Month: August 2018

Junior Kindergarten Kids & Music Classes

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Age 4… oh what fun! Eager to learn. Excited and full of energy. The 4 year old is ready to jump into junior kindergarten! That means the 4 year old is also ready for all sorts of musical fun in our music classes for junior kindergarten kids… Kindermusik Level 4!

While junior kindergarten kids are still processing thought through pictures (the inner voice does not begin to develop age 7), these 4 year olds have a large vocabulary and are now able to carry on full conversations! They are full of questions and curiosity… and ready to learn more about music!

Up until Kindermusik Level 3, our main focus is brain development and child development in our Kindermusik program, and, don’t get me wrong, all of that is still prominent in Level 4, now the children are primed and ready to start learning more specifics about music too! Throughout the course of the Level 4 year, children are introduced to so many exciting styles of music from jazz to opera, classical, modern, folk, world music and more. The Level 4 class sets the stage for the beginnings of new musical concepts, laying a wonderful foundation to move on the either Level 5 or private lessons.

Musical Concepts Learned in Level 4 for Junior Kindergarten Kids

  • Staccato and legato
  • Music appreciation and introduction to a wide variety of musical genres
  • Simple rhythmic patterns, not names and values
  • Introduction to the musical staff
  • Exploration of the note C on the staff, through singing and playing
  • Solo, duet and ensemble singing
  • Following melodic patterns
  • High and low
  • Treble and bass clef
  • Forte and piano
  • Crescendo and diminuendo
  • Introduction to keyboard instruments
  • Introduction to brass, woodwind, percussion and string family instruments
  • Learning about famous composers
  • Ear training exercises
  • Creative musical expression
  • Sound effect exploration
  • Creative movement to differing music/dance styles
  • Ensemble development
  • Steady beat
  • Music and the connection to emotion
  • Improvisation

We have tons of fun in our music classes with junior kindergarten kids and can’t wait for the next round of Kindermusik Level 4 classes to begin!

Preschooler = Enthusiasm, Imagination and Fun!

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Preschoolers are so much fun to spend time with! The ever inquisitive preschooler with a fresh perspective on life… we can learn so much from these little cuties! Here we have the child who is now making sentences and has a clear understanding of self-awareness. You probably have started to notice your 3 year old copying everyday scenarios during play and this is the emergence of pretend play. This type of play is so important for a preschooler to explore and develop creativity and imagination. This pretend play will eventually become more complex.

Some facts about preschoolers:

  • They love to tell stories!
  • They think/process in pictures.
  • They are very inquisitive.
  • They are still learning self control and inhibitory control.
  • They are still developing vocabulary.
  • They are fascinated by the world.
  • The midbrain is in the optimal development stage, which is directly linked to emotions.
  • Memories are linked to emotions – so emotional state is KEY to learning and healthy development.
  • They LOVE to be helpful.

At Sing Music Studio, we LOVE preschoolers and we are excited to support your child’s growth and continue to share our knowledge of this stage of development with you in our Kindermusik Level 3 classes for 3-4YO! We know how key the emotional state is to learning. Your child needs to feel safe, secure and loved to thrive in a learning environment. And while our Level 3 classes are much different than the earlier Kindermusik classes because they are drop-off classes, we recognize the importance of your child’s emotional state and we happily invite parents of children who are just not ready for that independent step yet to join us for as long as it takes. Kindermusik is a happy, loving place! And we are here to support your child’s learning needs in whatever way that may be!

In Kindermusik Level 3, here’s how we support the facts above about preschoolers:

  • We listen!
  • We allow children the time they need to process and respond and provide oral stories to facilitate mind pictures and imagination.
  • We are patient, kind and answer the questions.
  • We provide fun activities and structure to foster self control and inhibitory control.
  • We introduce new musical language and vocabulary in our songs, rhymes and stories.
  • We have 12 different units of music classes with new themes each month, exploring both new and familiar preschool appropriate material.
  • We support each child’s emotional development by observing, listening, acknowledging and providing tools to both parent and child on foster each individual’s needs.
  • We provide a safe and loving environment for learning with focus on happy children to foster learning!
  • We notice when each child is helpful and foster that by talking about how good it makes us feel to be helpful.

New Kindermusik Level 3 classes begin in September and we can’t wait to share our time with your preschooler!

