Relax with music March 31, 2006
Posted by musiclasts in Connecting, Kindermusik.add a comment
Just as your child needs stimulation and engagement in age-appropriate activities, she also needs periods of relaxation. This is one of the reasons why Kindermusik Village and Our Time classes include Quiet Time in every class. But a “quiet time” isn’t only for young children; it’s also beneficial for older children as well. And times set aside for relaxation are just as important at home as they are in the Kindermusik classroom. Creating regular quiet times at home gives your child practice in learning to calm herself, slow her pace, and relax. Plus it helps her develop a valuable lifelong skill – the skill of learned relaxation. Slow, gentle music (like the music on the Kindermusik CD You Are My Sunshine) can best provide an environment most conducive to relaxation. So take a few moments to relax and listen to some beautiful music. You’ll love how good it makes you – and your child – feel!
Saturday’s Family Music Celebration March 30, 2006
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Our bi-annual Family Music Celebration is this coming Saturday, April 1st, from 3-5 pm. The event will be held in Sisk Hall at Buncombe Street United Methodist Church in downtown Greenville.
Parking is available at the Buncombe, College, or Richardson Street lots. Use the OFFICE ENTRANCE (to the back right of the main sanctuary and nearest College Street) for easiest access to Sisk Hall.
Special activities and guests include:
- Young Child, Semester 4 Graduation Ceremony (4 pm)
- Music guests, SILVER ROSE
- Crafts sponsored by the BJU Museum & Gallery
- Face painting sponsored by Fisher’s Fun Fur & Custom Crocheting
- Bounce House
- Ball Pit
- Baby Play Area
- Cotton Candy
- Instrument Petting Zoo
…and more!!
Friends and family are more than welcome. Admission is FREE to all. See you on Saturday!
The Keys to Learning March 29, 2006
Posted by musiclasts in Connecting, Expert Insights, Kindermusik.1 comment so far
Music and movement are magical ingredients to learning for both parent and child. A baby’s first communication is through movement. A toddler will respond immediately to lively music with what seems to be humorous gyrations but to him are quite serious attempts to coordinate movement with rhythmic patterns. The young child seems to be moving constantly – leaping off couches, rolling down hills, and spinning around and around until she falls down in a giggling flop on the floor.
Movement is fundamental for the development of the central nervous system, but movement and rhythm are also essential for the development of the soul. When a parent moves with her infant, a special bonding takes place that is extremely important for social and emotional growth. When a parent sings to her child, not only are language skills being developed, but also a sense of love, comfort and harmony. The special touching, laughing and rhythmic moving that takes place in a music and movement class lays a very strong and much needed foundation for a happy, healthy and joyful life!
Here are just a few of the ways Kindermusik children learn through the interactive music and movement activities we enjoy in class:
- Intentional touch is designed to provide stimulation of the nervous system, relaxation and bonding.
- Activities involve unilateral, bi-lateral and cross-lateral movements that help develop the brain and muscles.
- Movement and dance steps allow the caregiver and child to experience different rhythms and locomotor movements.
- Synchronized dances develop sequencing, provide reassuring repetition and social interaction.
- Expressive movement provides variety, creativity and opposing feelings such as fast and slow, high and low.
- Rocking and swinging stimulate the vestibular system, which is so important to balance and even eye movement.
- Props, such as the “humongous” scarvesa and parachutes, provide tactile and visual stimulation.
So put on your Kindermusik CD at home and don’t worry about performing the dances “just right.” Don’t even worry about right and left! Simply move to the music and have fun!
This article is adapted from the Nov/Dec 1999 issue of Kindermusik Notes and was originally written by Anne Green Gilbert, Director of the Creative Dance Center and Kaleidoscope Dance Company in Seattle, Washington, and a consultant for Kindermusik International.
Lollipops Concerts March 27, 2006
Posted by musiclasts in Local Events.add a comment
The wonderfully interactive “Lollipops” concert programs introduce children to the basics of music through interactive concerts presented by members of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra at area libraries, malls, the Greenville Zoo, and the Roper Mountain Science Center. Audience members receive a lollipop at the end of each performance!
April 29, 2006 “IN MY WORLD”
Discover the sights and sounds of our world as the brass quintet takes you on a pictorial nature trail.
9:30 a.m. – Hendricks Library
Simpsonville11:15 a.m. – Jean M. Smith Library
Greer1:00 p.m. – Greenville Mall Food Court
Concert programming targets children in preschool through fifth grade, but all ages are welcome.
For more information about “Lollipops” concerts, please call (864) 232-0344, x19.
