Kindermusik sampler

Updates to our website!

The website for my Kindermusik classes is really coming along. I could not be happier with the work done on the site! We are almost done-- the only thing we lack is adding a few more pictures here and there as well as a link to enroll.

Check out the new videos link on there-- I have several fabulous Kindermusik videos! Also, we added a list of links related to music and child development. There are so many articles about the importance of music in a child's education. We have only listed a few but hopefully will add some more later.

We are also in the process of uploading photos. Check the photos out-- they show the different instruments that the children explore in each Kindermusik class. There are also beautiful pictures of some of our movement activities with scarves, streamers and the parachute. My favorite pictures, show the wind and string instruments that I bring into our preschool music classes from time to time. The kids love to see and hear a real trumpet, mandolin, guitar, and violin.
http://www.imaginationsmusic.com

Montessori quote

“We cannot know the consequences of suppressing a child's spontaneity when he is just beginning to be active. We may even suffocate life itself. That humanity which is revealed in all its intellectual splendor during the sweet and tender age of childhood should be respected with a kind of religious veneration. It is like the sun which appears at dawn or a flower just beginning to bloom. Education cannot be effective unless it helps a child to open up himself to life.” --Maria Montessori

FREE Kindermusik Demo in Pelham Al!

Things are moving along this fall. Piano on Mondays began at Bruno last week and got to a good start. I have been working about 14 hours a day for the last several days to prepare for the upcoming Kindermusik classes in the Pelham location. I have a proposed schedule for a few free Kindermusik demo classes:
ABC Music and Me 2 to 4 year olds October 17 at 12:00
ABC Music and Me 4 to 6 year olds October 17 at 1:00

Kindermusik Village class 0 to 18 months October 24 at 9:00
Kindermusik Family Time 0 to 7 years October 24 at 10:00

We will also try to have a few other free Kindermusik demo classes that week. Let me know if you are interested but cannot attend on those days. For more updates, follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/imaginemusik, "fan" me on facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pelham-AL/Imaginations-Music-Studio/131965409670?ref=ts#/pages/Pelham-AL/Imaginations-Music-Studio/131965409670?v=wall&ref=ts and check out my website, http://imaginationsmusic.com

Music and Child development

http://imaginationsmusic.com/

Last night I attended a seminar from Kindermusik International on music and child development. I thought I had heard all the studies about this subject before but there was so much more information presented last night.

Music and literary development

In a study in 1998, those adults with music training had 17 % better verbal memory than those who had no music background. Also, there was physiological evidence in this in their brains-- the musicians had enlarged left cranial regions! Verbal memory is the ability to retain vocabulary in your short term memory. This is important to early reading and comprehension skills.
Phonemic awareness is the appreciation of the sounds of speech as being separate from their meaning and understanding that words are divided in to a sequence of phonemes. Children who have developed these skills are a lot more successful in learning how to read.
Rhyming songs, vocal play, listening to and predicting rhymes are a way that we build these skills in a Kindermusik class. In a 1995 study, 5 Kindergarten classes in a title 1 school were divided in to groups. One group received 30 minutes of musical instruction per week. The study determined that the group with musical instruction had significant gains in phonemic awareness.

Music and Math development

A 2002 study found what we already know, there is a direct correlation between music study and spacial reasoning. But why? Spacial reasoning is manipulating visual images in the mind. Think about how many times we do this in Kindermusik class or piano lessons? We look at high and low on the staff as well as high and low on the keyboard. We learn the meaning of musical symbols, and the relationship of one note to another. Math skills are also developed by counting and grouping beats, learning time signatures, sorting, learning fast and slow, and learning to see and recognize patterns. In 1999, Kindermusik was used in a study by Bilhartz. After observing 71 four and five year olds from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds, those who had 30 minutes a week in a Kindermusik class along with instruction at home with the At Home materials, showed enhanced spacial temporal reasoning by the end of the study.

