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Music Makes Kids Hungry For Learning (And Reading!)

Check out Kindermusik’s guest post, featured on the Reading Rainbow blog!

(As we close out “Music In Our Schools” month we’d like to share this very special guest post by our partners at Kindermusik. We hope after reading this you’ll be inspired to check out some of the GREAT books and videos on our new “Music Mountain” island in the Reading Rainbow App! If you haven’t gotten hooked on it already, that is…)

At Kindermusik, we like to say that music and reading go together like milk and cookies or like peanut butter and jelly. Think about it. How many of us learned the alphabet through song, or to count syllables by clapping our hands, or even about the rhythm of language thanks to nursery rhymes?

Reading with children—even infants—20 minutes a day can be one of the most important activities parents do to support literacy development. Being held by a parent during story time promotes bonding, helps young children connect the sounds of words with pictures, and models for children how to read a book. However, early literacy development extends beyond the lap of a parent. It also involves the growth of other key skills such as phonological awareness, auditory discrimination, active listening, and print awareness. Music naturally builds those skills (and more!) in children and makes them hungry for learning and reading!

4 ways music builds early literacy skills

“In our more than 35 years of teaching young children through music, we get the privilege of seeing how music actively engages children of all abilities in the learning process,” explains Michael G. Dougherty, Chairman and CEO of Kindermusik International. “Now, in the past couple of decades, the research is catching up to what we’ve experienced: music impacts literacy development in profound ways. In fact, a new independent study showed that children participating in our own early literacy curriculum for just 30 minutes a week experience a 32 percent literacy gain.”

Take a look at four of the many ways music supports early literacy development.

1. Music supports phonological awareness

In learning how to read, young children need to understand that words are made up of discrete sounds and that these sounds can be used to read and build words. Children with phonological and phonemic awareness show greater success at learning to read. Research indicates that our brains process music and language in similar ways because they share fundamental connections. Consider:

Spoken language is comprised of a stream of connected phonemes.
Music is comprised of a series of discrete musical notes or tones.
Understanding a spoken sentence requires the successful auditory processing of the individual phonemes combined with the intonation communicated by pitch.
Hearing music requires listening for the individual notes combined with their rhythmic values.

Musical activity: Read favorite nursery rhymes together. Take turns clapping to the rhythms of the words. This helps your child listen for and recognize that words are made up of different sounds.

2. Children practice auditory discrimination through music.

Related to phonological awareness, the ability to sort and categorize sounds strengthens children’s listening acuity or their ability to hear and understand clearly. Music gives children many opportunities to practice auditory discrimination. For example, by exploring the different sounds of drums and labeling them loud or soft, or by dancing fast or slow when the music changes tempo, children practice sorting and categorizing sounds. All this practice ultimately leads to better phonemic awareness and boosts reading abilities.

Musical activity: Using instruments around the house—even wooden spoons and plastic containers—take turns playing loud and soft, fast and slow, or short and long sounds. Label what you hear. Next, put on some music and dance fast or slow. Turn the music up. How would you dance “loud”? How would you dance “soft”?

3. Music promotes active listening.

Children need to learn how to identify and discriminate between sounds and tune into those sounds that matter most. During the school years, children will spend an estimated 50 to

75 percent of classroom time listening to the teacher, to other students, or to media. Developing strong active listening skills prepares children for school readiness, including language and literacy development. Musical activities such as listening for the sounds of the pipe organ in a Bach piece, using the wood blocks to produce a staccato sound, or moving smoothly when the music changes from staccato to legato, helps children practice active listening.

Musical activity: While listening to music together, try to identify all of the instruments in a song. Is that a drum, guitar, violin? What instrument was that? Try this activity using letter sounds. Make the M sound. Ask your child to identify the letter and name an animal that starts with that letter. Take turns.

4. Music classes build print awareness.

Learning how to recognize and read signs and symbols correctly takes practice and is an early step to knowing the letters and corresponding sounds of the alphabet. Both music and reading literacy depend upon a child’s ability to make those connections. Learning to read musical notation uses a similar set of cognitive skills and pattern recognition to those found in reading. In music, a child might explore graphic notation or the relationship between printed symbols and the associated sounds when they see a picture of a large dot and hear or play a loud sound, or when they see a picture of dashes and hear or play quiet sounds.

