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.

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.

Demo Class

Today we had one of the biggest demo classes that we have had so far!! Thanks to everyone who came out this morning!! If you missed the class, we will still be enrolling for summer classes through next Thursday. Click here to register for classes. This summer we are offering Sign and Sing for kids 0 to 18 months as well as ABC Music and Me for kids 2 to 4 years over the summer. There are only 10 spots per class, so please register online to be sure that you will have a spot. Today in our classes we saw a variety of learning styles. Some children sat quietly and observed the other children and parents. Some moved around the room absorbing the sounds around them, watching other children and learning by moving. Others actively participated in the class and were always excited about each new activity. Each learning style is unique and respected in the Kindermusik classroom. Even in today's demo class, we saw some shy students begin to open up as the classes progressed. By starting each class out with the same welcome song each week, those students who tend to always be on the move during class begin to settle in and learn the routine. One activity that helps the kids to learn how to respond in the classroom setting was the inhibitory control activity we did in the first class. We played our egg shakers along with the song and stopped whenever the song stopped. Learning to follow aural and visual cues through these types of activities helps to prepare children for preschool and Kindergarten. The movement activities that we did in both classes allow the children to explore different types of movement, change their perspective of the classroom, and learn to control their bodies to follow the directions. Each class includes movement activities with scarves, marching, circle dances, puppets, hoops or even a parachute. Older children love to be given the freedom to move on their own and the younger children love to be held close by their caregivers as they experience the sensations that movement provides. When your child is moving along with music, their brains light up with stimulation. The simple instruments used in classes are developmentally designed to help the child to be successful at their first attempts at music. For most of the instruments we use, there is no wrong way to play them. This leaves the child with a world of kinesthetic and aural exploration. The development of a steady beat by using these instruments help the child with physical coordination, learning to cut with scissors, bouncing a ball, and even with learning to walk fluidly. Developing a steady beat is essential to learning to play any instrument or learning to sing. Kindermusik provides a strong foundation for any future formal music study, develops school readiness skills, and prepares the child for other future interests as well.