Studio3Music Blog

Archive for the ‘Our Time’ Category

Nov
27

Do we have to do this again?

Posted in Child Development, Imagine That, Music and the brain, Our Time, Village, Young Child

Recently, I received a great question from one of our Studio3Music mommas. I’m sure she’s not the first person to wonder, so I thought I should share it with you all.

Question: Is it typical for each class to be very similar each week? We’ve noticed that we are singing the same songs each week and I’m hoping that the class changes a bit from week to week. Could you let me know?

Answer:
Your question was both astute and excellent. That tells me that you are paying attention in class! (Which is wonderful, since seriously, I’ve had a few mommas that text the entire class time!)

While we as adults may quickly tire of an activity, it is important that we recognize the importance of repetition to our children’s learning. Learning, or the growth of neural connections in the brain, is strengthened through repetition. A one-time experience is not enough for a neural connection to form and stabilize. It is through repetition that possibility becomes ability. That is why Kindermusik activities are repeated over and over.

We will, however, do “extensions” of activities. The brain loves to be a little surprised once in a while; a surprise causes the brain to pay extra attention. One week we might sing a song, the next we’ll sing the song and add a manipulative. We might do the same lap bounce for 5 weeks in a row, but change up the words in the 4th or 5th week. This allows children to have mastery of an idea before we add a new one.

Three interesting facts :

1. Learning requires electrical energy to create neural pathways. The less “automatic” something is, the more electrical energy is required. Think of something you do automatically – like count by 10′s. It takes very little electrical energy for your brain to travel that “counting 10′s” neural pathway, because you’ve done it a lot.

The more well-traveled a pathway, the less energy is required. That’s why you can do two things at once. Watch TV and knit, for example. When you are first learning to knit, it takes all of your effort. Looking, counting stitches, watching your needles. As it becomes automatic, you use less brain energy, so you can layer another activity on top of that without fear of accidentally turning those mittens into a hat instead.

Communicating Neurons

2. Did you ever wonder why children expect a favorite activity to be repeated again and again and again? Repetition is a necessary building block of development. Children’s brains KNOW that they need repetition. They are pretty smart little creatures! Do you remember the show Blue’s Clues? (Never the same for me after Steve left…). The creators did research while developing the show as to what preschoolers wanted to see in the show, and you can probably guess the answer by now – repetition!

3. So what about the fact that we always have a hello and goodbye ritual, a bounce, a steady beat, rocking time, and story time (in the older classes)? As my friend Heather Wiebe says (she a Kindermusik teacher in Alberta who is fascinated about the way the brain works, just like me) “Patterns make children happy. Knowing what to expect and having things happen in that way not only helps children know what to expect and feel at ease, it’s also how they mark time.” When the environment and routine is predictable, then a child feels safe and learning can naturally happen.

We know you’ll be ready to move on to another activity before your children will (believe me, I’ve been there three times with my own kids!) know that you’ll get new music and activities soon enough. And a Kindermusik Education is the most powerful tool you can give them now, for future success in school, work and life.

-posted by Miss Analiisa, who would love you to email her and let her know your questions. (She can’t read your minds, you know. She does have eyes in the back of her head, but not mind-reading powers. Though now that her children are getting older, wonders if she can trade those extra eyes in for psychic abilities. Or maybe she doesn’t want to know what is going on in there!)

Tags: brain, kindermusik, Miss Analiisa, music

Join the conversation

Sep
25

Big Fish, Little Fish

Posted in Child Development, Music and the brain, Our Time

You’ll very often hear your teacher talk about vocal development in class, and you might wonder what exactly we are referring to…. Are we talking about your child’s ability to sing or speak, or to acquire language?

Are we talking about the minute machinations we all do with our lips, teeth, tongue, and our hard and soft palettes to form phonemes?

Or do we mean the inflections in spoken language that tell a listener we are asking a question or telling a joke?

YES! Vocal development is all of these things.

I have dozens of activities I love to do in class to nurture vocal development, but I’m going to limit myself to just one today.

It’s the little ditty Above the Sea, aka “the song with the bathtub fish”. I love those fish because they open the door to world of vocal development for your child in a tangible and engaging way?

What makes this song and fish so special?

It’s a story song. Songs that tell stories engage children in a deeper way by growing and developing and changing. They have characters to connect with, so the child’s emotions are brought into play. This gives us a song the child is more interested in participating with.

Above the Sea has a conversation, and the song’s melodic pattern also mimics that conversation. When we ask a question, our pitch will naturally slide up at the end of the sentence. When Little Fish asks “What’s above the sea?”, the pitch moves up as well. So, when we sing this story we are helping our child to understand how people use language to communicate with each other.

Above the Sea also develops your child’s ability to produce spoken words. Singing is often easier for a child than speaking, because singing is slower and more deliberate. Syllables are broken down and clearly pronounced when you sing; consonants are enunciated and vowels are drawn out.

