in that role. Kindermusik classes help provide the kinds of experiences that provide the opportunity for imagination to blossom, but you will probably notice that your child engages most readily – and sometimes most humorously! – at home where your child is the most comfortable.

IDEA: Simple toys like blocks and stuffed animals, dress-up clothes from the thrift store, and even empty containers or cardboard tubes can inspire hours of pretend play. Organize these items into containers that are easily accessible to your child.

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

The teacher makes the difference

When you have a Google alert set for “Kindermusik,” you end up with a whole variety of posts on the subject. One recent alert contained some comments from a mom who made the insightful observation that the TEACHER makes all the difference in the quality of your Kindermusik experience. She couldn’t be more right. Here’s a little of what she had to say:

“I recently enrolled my 18mth old in an Our Time class. She LOVED it. I loved that the teacher wasn’t busy corralling kids, everyone was left to enjoy and experience the class however they wanted/needed to. The teacher was energetic and informative on WHY activities were chosen and made transitions from one activity to the next very smooth. I would recommend the class to anyone IF the teacher has good reviews.”

As a whole, Kindermusik educators are a group of loving, nurturing, musically inclined individuals who have two things in common – a love for children and a passion for making a difference in the lives of children and their families through music. Personally, I am very blessed to have a wonderful staff of eight Kindermusik teachers teaching with me here at Piano Central Studios. You know what? We’re all different. We have different personalities and different teaching styles even though we follow the same lesson plans. The beauty of it all is that parents and children have different personalities and learning styles too!

Just like the Kindermusik teachers on my staff, not all Kindermusik programs are the same. Often it is “love at first sight.” Sometimes it’s just a matter of allowing time to adjust to a new environment and a new experience. But sometimes it’s necessary to try out another teacher or another program offering Kindermusik. As independent educators and programs, we all bring different goals, gifts, abilities, and experience to the table. Don’t be afraid to seek out the Kindermusik program – and the Kindermusik educator – that’s just right for you! That’s one of the reasons why KI’s Class Finder is set up like it is – to help parents find a class that’s conveniently located with scheduling and educators that meet their needs. I think this mom said it best, “I’d try again with another instructor before writing it off completely. [Our teacher] Ms Amy really loves her job and it shows in how she teaches the class.”

To read this mommy’s comments in their entirety, click HERE. To try a FREE Preview Class, click HERE.

Shared by Theresa Case, M.Ed., whose Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in Upstate South Carolina is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

Introducing… FOL Fridays!

At the heart of the Kindermusik curriculum are Foundation of Learning statements, or “FOLs” as we Kindermusik educators fondly call them. These FOLs are the “how comes” and “so whats” behind every music and movement learning activity we do in class. You see, we want you to not only have FUN in our Kindermusik classes; we also want you to understand WHY the activities are so musically and developmentally beneficial for your child and HOW you can use these same activities ideas to make your every day parenting routines just a little bit easier.

With that in mind, we thought it would be interesting to introduce a short series we’re calling FOL FRIDAYS that will highlight some of our favorite, tried-and-true Foundation of Learning statements and parents tips. Check back with us each Friday to see our latest featured FOL. You’ll love the musical and developmental insights into that precious little person in your life!

– Compiled by Theresa Case, M.Ed. Theresa’s Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in Greenville, South Carolina, is proudly among the top 1% of programs worldwide.

A lifetime of benefits

The musical experiences your child enjoys in the early years can provide a lifetime of benefits. At Kindermusik, we see this every day. And our numerous research studies have proven the results as well. We’ve found that a child who stays enrolled in Kindermusik classes is highly likely to exhibit growth in some or even all of the following areas:

perseverance
confidence
responsibility
identity and self-esteem
discipline
love of music and 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

Want to find a Kindermusik program near you? Visit our Class Finder, or come try a free preview class. You’ll be glad you did!

All about the beat

In all Kindermusik classes, there is always emphasis on hearing, feeling, moving, and even “seeing” a steady beat. It may seem very elementary, but it is essentially the cornerstone of music.

More importantly, steady beat plays a huge importance in our speech, movement, thoughts and verbal organisation. From a baby’s first hesitant steps, he slowly finds his pace and soon starts to walk steadily and confidently. Our preschoolers who have a strong sense of beat would be able to use the scissors more skillfully. Ever watch a basketball game? The steady dribble of the ball before it is tossed smack into the basket require an acute sense of beat and timing. A master chef needs to have a command of steady beat in his knife skills. Even writers rely on a sense of steady beat and rhythm in their prose to produce a good read.

Because it is such a fundamental element, parents and teachers often do not give sufficient attention to the development of this very important underlying skill – a strong sense of beat. The consequence of insufficient steady beat experiences in early years can result in poor physical coordination, halting speech (in some cases, stuttering), and even weakness in thought flow. Would you have imagined that something so apparently a strictly musical characteristic can have such bearing on so many areas of our functioning?!

Here are some simple and fun activities that you can do with your child at home to reinforce the concept sense of steady beat:

Movement – Turn on the music and pretend to be a marching band. March, stomp or jump to the music. For younger babies, put them on your lap and bounce to a steady beat or dance with them around the room to the steady beat of the music.

Instrument play – Use the instruments from your home materials or make your own. An old pot and spoon will make a very fun ( and loud!) drum. Practice keeping a steady beat along with the music.

Reading – Nursery rhymes are a great way to introduce steady beat. Clap or tap along as you recite your child’s favourite rhymes.

Originally written by Chiat Goh.