Kindermusik Demo Class September 8 at the Cherubs Clubhouse

We are having bring a friend week to kick off a new school year of Kindermusik at the Cherubs Clubhouse!

Join us for a Carnival of Music September 8 at 9:30 for babies and 10:15 for kids of all ages. Feel free to invite a friend!

Just a tip, particularly if this is your first time at the Cherubs Clubhouse, please arrive just in time for your class and come straight back to the classroom. It always takes kids a few minutes to adjust to a new place, and if they start by playing on the play equipment they sometimes have a hard time switching gears to class time. We will play after class!

Welcome Erika Stewart!

The Imaginations Music Studio would like to welcome our new teacher, Erika Stewart! Born and raised in Seattle, WA, Erika has had a lifelong passion for music, beginning piano studies at the age of 5 and continuing for another 20 years. Those years included an emphasis on classical as well as sacred music, piano accompaniment for vocalists, congregational singing, and children's music programs. Erika's educational background is a B.S. degree in Biblical Studies through Moody Bible Institute. Since Erika has always loved children, she has 15 years experience of working with children in various settings, including piano teaching and has found great joy in influencing each individual life. As a licensed Kindermusik educator, Erika has found Kindermusik to be a perfect way to teach the fundamentals of music as well as impart a love for music to children. Erika has experience teaching several parts of the Kindermusik curriculum as well as the Sign and Sing class. She has also worked with children who have special needs. We are looking forward to what Erika can add to our program! Join us for a free demo, July 8 at 9:30 and at 10:00 to meet Erika!

Beat the Heat!

Come see why this little boy is so happy in Kindermusik! We will be holding a free Kindermusik demonstration in Pelham at the Cherubs Clubhouse July 8! Come meet our new addition to the studio, Erika Stewart who will be conducting the class! Erika is a lisenced Kindermusik educator and piano instructor.

July 8
9:30 0 to 18 month olds
10:00 18 month to 4 year olds

Come beat the heat and join us for music class and 30 minutes of free Cherubs Clubhouse playtime afterward on July 8! Its the middle of the summer and the kids are getting restless. The park is only getting hotter. Join us for free music class and playtime at our indoor, air conditioned park!


We will be holding a drawing for a 15% discount on summer tuition, a free Kindermusik CD and offering an early bird discount for fall registration at the free demo!!


Our summer term of Sign and Sing for 0 to 18 month olds and ABC Music and Me for 2 to 4 year olds will start the next week.

Pathways

Our Family Time Kindermusik class has been focusing on pathways during the last 2 weeks. We have been exploring pathways with our hands, out feet, and with the flashlight. Last week we worked on using the jingle bells to draw circles, zig zags and curves in the air or on the floor. This week they were really showing improvement on that! It is amazing to see the progress they make from week to week. This is why we generally spend 2 weeks on particular concepts in class. They need that repetition to fully absorb the activities.

Another aspect of our class this week was taking turns. We each took turns ringing the bell that starts our class. We each took turns playing the glockenspiel. The children did great passing the instrument to the next classmate!

We also made visual representation of beat groupings today. We used the parachute on a song that had 2 sections- a section in 6/8 and a section in 2/4. We moved the parachute to show the difference in the grouping of the beats in this song. We also did a line dance to Lil Liza Jane. In addition to providing social interaction and helping them learn to follow aural instructions, line dances help them to visualize not only groupings of beats but varying sections in the music as well. They also felt the groupings as they were holding the parachute or feeling the waft of air each time we moved the parachute.

Thanks!

I wanted to send out a thanks to all those around the Birmingham area and beyond who have worked hard to promote our new classes at the Cherubs Clubhouse.

Thanks to Birmingham Mom Online for her many write-ups and posts about the Cherubs Clubhouse and the classes there. Check out Birmingham Mom Online Here

Thanks to the Birmingham Kids Directory for our listings in the calendar! Be sure to also check us out in the January edition of the directory! Birmingham Kids Directory

Thank you to Kindermusik International for listing us on their official blog! Minds on Music

Be sure to also check for our Cherubs Clubhouse ad in the Birmingham Parent!