What will often times pass by in a blur in spoken word will be clearly heard and understood when sung. Now they can use those words in other parts of their life, and they can sing along with the song, too.

Each of the sung patterns has visual components to accompany them. The fish face each other when they talk, and I always wiggle the fish who is talking at that moment. When they go up to the top of the sea, we all swim our fish up and sing up a scale at the same time -nice little auditory/visual connection there!

When the fish come back down, our voices descend the scale, too. The kids can clearly see/hear/feel the patterns in the song. The more senses we include in the learning process the deeper the learning is!

My favorite part is the verse in the middle whose words we can change. Does your child love sharks? See the shark- hear him bark, his teeth are so scary!

Dinosaurs? See the dinosaur – and hear her roar, I think her name’s Marie!

What about Lightening McQueen? See Lightening McQueen – hear his engine scream, He’ll win the Grand Prix!

Come to class and sing me your verses. I’d love to hear them!

So go ahead – sing a fishy song with your child today to encourage their vocal development. By all means, play with your words! They are the best and cheapest toys our children will ever have. And, unlike plastic sharks and dinosaurs and Lightening McQueen cars, they will last the longest.

-posted by Miss Allison, who adores words, spoken, sung and written.

Tags: brain, kindermusik, language development, listening, Miss Allison, music, preschoolers, singing

Join the conversation

Sep
17

Hickory, Dickory, Dock. How fast is your internal clock?

Posted in Child Development, Imagine That, Music and the brain, Our Time, Things to do, Village, Young Child

What is steady beat? Though we associate it most closely with music, steady beat is really just an action repeated at about the same pace each time. Steady beat is required in everything from clapping along to a piece of music, talking smoothly, walking steadily, kicking, reading, cutting with scissors or even typing.

There are two kinds of steady beat. The first is internal, which is unique to every person. You are born with your own inner tempo. Think about yourself – how fast does your “clock” tick? Do you walk fast, talk fast, expect quick results? Get frustrated when everything or everyone else can’t keep up? Your internal tempo is probably allegro!

My 9 year old son’s internal beat is much slower than mine. He needs to process and “cook” information. As a Suzuki violin momma, I have to participate in his practice. After 2 years, he finally said, “You’re going too fast. You’re confusing me. It’s too much information at once.” If only I had recognized that before. If I continue to coach him at my pace, I’m going to frustrate him, and he’ll probably end up hating violin. Practice is now relatively easy on both of us.

Faster internal steady beats don’t equal brighter children; my easy-going middle child is just as smart as my speedy 12 year old. They just both like the information presented to them at a tempo that matches what is going on inside. If I keep that in mind, I’ll be a better parent.

We cannot change an internal working tempo. It’s yours for life. We can, however, teach children to be flexible to match an external steady beat with the activity they are doing. Why do we do this? You don’t want to cut out a delicate paper snowflake at 90 miles an hour! Nor do you want a slow tempo child to read at a snail’s pace.

Babies come ready made with their own internal steady beat. Sometimes in class, a song will play that is pretty close to their own tempo. Then that baby will tap his drum right in time to the music, and all the grownups in class will ooohh and aaahh at this little musical genius!

It isn’t usually until they reach age 3 or so that they begin to be able to match an external source of steady beat, such as playing instruments to a song, or marching. And we don’t really expect consistent beat matching to occur until between Kindergarten and 2^nd grade.

But because the ability to match a steady beat is so vital to success in many other skills, we do start steady beat practice from the very earliest Kindermusik class – Village. You can practice at home, too. Here are some fun ideas to try:

For babies and toddlers: To help these little ones to feel an external steady beat, use their bodies. Put your child on your lap and steadily chant a nursery rhyme, or sing a simple song. Bounce your child up and down, keeping the tempo consistent.

For preschoolers: Hold hands, a rope, a stretchy band or a large scarf between you. Sing a song your child knows (so she doesn’t have to think about the words) and sway or rock back and forth together. You can change the tempo every couple of repeats.

For young schoolchildren: Put on one of your Kindermusik Young Child CD’s or their current musical favorite. Music that changes tempo is especially good, so try some classical music. Give your child a big sheet of paper and some markers or crayons. Have your child draw (lines, dots, circles, squiggles, etc.) to the tempo of the music. Ask questions like: “What does this slow music look like?”

There are lots of fun ways to practice matching an external steady beat. I’m sure you’ll get creative!

-posted by Miss Analiisa, who is determined to workout her internal speedy steady beat muscles by learning to slow down and rest. Actually rest. Stop doing things. Stop thinking. Breathe deep.

Tags: kindermusik, language development, learning, Miss Analiisa, music, physical development, reading, Things to do

Join the conversation

Mar
27

Butterflies in Woodinville?