Musical activity: Put on your favorite songs and draw pictures together to represent what you hear. Ask your child to talk about each creation, including color choices and shapes. The drawings represent the notes heard in much the same way letter sounds correspond to words.

Experience for yourself how music supports early literacy development. Find a local Kindermusik class at Kindermusik.com. You can also visit the Music Mountain island—featuring Kindermusik content—in the Reading Rainbow app!

Music & Movement Benefits: Rhymers Will Be Readers

Today is World Poetry Day. And while your child may not be up to appreciating Robert Frost or Elizabeth Barrett Browning

just yet, he/she does benefit significantly by learning (and enjoying!) children’s rhymes and poems. Why are rhyming songs and chants so vital to a young child’s development? Reading expert and author Mem Fox explains why:

“The importance of getting rhymes and songs into children’s head’s can’t be overestimated. Rhymers will be readers: it’s that simple. Experts in literacy and child development have discovered that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they are four years old, they are usually among the best readers by the time they’re eight.” (Mem Fox, Reading Magic, pg. 85-86)

Experts agree. Music is a powerful vehicle for learning and enhancing development in every area. As an educator, one of the things I love most about Kindermusik is the way that it inspires children – and parents – to learn together in ways that benefit the child now and for the rest of his life.

So the moral of this story is… If you can’t quite remember those rhyming songs, chants, and Mother Goose rhymes from your childhood, take a Kindermusik class! Remember… rhymers will be readers.

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

The Picture-Reading Connection

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but in ABC English & Me, Kindermusik International is using the research-proven technique of using a picture to help a child learn to read a word. In fact, a recent study by Chinese researchers again confirmed the impact of a visual-rich context on literacy.
Along with music, movement, and interactive @Home Materials, the ABC English & Me curriculum actually utilizes a variety of pictures and visuals to help reinforce the learning that happens in class and at home including:

illustrated rhymes
illustrated stories
posters
flashcards

You may not be enrolled in an ABC English & Me program, but you can help enhance your child’s literacy development in other simple ways. Here are a few ideas and resources to get you started…

Build your own library at home. From e-books to traditional books, you can buy books new, put them on a birthday or Christmas list for Grandma, or find gently used books at local bookstores or online at sites like Amazon.
Spend time reviewing this great list from The Children’s Book Review: 20 Sites to Improve Your Child’s Literacy
Point out the letters and words that surround us. Whether it’s a box of cereal, a menu at a restaurant, or a sign on a building, opportunities abound to highlight the connection between letters, sounds, and words in every day, casual conversation.
Label things around the house. Make some simple signs and label objects around the house. You can use sticky-tack so that the signs are temporary. Include a picture with the word for extra benefit.
Read aloud. There’s no better way to bond with your child, create memories for a lifetime, AND increase their love for books and interest in learning to read for themselves.

See for yourself how Kindermusik can benefit your child in so many ways… including literacy development! Try a free class today.

Changing our world…through music!

There was a fascinating article recently published in Forbes magazine about how one man is using music, and specifically a music school, to shape a new generation in Vietnam. The title of the article says it all, “Music Awakens Education in Vietnam.” Nguyen Hong Minh’s vision is to use music to broaden minds, expand opportunities, impact the current culture, and create future leaders – all with a goal of changing his society for the better. And he believes that he can accomplish his mission through one very powerful means… giving students an opportunity to study music and the performing arts at Erato Music & Performing Arts.
For over 30 years, Kindermusik International has also been committed to a similar mission – that of changing our world through music, one child at a time. KI’s newest initiative, ABC English & Me, demonstrates the power of music to help children learn, develop, and blossom. ABC English & Me is a unique and exciting mix of music and movement activities proven to help teach young English language learners while at play.
But like all Kindermusik classes, ABC English & Me is much more than just a weekly class experience. The fun, music, and learning extend throughout the week at home through interactive @Home Materials that help parents support, enjoy, and enlarge the learning process in the place where children often learn best – at home.

Here are a few simple ways you can change your own little corner of the world through music and make a powerful difference in your child’s life:

Expose your children to a wide variety of music.
Keep music playing at home and in the car whenever possible.
Talk about what you hear in the music, identifying specific instruments or discussing the qualities of the music (fast, slow, loud, soft, etc.).
Have age-appropriate musical instruments available for your child to explore and play.
Sing and dance together – Your child doesn’t care how good you are, just that you care enough to sing or dance with him!
Read books about music to your child. Here’s a list compiled by an elementary music teacher.
Take your children to music performances and concerts.
Watch good music and performing arts performances on TV, DVD, or webcast.
Inspire a love for music and take advantage of the benefits of music from a very early age – Kindermusik classes are a great place to start! (You can even try a class for free!)

