Sneak Preview-Kindermusik Village

We're already making plans for bears, balls, birds, and boogie this Spring. While our Spring schedule isn't open for registration yet, we know what we have coming, and this Spring, we will be doing Feathers and Do Si Do. Feathers brings the beauty of creatures with wings into the cold of Winter, as we sing songs about Geese, hummingbirds, Owls, Chickadees, Robins and other feathered creatures, explore up and down, singing, swooping, and sharing, and even some harmony (don't worry, parents, it's easier than it might sound :) ).  You even get a special chime ball, just like the ones we use in class to take home, as well as the class music on CD and digital download, and art banners and a board book with beautiful bird pictures, plus additional activities available online.  Feathers was the very first Village unit my daughter did, and even at almost 7, it's still one of her favorite CDs.

Then we move into what is her FAVORITE book from Village (and one of her favorites from Kindermusik) with the dancing bears of Do-Si-Do. In this semester, we'll be singing, dancing and moving to a lot of different styles and types of music, up, down and all around. Babies will giggle and bounce, and parents will get a workout and have fun doing it while we learn about music and the ways our wonderful bodies move. The fun continues at home with the "This is my Dance" board book that STILL has a place on my daughter's bookshelf, almost 7 years later, the Do-Si-Do CD and digital music download, additional digital activity downloads, beautiful art banners featuring dancing bears, and a scarf and egg shaker for home movement exploration.

The schedule isn't up yet, but keep watching this space and our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/KMatCMS so that you can be the first to reserve your spot for this musical experience :)

Music at home-La, la la, piano and forte

This week we added a new note-La. On the piano the La below the three M-R-D black keys we've been exploring is the next black note down. We used this note in the special, spooky "Skin and Bones" Melody. (for lyrics and MP3).  We also continued to work with our "Join the Parade unit, exploring piano and forte, woodwind instruments, and marching bands.

Next week, studio students will have their special, seasonal Halloween class. Students (and parents, if you want) are invited to wear costumes (just remember that we'll be singing, playing instruments, dancing, and getting on and off the floor-so if the costume doesn't allow free movement or covers the face, please adapt accordingly, or plan to wear it, show it off, and take it off) . We'll have a lot of fun!

Have a great week, and I'll see you next class!

Music at home-Balance and participation

Did you realize that a learning experience that involves more than one sense can be more powerful than a single-sensory activity? Each sense activates specific neurons in the brain. The more senses being used result in more brain activity. Therefore, activities such as “The Frog in the Bog” which involves vocal sound and touch and “A Ram Sam Sam” which involves listening, touch, and movement are optimal learning experiences.

Kindermusik thoughtfully provides such experiences with a balance of calming activities in order to avoid over-stimulation. Each and every one of you, as your child’s best teacher, is able to recognize your own child’s signs of fatigue, excitement, and learning readiness. Our class is your time to observe your child’s cues and participate accordingly.

Feel free to contact me by email or to talk with me in person  if you have questions about your child’s level of participation

There will be no Friday Our Time class on October 28. This class will be added to the end of the semester. Have a wonderful Halloween weekend!

Music at home-A weighty matter

Our movement focus for Lessons 7 and 8 is weight. The more muscles we use, the stronger the force of our movement, and vice versa. Working with contrasts in weight, light and heavy movements, teaches children to control and understand the impact of their movement. When we move to music, we sometimes want to dance more strongly to loud music and more lightly to quiet music, though there is not a direct correlation. When you explore light and heavy movements at home this week, make this distinction for your children: you can move with strong or heavy motions either slow or fast, and the same is true for light motions. Consider that you can make a loud sound with a light movement by striking a triangle or a wind chime, while punching a padded pillow will produce a quiet sound.

Don't get too "weighted" down this week!  Have fun exploring,

Next week is our special Spooktacular Halloween class! Children (and parents, if you want) are invited to wear costumes as we share some special seasonal activities and see just how cute everyone is. Please feel free to bring cameras-and to share any photos you take on our Facebook page-http://www.facebook.com/KMatUMCMS

Ti-tis and tas a little much?

