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.

Music for Mobility

This week our practice-a-thon has begun for the piano students at the Imaginations Music Studio. We will be raising money to send wheelchairs across the world to those in need in faraway places like Haiti through the Free Wheelchair Mission. One wheelchair can be bought for less than $60! Think of the impact even ONE wheelchair can make to its recipient and their family. Our goal is to raise enough money for 10 wheelchairs. Help your child to get pledges per minute, hour or day of practice for the next 2 weeks. Flat donations of any demonination are also accepted. Log your child's practice time in minutes for the next 2 weeks on the form that came home this week after their class or lesson. The child with the most practice time at the end of the 2 week period will recieve a prize!

Check out our Fundraising website, Music for Mobility

Logging practice time also helps your child to see the direct correlation between practice and progress. The competition of a "practice-a-thon" can also spur your child on to practice more than they might usually practice. There will be more info about practice time on your child's log.

I would like to encourage Kindermusik student to participate as well. I will make a jar available to collect loose change at the Cherubs Clubhouse. So bring by your loose change or cash to your next class if you would like to participate. The next time you buy your child a freezy pop or a drink at the Cherubs Clubhouse, donate the leftover change to mobility for those in need. Also, feel free to post our offical Music for Mobility fundraiser site and email it to all your friends as well. Let's raise awareness for this need and see if we can make a difference in someone's life!
Music for Mobility

Music for Mobility

Our first studio service project is coming up soon! We will be participating in a “Music for Mobility” practice-a-thon from February 21- March 7. This type of service project not only gets the children involved in a worthy cause, but it also encourages them to practice more and become more aware of their practice habits.
We will be donating the money we make towards a program called Free Wheelchair Mission. It is an international development organization working in seventy-five countries across the world to transform lives through the gift of mobility. Free Wheelchair Mission distributes wheelchairs for free to the disabled poor in developing countries – all for $59.20! Through their organization we will be able to help restore dignity and hope in children and adults who have a disability, empower families to be productive citizens in their community, and allow individuals to gain mobility! These are just a few of the things the money we raise will help do for these recipients.

All money donated to Free Wheelchair Mission is tax deductible if anyone asks you and the tax ID will be listed on the sponsor form. Please call me if you have any questions or would like to get involved.
We are so excited about this year’s practice-a-thon—we know it’s going to be great!

Four common mistakes concerning piano practice

1. Giving the child a set amount of practice time for each day, but not supervising the practice.
When I graduated college I taught private lessons for a while in the prep department where I graduated. I once had a young student who simply was not progressing like she should from week to week. The parents were concerned about her lack of progress. They told me how she practiced every day all on her own. As it turned out, the child was spending all of her time at the piano banging around and playing music from previous recitals. She was spending adequate time at the piano, but not really "practicing". She was not practicing her new music at all nor was she completing her written theory assignments. While do not want to extinguish the child's exploration at the keyboard or repetition of old music, we do need to encourage the child to accurately practice new assignments before composing their own pieces and working on old songs. New concepts can also be incorporated in the child's exploration in order to reinforce the new theory lessons learned each week.

2. Simply "running through" the pieces assigned without giving adequate time to the music.Another common mistake is to simply run through all of the assigned pieces like running through a checklist. Sometimes the student plays through the assignments too fast, and does not play accurate rhythms or notes. Other times, there may be a more difficult passage within the music that needs more attention. When a mistake is made, the student needs to go back to the point of mistake, study the music and isolate that section slowly until it improves. It is worthless to mindlessly practice music without trying to make improvement each time. Work to set goals each time you practice. Ask your child to set these goals in practice. Ask, "What can you improve about your performance of this piece?" "What do you think you could do better next time?" Seek a more specific answer than "I want to get more notes, or I want to play it faster." Specifically ask about their use of expression, their rhythm, or their memory work. Let the child learn to critique himself.

3. Practicing the same WAY each time.
Get creative in practice. Don't just sit and have your child play the same thing over and over in the same way. Count it out loud. Say the letter names of the notes. Search for hidden patterns in the music. Sing the words. Listen to the recording. Have you child teach the song to YOU, or to a sibling. Make it a game. Interact with your child during the practice but keep it light and fun. Instead of always generically praising your child for a job well done, point out specific things that you noticed during practice. Or better yet, ask your child to point them out. Asking them how THEY felt about the way they played a piece can help build confidence from within that is not based on outside praise.

4. Pushing the child too hard to practice a certain length of time, progress to the next "level" or learn a new piece.
It is much better to have a few short practice sessions than to try to push your child for a longer period of practice. If the child feels pressured or overly critiqued, they will not enjoy practice time. Let them progress at their own pace. Reward them for their time, praise them and make it a game.

