Kindermusik Birthday parties!

The Cherubs Clubhouse is THE place to have your child’s birthday!
Add Kindermusik to your child’s birthday party at the Cherubs Clubhouse for an additional $4.00 per child for up to 12 children. Additional children add $2.00 per child to the price. There is a minimum of 8 children. The Kindermusik session of the party is 30 minutes long.

Kindermusik birthday parties at the Cherub Clubhouse include:
Music and movement with scarves, hoops, parachute and/or bubble machine.
Puppets
Dress up
Instrument play along and exploration
Happy birthday sing along
Imaginative play
Currently enrolled Kindermusik students can book their party for only $3.00 per child! These rates only apply to parties hosted by the Cherubs Clubhouse and are in addition to the price for booking the Cherubs Clubhouse.

Themes include:
princess
cowboys and Indians
animals
transportation
Star Wars
Sesame street
Seasonal themes (Christmas, Halloween, and so forth)
Dinosaurs
and more!

Themed parties include Kindermusik songs and activities as well as your child's favorite songs, themes, characters, props or activities!

Kindermusik Conference

I am back from Kindermusik conference in Biloxi, Mississippi! My family and I went down early and enjoyed one day at the beach and visiting with relatives that live in the area. I enjoyed getting to meet so many ladies (and gentleman :) who teach Kindermusik in the southeast. The Birmingham area had 6 educators present at the conference! We spent the weekend getting to know each other, sharing ideas, and attending classes. I really enjoyed the drum circle/bondfire at the beach Friday night!
~Lauren

Kindergarten readiness skills: Part III: Steady Beat

Why is steady beat a Kindergarten readiness skill? What does steady beat have to do with academics?

First of all, working to develop a steady beat has more than just musical benefits. Of course if your child becomes a musician steady beat is an essential on any instrument. But did you ever think about the other benefits of steady beat?

Any repeated action in our everyday lives requires steady beat from the simplest activities such as walking with coordination, dribbling a ball, cutting with scissors, to more complex actions such as typing. This is why we emphasize steady beat activities in each Kindermusik class and provide you with the materials to work on this skill at home.

Steady beat activities also help the child's brain to learn to organize and sets the foundation for pre-math skills. Studies show that elementary students who are taught basic rhythmic notation score higher on fraction tests than students who were simply taught fractions in the traditional way. I think this is because music turns mathematics into a multi-sensory activity. It all starts with steady beat.

Here are some steady beat activities for home:
1. Steady beat movement Turn on the music and pretend to be a marching band. March, stomp, or jump to the music. See how many different actions can be done to a steady beat. If you have them, use scarves, steamers, hoops or a parachute like we would use in Kindermusik class.

Listen to sounds around the house and determine if that particular sound has a steady beat, IE. a dripping faucet, windshield wipers, a ticking clock or beeping microwave. Move to the beat to these sounds. Use the music in your Kindermusik home CD to move to the steady beat. The Kindermusik songs are developmentally chosen to provide the best opportunities for movement and development of steady beat.

Babies who are not yet mobile can begin to learn about steady beat as well. Put them on your lap and bounce to the steady beat. Move them around the room to the steady beat of the music.

Movement to a steady beat allows them to feel and see the steady beat. This is especially true in Kindermusik class where the kids see their peers making a steady beat. In class the children also learn new ways to move to a steady beat by watching each other. In our class we also include circle and line dances where the children actually interact with each other while keeping a steady beat. Making steady beat a social activity helps to solidify the concept in their developing minds

2. Instrument play Pull out the instruments from your Kindermusik home materials or make your own. Using your Kindermusik CD or another CD, use the instruments to keep a steady beat along with the music. This works steady beat with the fine motor skills and allows them to hear the beat that they are making. In Kindermusik class, they can also see the steady beat made by the instruments of their friends.

3. Ball Toss This is one of my favorite activities to do with my beginning piano students. This is a little trick I learned many years ago when I was completing my training for Orff certification. For this preschool activity we use a large, soft ball. I stand across from the student. The object of the game is to pass the ball back and forth to a steady beat. If you pass too quickly, the other person will not be able to anticipate when to catch the ball. If you hold on to the ball too long, the partner has to wait for the ball. First, I demonstrate how to pass the ball to a steady beat while I hold the ball. Then I explain to the preschooler how we have to keep our beat steady or we will not be able to catch the ball. Then we pass the ball back and forth counting "one" for quarter notes. With my older students who are in piano classes or lessons, we eventually create rhythms and pass according to the rhythm. This is a fun steady beat activity that explains the concept of keeping the beat going, allows the student to use gross motor muscles to feel the beat, works for teamwork, allows the student to see the stead beat as it is passed back and forth, and lays the groundwork for counting rhythm. Students ask for this activity again and again in classes.

Kindergarten readiness skills: Part II: Listening Skills

Did you know that listening is something that can be practiced? Here are three ways to work on listening skills at home.