Enjoy a giggle today (parents will appreciate this more than kids :) ).

Music at home-Pathway power

We continued to play with pathways this week, including drawing pathways, moving in different paths and different ways, and moving instruments in different pathways. Following different paths, and drawing lines in large, swooping motions, on large paper on the wall or outside with chalk, hopping, jumping, turning...When we do them in class, with the appropriate music, we're helping your child develop an awareness of musical contour which leads to melody and, eventually, sight reading and singing skills. These activities also help your toddler develop their motor skills and coordination, leading to eventual success in sports, dance, or just in walking without falling, something that definitely takes practice for the 1 yr old!

Here are some great gross motor activities for toddlers-and some of them aren't bad for parents, either!

Don't forget to become a fan on facebook-this is where I put all the neat, interesting or useful stuff that comes to my attention but may not make the blog or e-mail cut (and that I'll probably forget about before the next class). Right now, by becoming a fan you are automatically entered in our 100 fans, 100 songs giveaway, and can win 10 free children's song downloads, too!

Music at home-Join the Woodwind parade!

This week, our ABC in studio students joined Henry and began their study of the woodwind family. We also continued to work with three note, M-R-D melodies, quarter notes, double eighth notes, and quarter rests (ti-ti, ta, and shh) and composed a song as a class. And we began working with the musical concepts Forte and Piano (loud and soft).

Here are some great free resources on the instruments of the orchestra, including the woodwind family.

And here is another adorable video from the folks at Music K-8 magazine, this one illustrating the concepts Forte and piano wonderfully.


If you haven't become a fan of Kindermusik at the University of Memphis on facebook, please do so. You could even win 10 free song downloads in our 100 fans, 100 songs challenge :). http://www.facebook.com/KMatUMCMS. Tell your friends, too!

Have a great week, and we'll see you next time!

Ms. Donna

100 Fans, 100 songs

We're having a "100 fans, 100 songs" challenge on the Kindermusik at the University of Memphis facebook page. For every 10 fans we add, I will give away a code allowing you to download 10 songs from the Play.kindermusik.com website, free of charge to a lucky fan-up to 100 total songs. You don't have to be a Kindermusik parent to be eligible-only someone who likes good children's music.

So, come join us!

http://www.facebook.com/KMatUMCMS

Music at home-Let the children be composers!

"Let the children be their own composers." - Carl Orff

We are hearing and seeing a lot of composition going on! The children are composing using rhythms and pitches, beginning to read musical symbols, and beginning to match iconic notation to sung pitches and to the black keys of the piano. This week, we continued working with Folkloric, M-R-D melodies on the three black keys of the piano, and began composing our own melodies using icons for the M-R-D pitches. This week, explore a few more three note melodies with your child. We also continued our study of Latin American music and instruments by exploring some characteristic percussion instruments found in Latin America.

Since it's the pumpkin time of the year, why not play a game from Mexico? 1-2-3- Calabaza!
http://www.spanishplayground.net/1-2-3-calabaza-traditional-mexican-playground-game/

Have a great week! ABC classes in studio will begin the 2nd unit, Join the Parade, next week. ABC classes at Lipman (which started later) will continue to explore Latin American music. Both groups will continue to develop music reading, listening, and basic keyboard skills.

Music at home-Spin and turn, dance and dip!

We sing through class with a hop and a leap and a twirl around! As the parent of a toddler, you are well aware of children’s love of both music and movement—and Kindermusik makes full use of this fundamental need!

Rolling, tipping, swaying, and twisting all stimulate the vestibular system, the body’s system that controls the sense of movement and balance. “The brain has a plan for development that involves specific and intensive motor activities to make full use of our complicated nervous system.”* When these motor activities are combined with musical experiences, the brain is further stimulated to form new synapses or connections. When integrated in this way, learning is at its strongest.

While singing or listening to your Home CD, enjoy “Rock With Me!” on page 22 of your Home Activity Book. How many different rocking motions can you and your child create?

Note-Friday classes will be on Fall Break October 14. Have a great week off!!