One of my favorite Maria Montessori quotes is "teach teaching, not correcting." We do have to correct mistakes from time to time, but let's try not to ALWAYS be correcting. We want to set the child up for success by progressing at the child's pace and presenting each lesson in a way to prepare them ahead of time for the more difficult concepts.

Keep practice fun and always try to end the session on a positive note. You want to leave your child looking forward to the next practice session and lesson.

Piano!

Classes at the Cherubs Clubhouse

We had such a great week at the Cherubs Clubhouse! Our Family Time Kindermusik class for kids of all ages will start next week at 10:00 on Wednesday. Our piano classes started with a bang this week. After one of my classes, the whole class went back to the keyboards to practice together afterwards. Thursday afternoon, we had a demonstration of piano class followed by another piano class. We had one five year old student who like it so much he stayed for both classes. ABC Music and Me also had a fantastic class and really enjoyed the movement activities as well as listening to the different timbres of the trumpet.

Our Thursday 9:00 homeschool piano class as well as our Thursday 4:45 young beginner piano class is now full. We still have three spots left in our 6 to 8 year old piano class on Thursdays at 4:00. We also have spots available in our Family Time Kindermusik class at 10:00 on Wednesdays as well as ABC Music and Me on Thursdays at 10:00 am.

FOR HOMESCHOOLERS: Our ABC Music and Me class on Thursdays at 10:00 is a great introduction to music for 4 to 6 year olds. We have an intro to the piano, learn about many different instruments, sing, move and play.

I am also starting an older beginner homeschool piano class for kids 9 and up on Thursday at 10:45. Please contact me at 437-3478 if you are interested in that class.

Music Class Demo Week in Pelham

We have had a great demo week for music classes at the Cherubs Clubhouse in Pelham! I had originally scheduled the Kindermusik demonstration class for Wed. at 10:00 and piano class for Thursday at 4:00, but due to weather concerns, I had to try to "beat the snow" and reschedule for Wed. afternoon. We had a fantastic turnout at both classes yesterday (even with the reschedule) and are looking forward to music classes starting in Pelham next week.

I have also scheduled another Cherubs Clubhouse piano demonstration class next Thursday at 4:00 due to the possibility of today's class being cancelled due to snow. I have 6 spots available in my demo class, so please call 437-3478 or email me to reserve your spot.

Piano and Kindermusik will begin next week at the Cherubs Clubhouse. In piano, we will begin by establishing a strong steady beat and sense of rhythm. In Kindermusik, we will begin establishing a class routine, work on singing, movement, experiment with instruments and imaginative play.

Private lessons began this week at my Bruno and Inverness studio. We had a great week back after the break and are looking forward to more music classes here in Birmingham!

Why piano ensemble?

Piano ensemble can be a fun way for beginners to start formal study of the instrument. Group piano ensemble can also be a valuable supplement for private students as well. Piano classes begin for children as young as 4.

In piano ensemble, we utilize 6 electronic keyboards, midi-technology, hands on theory materials, and games to facilitate the learning of new concepts. From the very beginning, we work towards good technique and posture at our touch sensitive keyboards. In our classes, the students play together as an ensemble in order to develop a strong steady beat and solid understanding of rhythm. Instead of rushing through several rhythmic values, we focus on reading and understanding each one. But playing together as an ensemble, the students develop the valuable skill of "keeping going" and listening to the other ensemble members. Solo piano students often have the "stop-start" mentality. Often, if they make a mistake, they immediately stop time to fix it(and sometimes even comment about it) or even slow down for the more difficult parts. While we do want to practice difficult passages individually (with a metronome at an appropriate tempo) as pianists we do need to learn to continue playing past mistakes on recital.

Another aspect of the piano ensemble class that I like is the approach to staff notation. Instead of beginning in a pre-reading notation for the first 2 months and then switching to the staff; we focus solely on rhythm, steady beat and keyboard geography at first. Then when we have a firm foundation we start our work on the staff. Sometimes, by learning a "pre-staff" notation, students learn to guess the correct notes by the fingering and hand position. In our group classes, we do not teach by hand position but by the location of the notes on the staff. We thoroughly learn each note on the staff before adding a new note.

An important aspect of group piano is the social aspect. Many students are intimidated by private lessons. By participating in a class, piano changes from being a solo activity to a team activity. The children are self motivated to practice because of the influence of their peers. They more readily participate in games and activities simply because it is more fun to participate in a group. The younger children learn from the older children and the older children learn by being teachers and leaders.

Check out my website for a list of piano classes starting at the Cherubs Clubhouse this spring. For students already studying privately, we will also be having piano camps during the summer as well as summer ensemble classes. For more information on the Mayron Cole Method for group piano, click here.