Music: A prescription for healing

Meet Kindermusik educator Kelsey Springsted

A spiral-bound notebook might not look like much, but to a 15-year-old girl diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma (a rare form of bone cancer), it became a lifeline. Kelsey Springsted always loved music—from creating musicals to perform in the living room for her family to piano lessons to playing the oboe in high school band. However, all of that came to a stop as a teenager when Kelsey learned she had cancer.

Chemotherapy treatments compromised Kelsey’s immune system so rather than spending her time in the typical teenager ways—hanging with friends, lamenting about homework, or performing with the band—Kelsey stayed in her room, alone. However, she did have a notebook.

“I began writing songs. That was how I got through each day,” confesses Kelsey. “I was rarely allowed to see my friends, even my twin sister, because of how weakened my immune system was, but the music allowed me to write about it and express myself. I wrote in my notebook and composed on the piano every day.”

Bringing musical healing to other children

Kelsey learned at an early age that music can indeed save us and transcend our circumstances. So, as her health improved at 16, Kelsey brought music to the hospital. She shared her notebook songs with children undergoing cancer treatment and other life-threatening illnesses.

“Music can be a therapy in many ways,” Kelsey explains. “It can get you through the day.”

Kelsey’s music led to organizing makeup parties for the girls, silly string and Nerf gun battles, and even a special gingerbread-making event around the holidays. Thanks to Kelsey and her gift of and for music, she helped make the days in the hospital a little bit better.

However, the music didn’t stop there! After battling cancer a second time when she was 19, Kelsey became involved in the Philoptochos Kids ‘n’ Cancer Camp Agape. Camp Agape offers families dealing with cancer and other life-threatening childhood diseases a refuge for four days in the summer, away from the sights and sounds of doctors, laboratories, and hospitals, where they spend so much of their lives. Children and their families engage in hands-on group activities that provide a reprieve from their daily challenges.

Each summer Kelsey runs the nightly campfires and leads families in playing instruments and singing together in Dunlap, Julian, and San Diego, California. Take a listen to her singing “No More Chemo” (with little voices singing along). The nurses taught Kelsey this song when she went through chemotherapy and she shares this at Camp Agape each year:

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Making a difference with Kindermusik

In her early twenties, Kelsey taught for a kid’s gym. “I got excited when the kids started singing with me. That’s where I felt joy,” shares Kelsey. “A Kindermusik educator offered classes at the gym so I talked with her about Kindermusik. As that educator’s circumstances changed, so did mine. Now, I own all of her studios, with my main studio in Valencia, California.”

Kelsey loves being a Kindermusik educator: “I know that I am making a difference in the lives of children. When a child comes in to class having a bad day, the singing makes it all go away. Plus, I see how Kindermusik changes children. They are learning steady beat and sharing, language and literacy, and so much more. They are learning how to learn.”

It’s about the parents, too. “I get to be silly at work and the parents can get silly with their children in the classroom,” explains Kelsey. “I love that I can teach new parents how to play with their little ones and what a difference singing to their children can make.”

Kindermusik and Reading Rainbow

Kindermusik educator, Kelsey Springsted, and employee-owner, Jamie Sterling, with Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton and CEO Mark Wolfe.

Now, as a Coloratura soprano and a graduate of the California Institute of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Kelsey participates in multiple opera and musical theater productions each year. One of this year’s “live performance” highlights took place last month at the Kindermusik and Reading Rainbow event to help celebrate the launch of the Kindermusik “Music Mountain” island on the Reading Rainbow app.

At the event, Kelsey led the auditorium full of children through Kindermusik activities. The entire hall filled with music and clapping and twirling and laughter—in typical Kelsey fashion.

“I loved being the musical theatre person on stage,” shares Kelsey. “I got like a 1,000 high fives!” (And, we loved being a part of it with you!)

Oh, and that notebook?

It’s gone—lost at Disneyland—but not forgotten. Yes, those songs helped Kelsey through her diagnosis and treatment. Yes, those songs encouraged more children when Kelsey sang to them in the hospital and at Camp Agape. And, yes, the roots of those songs spread into her Kindermusik classroom each week. So, the music lives

on. And so does Kelsey—5 years cancer free!

