Exploring bird sounds with children

“What does a bird say?”  A lot more than tweet, or chirp.   Most children only consider one sound, but an observant child with more experience in bird sounds might ask, “What kind of bird?” 
Fun vocal play with different bird sounds can open up the world of birds, and sounds, with your child, and can have [...]

Can I Play a Song Now?

The students were so eager to play their songs, when I asked “Who’s next?”, about 5 – 8 hands went up, every time.   How do I choose?  Actually, the girl who led off the Annual Young Child Music Festival is one of my first year students.  
This girl is extremely shy, and I usually have to ASK her [...]

That is why I gave you a 10

Recently, several families completed evaluations of their Kindermusik experience with Music Connections.  I LOVED what they had to say – it warms my heart and makes it even more worthwhile to do what I love.
The comments in this posting will be parents who have responded to the Kindermusik for the Young Child program.  I will start with one [...]

Peekaboo, I Love You ! Connecting with babies

The game “peekaboo” is the most basic of parent-baby games, yet one of the richest.  In one simple gesture, baby’s beloved adult magically appears in response to baby’s desire – smiling, looking only at baby, telling baby with face and eyes alight, “I am here just for you, whenever you need me; you are adorable, [...]

Travel Around the World with Music this Summer

Does your young child (5 – 7 years) want to travel to distant countries this summer?   Yodel from the mountaintops in Germany?  Be treated like Royalty in England?  Communicate with talking drums in Africa?  Join up with a Mariachi band for a fiesta in Mexico?  We can do it ALL in a week, right here in Lakeland, Florida !  [...]

How can you teach music to BABIES?

People ask me,  “How can you teach music to babies?”  As part of the full Kindermusik curricullum, the Village program is designed for babies from infancy up to 18 months old.   Why start so young? 

That’s easy to answer.  Every experience they have now helps to build a foundation for learning.  Music excites the brain, getting it [...]

VIP Kids now hosting Kindermusik in Winter Haven

Kindermusik in Winter Haven is moving right down the road to V.I.P. Kids, located at the end of the right arm of the shops at High Pointe Plaza on Cypress Gardens Blvd.
    
During the second week of December, we are offering FREE CLASSES.  Contact Debbie at musiconnx@att.net for an email with the details.
The Kindermusik Spring Semester starts during the [...]

Thanksgiving Games for Family Memories

Thanksgiving Rituals are for making memories, and GAMES are memorable.  NONE of these ideas cost a thing, except a little time.  And to children, love is spelled T-I-M-E.
Thanksgiving Song Writing
Try out this song that is included in “A Year of Fun,  Just for Fives” by Theodosia Spewock.  (This is a fabulous series by the way, [...]

Circle Around with the Native American Culture

 
When people walk into my house and see the hand woven rugs, baskets, art, and more, they wonder how much Native American blood is in my ancestry.  It’s not my blood, nor how I was raised, but since living in Utah amongst red rocks and the Navaho tribes, it IS special places and people carved [...]

An INTRO to African-American music for children

MUCH of our American music was shaped by the African American people.  With their roots in the polyrhythmic beats, and strong emphasis on vocals, and their strong sense of self, music flowed from them wherever they went.  From the fields of slavery, from the depths of their spiritual beliefs, from their longing for something better, from [...]