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Imagine That, Our Time, Things to do

Source: Wikipedia (Amon)

Butterflies have been migrating to Woodinville lately….all the way from France! I was a docent at Natural Bridges State Park, in Santa Cruz, California while in college, so I do know a little about the migration of monarch butterflies. So I do realize that they make a journey of sometimes over 3,000 miles, but it usually involves a North/South pattern, not East/West.

I also know that a Monarch caterpillar only eats milkweed as it grows, and this helps them gain the invaluable defense of being poisonous. Their bright colors, both as a caterpillar and as a mature butterfly warn predators away. Here’s a fun website to learn more about the Monarch.

Ah! Les Jolis Papillons is the French song we have been singing and dancing to in class. In English, this translates to All the Pretty Butterflies. I’m so happy when the children come up to me in class and ask for a “papillon” stamp. Singing is a wonderful way to introduce a new language at any age. We have also had our French papillions make new friends in Imagine That. They have been singing Bonjour Mes Ami, which translates to Hello, My Friends!

Here’s Ah! Les Jolie Papillons for you to listen to: (You can also download the song at www.play.kindermusik.com)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Enjoy finding out how you can encourage your child to become the beautiful person I know they will become!

-posted by Miss Beth, who floats like a butterfly, but does not sting like a bee.

Tags: kindermusik, Miss Beth, music, singing, Things to do

Join the conversation

Feb
7

The Dessert of Kindermusik

Posted in Our Time, Things to do

If the Activity Guide is the “meat and potatoes” of the At Home Materials, then the CD’s are dessert. This is the part that your child loves best, remembers, and asks for every day. And just like dessert, it is the culmination of a well-balanced meal of classroom activities and organized play from the book (or your own creative process) that you and your child do together at home.

I hear regularly from parents that the CD’s are a staple of all commuting, and that they are listened to at home, and at bedtime as well because their child will actually LISTEN to the CD’s over and over again.

My gut instinct tells me that they listen to their curriculum CD’s with such attentiveness because almost every song on the CD is related to an activity from class; memories when they listen to “Walk Along Rover”…. They are doing the steps of the dance in their heads when they hear “Jing Jang” or “Little Liza Jane”, and their hands become a rabbit and hop along their arms, their finger-ears flop, flop, flop, and their bunny eyes blink, blink, blink, and their bunny noses twink, twink, twink, as they listen to “I Saw a Little Rabbit.” A Kindermusik CD for an enrolled child is a doorway back to the classroom.

It is not just background music. I am quite sure if you gave a Kindermusik CD to a child who had never attended a class that they would enjoy the CD, but not like your children will. The combination of meat and potatoes followed by dessert is classic for a reason - it works!

Your child may not actually be interested in the CD at first; they may still want to listen to last semester’s CDs. But as soon as we’ve covered enough of the music on the CD with activities in class, your child will begin the process of transferring their love from Milk and Cookies to Fiddle Dee Dee. Most of the music on the CD is in a similar order to how it is introduced in class.

There are always tracks on a Kindermusik CD that we won’t use in class. These pieces are there to round out your child’s listening experience and to expose them to music they may not hear regularly. They also make the CD much more interesting to listen to.

However, these short forays into the unheard are important for another reason; they act like a recess for the child’s brain, which is working and learning while they are listening to the familiar classroom songs. Children need down-time to process what they have learned while they are in the throes of discovery.

Quiet time on the CD (whether it’s a short piece of classical music or a poem) gives them a few minutes to download before the next spurt of learning begins. This is why recess really is the most important part of your child’s school day, and why as college students we needed to take a break from studying every so often. Research shows that studying for extended periods of time is counter-productive. Every brain needs time off to process information.

Both of your story-books for the semester are also read on your CD’s. “The Animal Serenade” is on CD 1, and “This Little Piggy Played the Fiddle” is found on CD 2. (You’ll hear the voice of the founder of Kindermusik reading this book, and you’ll hear his rich bass serenading you throughout the Kindermusik repertoire of CD’s.)

On the CDs are several samples from the classical repertoire. The Scherzo from Shubert’s Trout Quintet, and The Flight of the Bumble Bee, by Rimsky Korsakov. I highly recommend Korsakov’s music, especially Scheherazade; it’s one of my all time favorite pieces of classical music.

Since Fiddle Dee Dee places an emphasis on stringed instruments, now might be a great time to check out some of the many classical pieces of music written for strings. A great place to start is Dvorak’s American Quartet, written while he was he was summering in Stillwell, Iowa, in the Czech community there. And you have some classical vocal music as well such as The Comic Duet of Two Cats by Rossini, and Summer is a’Cumin In, the first round ever to have been written down.

So, enjoy your CD’s and listen often. The more familiar your child is with the music, the faster they learn a new activity in class. And the more they learn, the sooner they are ready for extensions to those activities.

-posted by Miss Allison, who thinks that dessert is the best part of dinner!