Contributed by Lisa Camino Rowell, Kindermusik parent, former Employee-Owner, and lifetime believer in the power of music.

Music & Movement Benefits: Music, Relaxation, and Nap Time

Today, on National Napping Day, we here at Kindermusik International are celebrating the benefit of learning to relax, one of the best gifts you can give your child. (We wish we could celebrate in true form by taking a nap ourselves, but alas, duty calls… and we digress.) Whether there’s simply a need to unwind or whether it’s time to settle down for a nap, music can be an important part of either of these childhood routines.
Just as your child needs stimulation and engagement in age-appropriate activities, she also needs periods of relaxation. This is one of the reasons why many of our Kindermusik classes for babies and toddlers specifically include Quiet Time or Relaxation Time ritual in every class. Lights are lowered; adult and child cuddle up; and we all settle in to enjoy a lovely recording together.
But a “quiet time” isn’t only for young children; it’s also beneficial for older children as well. And times set aside for relaxation are just as important at home as they are in the Kindermusik classroom. Creating regular quiet times at home gives your child practice in learning to calm herself, slow her pace, and relax. Plus it helps her develop a valuable lifelong skill – the skill of learned relaxation.
Slow, gentle music (like Kindermusik’s You Are My Sunshine) can best provide an environment most conducive to relaxation. Some families have created a favorites playlist of all their favorite Kindermusik Quiet Time music. Or find new favorites to download at play.kindermusik.com. Search by style for lullabies. Find what your child likes, and then create a beloved and soothing routine by playing music whenever it’s time for your child to relax or go to sleep.
And so, in honor of National Napping Day, we encourage you to take a few moments to relax and listen to some beautiful music with your child today. You’ll love how good it makes you – and your child – feel!

Music & Movement Benefits: Why We Dance in Circles

In our baby music classes and toddler music classes, we almost always include a circle dance in every class. Together we’re a circle of support, love, and belonging.Those circle dances are great fun, but there’s serious purpose behind them too.
A circle is a symbol of community, and in it we all contribute equally. For your child, our circle dances give him a chance to see everyone, be part of our community, and to belong. There is no beginning or end to our circle, just as there are no leaders or followers; we all create our dance together.
Besides the power of the emotional connections created in our circle dancing, we are also igniting the brain to work at its fullest capacity. Only through movement and movement activities can the brain fully develop. As Anne Green Gilbert, dance and movement expert, explains: “The brain has a plan for development that involves specific and intensive motor activities to make full use of our complicated nervous system.”
“Circle dances come from the wonderful tradition of communities dancing together, a tradition which is timeless in origin and yet relevant today in its capacity to foster togetherness. Dancing in a circle actually benefits the mind, body, and spirit.” (Michaelsen)
Want to experience some of these same music and movement benefits in the best early childhood music classes on the planet? Come dance with us at Kindermusik! You can try a class on us for free!
Compiled by Theresa Case, whose Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in Greenville, SC, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

Music in Our Schools Brings Harmony to Learning

(Source: National Association for Music Education)

Each March, we join with the National Association for Music Education for the observance of Music in Our Schools Month to help raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children.
With over 35 years of experience in using music to reach children of all abilities, we know without a doubt that music belongs in our schools. Why? Because that’s where our children are!

Music opens the door to learning

When young children are consistently engaged by music in an age-appropriate, socially accepting environment, they benefit at so many levels. Here are just a few…

Early Literacy Skills. They gain the phonological processing, spoken language, and comprehension skills that are the foundation of reading and early literacy skills.

Quantitative. They build the spatial-temporal and reasoning skills required for math, science, and engineering.

Social-Emotional. They develop social and emotional skills that are essential for school readiness—like the ability to regulate their responses and relate to others in complex ways.

Physical. By moving and dancing to music and playing simple instruments, children improve their gross and fine motor skills.

Creative. Activities that encourage freedom within a fun and friendly structure spark children’s creativity and provide inspiration.

And of course, they develop a lifelong love of music.