*Movement and Music: The Keys to Learning, by Anne Green Gilbert, Kindermusik Notes Nov./Dec. 1998

Music at home-Rolling, rolling, rolling along!

Isn’t it fun to play with balls!  Children and balls just go hand in hand.  This week, take some time to explore all the paths your family can create during ball play.  Does the ball move straight?  Curvy?  Zig-Zag?  You might also enjoy creating pathways with a ball.  Your little one may enjoy feeling a ball roll up and down her body while your older child will enjoy moving with the ball and maybe even on the ball!  Add balls to your family’s   favorite Moovin’ & Groovin’ song, moving the balls in different ways and along different pathways to the musical beat. The sensory balls included in your home materials are perfect for a different type of ball play. So are beachballs, foam balls, and even big exercise balls.

Playing with a ball not only provides your children with a means for social interactions with peers and adults, but also enhances the development of arm and hand muscles, eye-hand coordination, and cause-and-effect relationships.  Ball play also strengthens future recreational development including bowling, baseball, basketball, football and soccer. *

We'll have a "ball" together in class next week!  See you then,

*Cripe, Juliann, Kristine Slentz, and Diane Bricker. AEPS Curriculum for Birth to Three Years.  Diane Bricker, Ed. Volume 2. Baltimore: Brookes Publishing Co., 1993, p. 172.

Music at Home-Rockin' and Rolling toddlers

We sing through class with a hop and a leap and a twirl around! As the parent of a toddler, you are well aware of children’s love of both music and movement—and Kindermusik makes full use of this fundamental need!

Rolling, tipping, swaying, and twisting all stimulate the vestibular system, the body’s system that controls the sense of movement and balance. “The brain has a plan for development that involves specific and intensive motor activities to make full use of our complicated nervous system.”* When these motor activities are combined with musical experiences, the brain is further stimulated to form new synapses or connections. When integrated in this way, learning is at its strongest.

While singing or listening to your Home CD, enjoy “Rock With Me!” on page 22 of your Home Activity Book. How many different rocking motions can you and your child create?

Here's a great bathtime activity to use with your Kindermusik songs this week at home, from our friends at Family Fun Magazine.

Have a wonderful week!

*Movement and Music: The Keys to Learning, by Anne Green Gilbert, Kindermusik Notes Nov./Dec. 1998

 

Music at home-Pathways and shapes

The movement focus for Lessons 5 and 6 is pathways. Our world is most commonly organized in straight lines, emphasizing efficiency and directness. When children have the opportunity to explore lots of different ways to get from one place to another, they enhance their awareness of the world around them, and develop increased agility. When a child creates curves and zigzags with her arms and upper body, she frequently crosses the midline, helping to strengthen her corpus callosum and the ability of the brain’s two hemispheres to communicate with each other. When we explore the space we have around us, we can create new pathways—curved, circular lines; sharp, angular, zigzag lines; straight lines, forward and back, side to side, and all sorts of combinations.

Like other elements of movement, pathways help develop coordination and balance. What fun it is to have new ways to play on the playground, run at the park, and think about different ways to get from here to there.

Other ways to play with pathways include drawing paths with sidewalk chalk outside or with tape or hook-side velcro (my favorite if you have fairly low-pile carpet. One roll can be reused for a large number of learning activities for years as a child grows) inside and following them by walking, crawling, pushing toy cars, or rolling balls (like your sensory balls from your home materials) along them. This is especially helpful in reinforcing concepts as a child gets older, from simple shapes to letters, numbers, spelling words, and much more. I've even used this when teaching graphing to middle school algebra students! You can also draw pathways on paper and encourage your child to follow the pathway with a dot marker or bingo dotter, or to place stickers along the pathway (good for fine motor development).

Our piano skill this week is making and labeling paths on the piano-indicating to your child that they're moving higher, moving lower, playing short notes or long notes, playing on the black keys and white keys, playing one note or many.  There is no wrong way to explore as a toddler, and by labeling what they do, we validate their explorations and encourage vocabulary development that will later turn into playing music.


Have a great week, and enjoy all the pathways in your life!