Demo classes

Our demo class November 3 at the Cherubs Clubhouse

Every activity in a Kindermusik class has a developmental purpose in the areas of verbal, social, emotional, cognitive, musical and gross motor development.
We start each class with our welcome song. Everyone’s comfort level rises with the familiar. Knowing what to expect with each class helps the child to feel emotionally secure. The CD included in the home materials helps the child to become fammilliar with all the songs from class. This helps them to feel confident and secure in class.
Two Little Apples created a visual representation of the words up, down, and shake with the parachute strengthening verbal development. It also provided a visual representation of the melody as we lifted the parachute up when we sang high and down when we sang low.
In “Shake, Shake the Apple Tree”, the children used egg shakers as apples. Listening to the cause and effect of shaking the eggs, tapping the eggs, and rolling the eggs strengthens cognitive development.

For “In My House,” we put an everyday part of your routine to a song. Using the dusting and scrubbing motions help to increase gross motor cooridnation and balance for the walkers. The babies felt their mothers preform the “scrubbing” motion on their bodies which made this a multi-sensory experience.
Our circle dance for “Go into the Kitchen,” taught the children simple dance steps in response to verbal instructions. The babies are carried through the motions- they see, feel and hear the instructions being carried out. The toddlers learn from watching the preschoolers follow the instructions. The preschoolers learn from watching the adults and listening to the instructions.
In every class, we have focused listening examples. These examples help the children to actively listen and lengthen attention span. Today, we listened to the washing machine sounds in a bottle.
Story time: Kindermusik is about much more than just music. We include a literary component to each class to encourage verbal and literary development. Our books always include a song, dance or talk about sounds. In the older classes, our books tell funny stories about composers and instruments. These books are included in your home materials.
Demonstration on the trumpet: Particularly in the older classes, we talk about different instruments. I often bring some of these instruments to class for a demo. This sparks an interest in future lessons. In the ABC Music and Me class for 4 to 6 year olds, we include an introduction to the piano.
Family Jam: We don’t want to only empasize gross motor development in our classes through dance and movement; we want to inspire fine motor develoment. Experimenting with the instruments provides an opportunity for fine motor development that can help your child learn to eat with a spoon, write, play a more complicated instrument, or type on a computer keyboard. An instrument is included in your home materials which allow your child to have this experience at home as well.
Relaxation is a learned skill. We used the song “Simple Gifts” in our class to practice relaxation and to promote parent child bonding time. Rocking your child is not only important for bonding but also stimulated the vestibular system in the ear which helps regulate balance and coordination.
We ended our class with a good bye song. We use this song as a signal to them that our time is over for now. We also incorporated sign language into our closing song to promote verbal and cognitive development.

Grand opening and such

I enjoyed being a part of the grand opening at the Cherubs Clubhouse in Pelham this past weekend. We gave away a lot of prizes, the kids all had a good time and I got to meet a lot of people.

Today was the official ribbon cutting with the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and I was very glad to be there. We had our pictures taken doing the official "ribbon cutting" with the big pair of scissors and everything. It was very nice. We also had a Halloween party at the clubhouse tonight. My children really enjoyed getting to play there! Part of what they enjoy has not just been the neat equipment, but making new friends there. My daughter asks to go back all the time and jumps out of the car when we arrive.

On Tuesday, November 3 at 10:00 I am going to do a Kindermusik playgroup class. This will be a free class for anyone who is interested in learning more about Kindermusik and/or the Cherubs Clubhouse. We will have class and play time on the equipment.

The Cherubs Clubhouse is booked for birthday parties through November I think! If you are looking for somewhere different to have your child's party, call 621-2123 and book your event. Our openings are filling up fast. Many people are asking for Kindermusik birthday parties. For a Kindermusik party, we would have class, party time and play time. This gives them something different to do other than the average "go wild" party. If you are considering booking a party, come by on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 10:00 am and see what we are all about!