Music brings harmony to learning…and school

In the early childhood classroom, the teacher, the paraprofessional, and the children all contribute to the learning process and environment. This experiential environment where the learning process is shared by everyone in the group is called “social constructivism.” Music creates a learning environment where every participant contributes and takes away something unique based on their own experiences, both inside and outside the classroom. For example, in our early literacy curriculum, ABC Music & Me, our classes provide children with ample time to reflect, compare, make choices, express opinions and preferences, and engage in problem solving activities together. This teaches children not only the lesson focus but it also teaches them how to learn. Plus, these shared experiences create a sense of community, harmony, and even teaches empathy.

What about you?

Why do you think music belongs in our schools? Take a minute to let us know by posting on our Facebook page. In the meantime, listen to children from Public School 22 in Staten Island, New York. Yes, music belongs in our schools. Every child deserves the opportunities that music can bring. We think these children would agree!

4 ways to make every day National Read Across America (AND the World) Day

Some celebrations should last more than one day. At Kindermusik, we think National Read Across America Day is one such day. It doesn’t necessarily mean we need to dress up like The Cat in the Hat every day, but we can celebrate the joy of reading to and with children every day.
On Friday, we kicked off National Read Across America Day with LeVar Burton and Reading Rainbow to celebrate the launch of our partnership to build early literacy skills in children. With the addition of Music Mountain Island to the Reading Rainbow tablet-based reading service, Kindermusik’s music themed books and videos are featured alongside other newly produced content from Reading Rainbow and their partners. Of course, the celebration doesn’t stop there. Parents and early childhood educators can make every day National Read Across America Day with these early literacy tips:

4 ways to support early literacy development

Let children pick the books. Children will naturally gravitate towards specific books that reflect their tastes and interests. While you might not pick up a book about snakes or garbage trucks or fairies or kittens, those topics might be just the book to delight the child or children in your life.
Introduce children to eBooks and digital learning. Your little one will never remember a time before touch screens, eBooks, and digital learning. Try the Reading Rainbow app for iPad or Kindle Fire. From sing-along stories to nursery rhymes, enjoy the library of musical tales that will encourage your little one to sing, dance, and read! Plus, music-themed video field trips hosted by LeVar Burton will take your family around the world to discover interesting musicians, music, and instruments! You can try the Reading Rainbow app for free!
Play the part. Children learn through play. Encourage your little one to dress up like a favorite storybook character or act out the story using stuffed animals, Little People, or even the family pet. Pretending to be a part of the story helps children gain a greater understanding of the plot and characters, try out alternative endings, and even understand the world a little bit better. Added bonus: A child “in character” might be less reluctant to participate in certain daily routines and rituals, such as getting dressed or taking a bath.
Point the way to reading. With very young children, reading doesn’t always look like, well, reading. However, pointing to the pictures on the page, making letter sounds, talking about what you see together gives children an early understanding of reading.

As an added bonus in celebrating National Read Across America Day, we’d like to share this video where LeVar Burton reads poetry selections from “I Am the Book”. Recently filmed in the library at Thomas Edison Elementary School – where Reading Rainbow and Kindermusik hosted an energetic Read-And-Sing-Along event for the children. Enjoy!

Looking for more ideas on making National Read Across America (and the World) Day—every day? Follow Kindermusik on Pinterest.

March is National Reading Month

Yes, we know that today is February 28. But that means that tomorrow is March 1, and March is National Reading Month in the U.S. And what exactly do reading and early literacy skills have to do with music, you ask? More than you might think!
Here are just a few of the connections between music and reading – and just some of the reasons why literacy and books are an important part of our Kindermusik curricula and the musical learning that is so foundational to all we do:
• Music incorporates rhythm and tempo just like words and sentences do.
• You read music the same way you read music – from left to right.
• Patterns are as much a part of music as they are of reading.
• Music helps children learn to listen which is also an essential skill for literacy.
• In both music and reading, symbols are used when writing music and words.
In celebration of National Reading Month which kicks off with National Read Across Amercia Day on Monday, March 3, here are a few of our favorite music-themed books.
Musical Instruments from A to Z by Bobbie Kalman
Meet the Orchestra by Ann Hayes
Ah, Music! by Aliki
Music, Music for Everyone by Vera B. Williams
Hand Hand Fingers Thumb by Al Perkins
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss
Berlioz the Bear by Jan Brett
The Musical Life of Gustav Mole by Kathryn Meyrick
And here are some additional resources to help you and your child get reading.
Also, enjoy these Read Across America printables and resources from Seussville.com.

“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read with a child.” ~ Dr. Seuss

Shared by Theresa Case, who has an award-winning Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in Greenville, SC.