New piano classes for home schooling families

We are opening up a few new classes at the Cherubs Clubhouse for homeschooling families! These will be on Thursday mornings starting in January.
Thursday, 9:00 group piano class for 7 to 9 year olds
Thursday, 10:00 ABC Music and Me for 4 to 6 year olds
Thursday, 10:45 group piano fo 5 and 6 year olds.

Check out what Birmingham Mom online has to say about our classes, Birmingham Mom Online

See my website for further details regarding our new classes! View website

Space is limited- especially in the piano classes, so please reserve your spot soon! They are already filling up.

Our January schedule:
Wed. 9:00 Village class-- kids 0 to 18 months
Wed. 10:00 Our time-- kids 18 months to 3 years
Wed. 11:00 ABC Music and Me-- Kids 2 to 4 years olds

Thursday 9:00 Piano-- kids 7 to 9
Thursday 10:00 ABC Music and Me kids 4 to 6
Thursday 10:45 Piano for 5 and 6 year olds

Thursday 4:00 pm ABC Music and Me 4 to 6 year olds
Thursday 5:00 pm piano for 4 and 5 year olds

Recital at the Cherubs Clubhouse

Many thanks to the Cherubs Clubhouse for helping me put on my piano recital tonight! I think it was a big success. I would like to thank Kathy and Sharon at the Cherubs Clubhouse for helping with the set up and behind the scenes work. I would like to thank my mother and husband for helping with the food and watching my son during and after the recital. I would also like to thank the parents of all my students for helping them practice at home and for bringing them out on such a rainy night.

All the students performed well and had a great time. I was very proud of how prepared and poised they all were. It looked like they were all pros at performance! The younger kids had a blast on the play equipment after they played while the older kids enjoyed playing games on the Wii. This was a first recital for many of my students and the relaxed atmosphere at the Cherubs Clubhouse was perfect. This was definitely a one of a kind recital experience that I hope all the students will remember in a positive way. We made a recording of the recital which I hope to be able to put on a CD for my students to take home next week.

We have a busy week this week at the Cherubs Clubhouse. This Thursday, Dec. 3 we have our first group piano class at 4:00. Please call and book your spot so we will know how many materials are needed. Classes are $8.00 per child. We are also going to have our Kindermusik Christmas parties at 5:00 on Thursday and 10:00 this Friday, Dec. 4. Please call to reserve your spot at the Kindermusik parties as well. Check out my website for more info on our group classes starting a January. Imaginations Music Studio

Group piano
Imaginations Music Studio presents group piano lessons using the Mayron Cole Piano Method which is a unique, innovative and enjoyable way for students of all ages to learn to play the piano. Hallmarks of the program include teaching the student to think for him/herself and developing musicality in each student. To achieve these goals, the program emphasizes note reading, consistent counting, and creative thought in each lesson. The method currently contains nine levels, from Pre-Primer to Early Advanced, plus three Older Beginner levels. In this method students concentrate on learning to read notes-not hand positions and finger numbers. Typically, students taught by this method are very proficient at sight-reading, counting rhythms, and keeping a steady beat. It is an excellent method for presenting and constantly reviewing theory concepts. It presents analyzing theory with each composition while constantly reviewing "old" concepts. When students have friends their own age in a class, they are usually more motivated to learn, form a cohesive group, and have a lower dropout rate. Practice and performance levels are usually raised due to each student striving for greater correctness on scales and pieces. Students seem to work harder at pleasing their friends in group piano lessons than they would work for a teacher at a private lesson. Group games make learning theory fun and improve socialization skills. Students usually have a strong peer motivated desire to practice. The kids enjoy weekly low-pressure performance opportunities. In addition, longer class periods permit the incorporation of ear training, solfege, rhythm drills, and ensemble skills which are essential to developing skilled musicians. This method helps the student develop not only skills but a life-long love of music. The group method is an excellent method for beginners and continues through nine-levels. This method provides a solid basis for those students who transition into private lessons as they become more advanced.

Upcoming Events

We have several upcoming events at the Cherubs Clubhouse in Pelham! Next week, we will be having a piano recital at the Cherubs Clubhouse on Dec. 1!

Then we are having our Christmas parties Dec. 3 at 5:00 and Dec. 4 at 10:00! Come for playtime, music time, and a visit from the North Pole! Each family will go home with a Kindermusik Christmas CD to enjoy all month long! Admission will be $8.00 per person.

Our introduction to piano class, for 4 to 7 year olds will be on Thursday afternoons at 4:00. Cost is $8.00 per class. No piano is needed for these introductory classes. Come sample a few classes!