Social and emotional development

I was more surprised by what I learned in this portion of the seminar. I had never thought of this before, but a child's social and emotional development directly correlate to their success in school. Think about a brand new Kindergartner. Which child will learn more in class? The one who cannot control his impulses, or the one who waits his turn? The one who never learned to quietly listen to instruction, or the one who has plenty of practice at active listening. A 2007 Penn State study showed that learning self regulation (self control) is essential to Kindergarten readiness. In another study, 207 different in school socio-emotional programs were analyzed. The children who received some kind of training in socio-emotional skills, scored higher on standardized achievement tests than those who did not.
In 2005, a study a George Mason University showed that out of 91 3 and 4 year olds, those currently enrolled in a Kindermusik class showed a higher level of self control than those not in Kindermusik.

Here are some links to a few studies: http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=new-research-explores-how----and-wh-2009-07-06

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22189/70780

http://www.crt.state.la.us/arts/ArtBuilt/quotes.html

New Website

I have started up a new website for piano lessons and Kindermusik
http://tinyurl.com/imaginationsmusic

3 life skills we develop in piano lessons

Piano lessons are starting up at Bruno Montessori this week so I wanted to ask why are we doing this? With the economy so unsure and the job market down we are all cutting corners wherever we can. Why not just cut piano or Kindermusik too?

The one thing we CANNOT do in these uncertain times is cut corners when it comes to our child's education. Now it is more important than ever to give your child the edge he or she needs to be competitive in tomorrow's job market. You child may not grow up to be a concert pianist, but there are 3 life skills we develop in piano lessons that will serve him in whatever he does.
1. Why ask why?
We develop creativity, reasoning skills and critical problem solving skills by asking a lot of questions in lessons and class. "Why do you think the composer chose to write this?" "Why is this scale fingered in this manner?"
2. Recognition of patterns
Music is built by patterns. Learning to listen for a pattern or spot a pattern build crucial study skills. In lessons and Kindermusik class we not only learn to find patterns, but we also learn the musical terms for these patterns. "Is this a sequence? "What is the form of this piece?" "What is the motive/theme?" "How is this section similar and different to the previous section?"

This not only helps them to know WHAT to practice but HOW to practice. This helps them learn how to study.

3. Building self esteem through performance
Performance is an important part of piano. It develops confidence, poise and memory skills. What a wonderful experience this provides for you child as they prepare for presentations at school and job interviews later on! We learn in lessons to tune out distractions during performance and that we are simply there to do our best and enjoy the performance. We learn to continue on even if we make mistakes. We often talk about putting aside our inhibitions and focusing on doing what we enjoy-- it doesn't matter what other think of us.

One of my former students, who is currently working in radio has a message for my current students. "preforming is the best part because you get to show case your talent and share it with everyone. Music is so important and it can reach out to everyone in their own way."

Piano begins

Piano is starting next week at Bruno. I still have a few spots left so please email if you are interested at imaginationsmusic@bellsouth.net.

I believe that out of all the extra-curricular activities, MUSIC is the most important to your child. Music study touches every area of your child's development and it provides your child with a hobby they can enjoy for a lifetime. In piano lessons at Bruno, we have in depth discussions on theory, mathematics, history, culture, and development of patterns as well as music. Last year, each student from preschool to upper elementary researched and composed research papers about lesser known composers. Our recital program was designed by the students in Microsoft Word as a computer project. They also researched music and the Fibonacci sequence, learned to set up algebraic equations in relation to music theory, and studied fractions in music. The students performed a recital at the Shelby Ridge nursing home as a service project.
Why piano?
· Piano study improves literary skills, verbal memory, spacial reasoning, and mathematical skills
· Builds hand eye coordination and fine motor skills for both left and right hand
· Develops critical thinking skills
· Nurtures natural talent
· Pleasure for students and others
· Develops logic, abstract thinking, memory and creativity
· Understanding of music theory is developed
· Lengthens attention span
· Develops poise and public speaking skills
· Preparation for the formal study of any other musical instrument as well as voice
· Development of social skills
· Foundation for a lifelong appreciation of music