The World Through the Toddler’s Eyes

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Sometimes it seems to me that toddlers get the short end of the stick. Society seems to think that toddlers are challenging. Terrible twos. Public tantrums. Squealing voices. Onlookers giving judgemental looks. Me, me, me mentality. The toddler rules the roost. If you ask me… all of these statements are exhausting… negative… and unfortunate. What if we lived in a world where we all supported the growth of the toddler? Where we allowed the toddler to toddle? To explore? To follow the bubble… the inchworm… the bird… the rabbit… Without judgement. With only boundaries governing safety. Imagine the possibilities for that growing, exploring toddler!

Here are the 4 ways that toddlers learn:

  • Manipulation (not manipulating people, lol, but manipulating objects and items)
  • Observation and imitation (copying is the first stage of pretend play)
  • Repetition and consistency
  • Exploration and play

Did you also know:

  • 100% of learning from 18MO to 7YO is through the senses
  • Toddlers see things in pictures
  • Toddlers’ memories are linked to emotion, not to words
  • Toddlers’ learning can only take place when they feel safe and secure
  • 0-18MO is the optimal time for hindbrain development – laying the physical groundwork and autonomy needed for future academics
  • 18MO to 7YO is the optimal time for midbrain development – emotions and social experiences are the key
  • 7YO to 25YO (yep 25) is the optimal time for cortex development – academics (the cortex is engaged when we are upright)
  • Movement is the key to brain development and learning from 0 to 7YO

Here are 5 ways we wake our children too early:

  • Constant cognitive quizzing – asking questions to toddlers about numbers and colours before they have the tools to answer us can cause confusion in that amazing developing brain
  • Sensory proportion – providing far too much sensory stimulation (tablets, phones, TV, toys with lights and sounds), the sensory stimulation should not be larger than the child
  • Failure to protect our children from the media
  • Premature academics
  • Child led households

This is powerful information. This is information that SOCIETY needs.

The world where the toddler can explore freely and you and your toddler can be guided through all of this information (and more) does exist… it’s right here in our Kindermusik classroom! We can help you achieve this optimal learning environment by providing tools to realistically navigate our sensory overloaded, technology based environment. Our toddler music & movement classes focus on being present with your child. Guiding the child through the various stages and developmentally appropriate activities. To begin to toddle, to explore the body and what it can do, to explore the voice  and the sounds it can make, to imitate, to create, to express, to listen, to laugh, to play, to pretend, to refine motor skills, to explore, to manipulate, to discover, to dance, to connect, to become self aware. The endless benefits go on.

We are eager, I am eager, to pass on this important child development knowledge to you, to help you support your toddler’s growth and for you to help open society up to see the world through the excitement and wonder of the toddler. Kindermusik Level 1 for young toddlers ages 1-2 and Kindermusik Level 2 for older toddlers ages 2-3. The magic happens here.

 

Who Doesn’t Love Babies?

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Well it’s high time I got back to this blogging business… and I figured there’s no better way to start than talking about my favourite class to teach… Kindermusik Foundations! And who’s the star of the show? Babies, of course! Who doesn’t love babies? With their pudgy cheeks, squishy arms, belly laughs, chubby legs, adorable faces… I know I simply can’t resist. And babies are fascinating! Have you ever just sat back and watched how babies move and interact? It’s magical! I’m fortunate enough to have met tons of babies over the past 12 years of teaching Kindermusik and been able to watch babies just about every week during that time and I never grow tired of it… I’m always learning something new.

So let me tell you why Kindermusik Foundations class is my favourite (and don’t get me wrong, I love ALL of the Kindermusik levels but this class is just so special)!

  1. I get to see the magic unfold so many times… baby’s first roll over… baby’s first lizard crawl… baby’s first crawl on all fours… baby’s first time balancing on 2 feet… baby’s first steps… baby’s first word… WOW! I’ve seen them all and the pride and joy in mom or dad’s face! Precious!
  2. I get to impart some of my ever growing knowledge base on child development and infant stages and the profound effects of music on babies to eager moms (mostly but sometimes dads too) who REALLY listen because they REALLY want to know how they can set the best stage for their baby’s development.
  3. I get to foster and cultivate new relationships between moms and babies, connecting a new network of mommies who need other mommies and watch them rely on each other for advice, support and friendship – that’s powerful stuff.
  4. I get to see the joyous reactions of babies to my passion for music and singing as I share these wonderful gifts with the wonderful group of moms and babies I am privileged to spend my time with each week in class.
  5. Pudgy cheeks, squishy arms, belly laughs, chubby legs, adorable faces.

I can’t wait to meet the next group of Kindermusik babies that come my way! But for now, I will enjoy every minute of being present in the current weekly Foundations classes and look forward to the new class adventures next week will bring!

Miss Mandi – Musician – Kindermusik Educator – Private Voice and Piano Instructor – Director of Sing Music Studio