1. Active Listening: In Kindermusik classes each week we have a short, focused listening example. Many times, this example is nothing more than a sound made by an instrument, sounds around the house, or an animal sound. These examples are not just fun for the kids, but they provide them with an active listening experience. This can be done very easily at home with one of your Kindermusik CDs or with sounds around the house. Have the child listen to a short sound and ask them to imitate it. Ask them to move like the sound or music they heard. Ask them questions about the sound. Keep it short. They don't have to sit and actively listen to an entire symphony- just a short part. Gradually lengthen the listening example.

2. Following multi step directions We all want our kids to listen and follow directions. Board games and simple dances are two fun ways to learn to follow directions. In Kindermusik class we do circle and line dances. The object is not to learn to dance, but to follow mulit-step directions that are given verbally. There are many ways to do this at home such as the Hokey Pokey or by playing twister. Board games and card games are a great way to work on following directions as well. Some of your Kindermusik home kits come with board games to use at home.

3. Story Time We all know that reading to your child has many benefits. This is why we include it in every Kindermusik class and in the home materials for Kindermusik classes. As you are reading, be sure to make the sounds along with the book. Be sure to ask questions about the pictures. Alternatively, listen to a recording of the book. Your Kindermusik CDs have a recording of your class book. Or make your own recording of your child's favorite book. Your child can listen on their own and follow along with the book. Have your child "read" the story to you. Draw pictures about the story after reading. Put together a play or puppet show using your Kindermusik Family Time puppets after reading the book. At the end of the reading, ask questions about the content of the story. The possibilities for reading with your child are endless.

One of the most important aspects is repetition. Did you ever think that there may be a developmental reason that your child asks to be read the same book over and over? Children thrive on repetition. Once your child has heard the same book several times, leave out certain words to see if your child can fill in the blanks as you are reading. Many of our Kindermusik CDs include an example of doing this. During this break we have in our Kindermusik routine, be sure to use the home materials from previous units. That is what is so great about the Kindermusik home materials- they extend the learning year round.

3 games for Kindergarten readiness

It is the first day of school for most kids. I know a lot of parents are wondering how their child will do and if they were ready. A lot of what we do in Kindermusik is school readiness such as practicing self control, taking turns, developing listening skills, lengthening attention span as well as pre-literary and math skills.

Probably the number one skill every Kindergarten teacher looks for in a child is inhibitory control. Inhibitory control is the ability to listen to an instruction and to control the body accordingly. This is something that can be practiced in short sessions with kids of any age. There are many ways to practice this at home.

1. While playing an instrument like the rhythm sticks, have the child find different ways to tap. Then say out loud with the child, TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP rea-dy STOP. At this point freeze. Find a different way to tap and try the same thing. If you do no have an instrument, you can do body percussion which is tapping your own body. Kids of all ages can do this- even babies. You would be surprised to see how quiet and still some of my youngest students get with this game. Some even anticipate the "STOP" command and give it themselves! We do this almost weekly in a Kindermusik class.

Even if your child does not actually stop yet, they will learn the concept if they see and hear you stop.

2. Sing one of your child's favorite songs but whisper the chorus. Children have to learn to whisper. Anyone who has kids knows that they are not born knowing how to whisper in church! This is something we practice. Once whispering is mastered, have them be silent for the chorus of the song and join back in on the verses. I find that even with babies, the softer you sing to them, the harder they listen. They quiet their whole bodies down in anticipation. I can quiet a room of babies simply by singing softly rather than by speaking loudly.

3. Children love to stop and start. This is evident when you think of all the children's games that are built on this concept. Mother May I? Freeze Tag, Simon Says, the Silent Game, and Red Light Green Light. With all the video games out these days I am not sure how much these are played anymore. Children love these games and they help them learn to listen to instructions and to control themselves. We need to introduce our kids to these great games and help them practice inhibitory control.

ABC Music and Me now enrolling!

Why ABC? There are so many music programs out there. What is special about ABC?

"ABC Music & Me is a research-based language and early literacy program built around music. Kindermusik has used its 30 years of experience to create an “all-in-the-box” program for Preschoolers, Kindergarteners, and emerging readers. Our program develops essential listening and early literacy skills so your students have the skills they need to succeed in school.

ABC Music & Me is especially effective for children with developmental delays and at-risk learners. We also provide special instructions for using our program with English Language Learners and the Home Materials are available in English and Spanish.

Through songs and music, our program:
enhances students’ listening and speaking skills
helps students develop pre-reading and writing skills
involves parents in their child’s learning
gives teachers ongoing professional development that ensures results.

Build listening and early literacy skills in a way that is playful, active, and proven effective with young children!


“I’m excited to report the language learning gains were above the 70% significance level.”

Penny Collins, Director of Special Education, Osceola County, Florida"

More research concerning the correlation between the ABC Music and Me program and school skills, http://www.abcmusicandme.com/Why_Music.html.