Kooky Cartoons teach Healthy Habits

Learning good habits to stay healthy, and to keep others healthy is important, but does NOT come naturally – they must be taught.  Different children learn different ways, and some enjoy learning through cartoons.  Watching is only the beginning of the learning process though.  After you watch one of these videos with your children, go right [...]

Connections between Music and Reading

“Books help children become whole people; reading facilitates both parent-child relationships and language as it helps to create a child’s understanding of the world.”
-  Claudia Quigg, Executive director of BabyTALK
 
Parents hear over and over again how important it is to read to their child, and the need to build pre-reading and reading skills.  And many parents  [...]

Making the Most of Your Kindermusik Experience

You are investing a lot of time and money into a Kindermusik experience, and it will be worthwhile.
There are a few things you can do that really will enhance your experiences, and make the music and learning come alive in the heart and mind of your child.  
Be aware, on the first day your child will be adjusting to [...]

Recognizing baby’s sign language; watching them grow

“Mommy?  Did you just say Mommy?  Your thumb touched your chin just like this.  You said Mommy with your hands!  Oh, yes, I will give you LOTS of love for saying Mommy.” 
My son was 14 months old before he actually said “Mommy”.  That was an excrutiating wait for me.  But he did say it for the [...]

Timbre / SOUND Experiences for young children

Timbre (pronounced “tam-ber”) is the distinctive quality of a sound.  During the last few weeks in all the Kindermusik classes, we have experienced many different timbres.  We’ve listened to the sounds of different types of bells, paper bags, a variety of wooden instruments, multitudes of drums (played with the hand to get a better variety of sounds), and much more.  [...]

Why MUSIC works to help children learn.

I am frequently asked why music works so well with children.  As a music therapist, Kindermusik educator, and mother of two, there are just so many ways to answer that question, citing research etc.  But in my OWN words, THIS is a short version of why I believe so strongly in the power of music – for it’s innate responses [...]

Revisiting Potty Training techniques with Music, etc.

Due to further requests on this topic, I have extended the discussion. 
You may find the next posting to be a great introduction to why I think music works.  These are two examples of how this might work.

For my daughter, Cora, the real “hang up” for using the toilet was her “choosing” when to go [...]

“Catching” a Steady Beat with very Young Children

A STEADY BEAT is an unchanging continuous pulse.  This is different from the Rhythm Patterns of a specific song.  To illustrate a steady beat, tap with each underlined syllable as you sing the song.
Do you know the Muffin Man, the muffin man, the muffin man.
Do you know the Muffin Man, who lives on Drury Lane.
RHYTHM [...]

Ways to “Catch a Beat” with Babies

Lap Babies:    must EXPERIENCE beat in a variety of ways.  They must feel it ON their body or WITH their body.  When they feel the beat from you in coordination with music they are learning both through HEARING and FEELING, as well as feeling a positive emotion from the experience because YOU are doing it WITH [...]

Family Time #1 – A Visit with a Friend

“Gee, but it’s great to meet a friend, here today…” 
What fun we had today meeting new friends! Family Time is a wonderful place for your family to meet people and develop friendships. The class theme, “A Visit with a Friend,” provided a great introduction to the rich tradition of making music with others.  And isn’t it [...]