Rhymers will be readers March 24, 2006
Posted by musiclasts in Expert Insights, Kindermusik.add a comment
Why are rhyming songs and chants so vital to a young child’s development? Reading expert and author Mem Fox explains why:
“The importance of getting rhymes and songs into children’s head’s can’t be overestimated. Rhymers will be readers: it’s that simple. Experts in literacy and child development have discovered that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they are four years old, they are usually among the best readers by the time they’re eight.” (Mem Fox, Reading Magic, pg. 85-86)
Bubbles March 22, 2006
Posted by musiclasts in Indoor Play, Kindermusik, Local Events, Outdoor Play.add a comment
Did you know that this is National Bubble Week? Someone, somewhere, has determined that March 20 – 27th is the week when we as a nation should all enjoy some bubbles. (Hmm… wonder if a bubble bath counts?!)
When I think of bubbles, a lot of happy childhood memories come flooding back. Bubbles are such simple things, but they make for a few minutes or even many hours of delighted squeals and happy smiles. Bubbles are usually a “together” activity between the adult who can’t blow fast enough and the child who makes herself nearly dizzy trying to chase and catch all of the bubbles before they pop on the ground.
You know, bubbles are alot like music. Music makes memories too, because it brings families together. That togetherness is what warms my heart most as a Kindermusik educator. I freely admit that I often find tears pricking my eyes as I observe parents and children in class bonding together and enjoying precious time with each other. And then what’s really great is hearing how the music doesn’t stop once class is over; it goes home — soothing, delighting, engaging, entertaining, giving, and making a difference in all the important ways.
So… whether you celebrate National Bubble Week or not, I hope you’ll be reminded of the simple joys in life — music, together time with your child, and oh yes, bubbles.
Go ahead, celebrate! Click here for a simple, easy recipe for homemade bubbles.
My Kindermusik Day March 21, 2006
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Today was one of my Kindermusik days — my day to teach and to be a Kindermusik mom. Besides being an invigorating ton of fun, every one of my Kindermusik days reminds me of why I’m so lucky to do what I do! I am privileged to work alongside 7 other wonderful Kindermusik educators. I spend time in the office, administrating and overseeing the business that enables me to reach so many more families with the power of Kindermusik. I enjoy Kindermusik as a parent, living the experience along with my boys. And I get to watch as the magic of Kindermusik brings out the smiles, the love, the learning, the joy, and the music in the parents and children in my classes. What a gift my Kindermusik days are to me!
Partnerships March 20, 2006
Posted by musiclasts in Kindermusik, PCMS News & Events.1 comment so far
I love the synergy of partnerships! One of my favorite things about Kindermusik is the partnership we as teachers are privileged to form with the parents in our program. After all, one of the basic tenets of the Kindermusik philosophy is that the parent is the child’s best teacher. It’s an absolute delight to work together to facilitate music enjoyment and learning in the classroom so that more music enjoyment and learning can happen at home. What’s most exciting is watching the results of this partnership as we see little eyes light up and faces beam with the joy of musical discovery.
I am also grateful to have had the privilege of forming a partnership with two local businesses — Unique Traditions and Phil Hyman Photography.
Unique Traditions offers gift baskets, formal and informal invitations, wedding and baptism accessories, gifts for the home, baby gifts, and more. This year, we have partnered with Unique Traditions to make music-filled Easter baskets available to our Kindermusik families to order.
Unique Traditions is located in Greenville at 1211-C Laurens Road next to Palmetto Fine Foods. 271-3800
We have a long-standing relationship with Phil Hyman Photography. Phil Hyman Photography is well-known for their gorgeous portraits. They have a gift for capturing a moment in time and turning it into treasured art. Thanks to Phil Hyman Photography for sponsoring our Class Pictures every semester.
For more information about Phil Hyman photography, go to: www.philhyman.com or call 235-7864. Phil Hyman is located on Conestee Avenue, just off Augusta Road.
Greenville Journal article March 17, 2006
Posted by musiclasts in Expert Insights, Kindermusik, Local Events, PCMS News & Events.add a comment
Kudos to Greenville Journal reporter Ariel Turner for writing a terrific article in today’s Journal about Kindermusik Village! She captured so many of the highlights of the Village class experience — the social benefits for parents and babies, the sharing, the pure joy, and most importantly, the musical learning that is developing even with our youngest musicians.
P.S. If you don’t get the Journal, but would like to read the article, please email me to request a PDF of the article.
Family Music Night March 16, 2006
Posted by musiclasts in Kindermusik, PCMS News & Events.add a comment
I am SO excited about our upcoming Family Music Night! We always have so much fun getting together, no matter how old or how young — this event is all about being TOGETHER, surrounded by music and by fun. We’ll have all kinds of “booths”, including crafts, bounce houses, ball pits, face painting and more!
Our special music guests this Spring is a local Irish band, Silver Rose. One of the moms in my Kindermusik class is a member of this band, so we’re in for a real treat. They even turned down another gig to be with us!
So, I hope you’ll all make your plans to attend. Please bring a friend, a grandparent, a neighbor, and of course, all the siblings! You can sign up in class, but if you forget to sign up, please come anyway.
When: Saturday, April 1st
Where: Sisk Hall, Buncombe Street United Methodist Church (downtown Greenville)
Time: 3:00-5:00 pm
