play.kindermusik.com

Just wanted to remind you of this GREAT webpage. It has EVERY Kindermusik song available. You can search by age, category, theme, style. It's super quick and easy to download songs to your computer, phone, ipod anywhere you'd like to take your music along with you! When you sign up for a class and receive your Home Materials you will receive a coupon full of free credits to use on this webpage.

ABC Music & Me

These pictures do not do justice to our music class at Little Chicks Daycare. Or maybe the do! I couldn't get a good picture because of all the movement going on! Every Tuesday morning you will find me at Little Chicks Daycare with a handful of great kids singing, playing, and learning all about music! Kindermusik has developed a special curriculum just for day care centers and preschools.

Each month has a different musical focus. This one was the Drum. We traveled to Africa, South America and visited a few Indian Tribes on our quest to learn more about the drum and keeping a steady beat. Just like other classes, we move, sing, dance, read, and play instruments each week.

These kids are great and we all look forward to class together each week. If you know of a local Daycare or Learning Center that would benefit from our Kindermusik program, please let me know!

It's All About the Beat

In all Kindermusik classes, there is always emphasis on hearing, feeling, moving, and even 'seeing' a steady beat. It may seem very elementary, but it is essentially the cornerstone of music. More importantly, steady beat plays a huge importance in our speech, movement, thoughts and verbal organization. From a baby's first hesitant steps, he slowly finds his pace and soon starts to walk steadily and confidently. Our preschoolers who have a strong sense of beat would be able to use the scissors more skillfully. Ever watch a basketball game? The steady dribble of the ball before it is tossed smack into the basket requires an acute sens of beat and timing. Even writers rely on a sense of steady beat and rhythm in their prose to produce a good read.

Because it is such a fundamental element, parents an teachers often do not give sufficient attention to the development of this very important underlying skill-a strong sense of beat. The consequence of insufficient steady beat experiences in early years can result in poor physical coordination, halting speech, and even weakness in thought flow. Would you have imagined that something so apparently a strictly musical characteristic can have such bearing on so many areas of our functioning?!

Here are some simple and fun activities that you can do with you child at home to reinforce the concept sense of steady beat:

MOVEMENT-Turn on the music and pretend to be a marching band. March, stomp, r jump to the the music. For younger babies, put them on your lap and bounce to a steady beat or dance with them around the room.

INSTRUMENT PLAY-Use the instruments from your home materials or make your own. An old pot and spoon work great! Practice keeping a steady beat along with the music.

READING-Nursery rhymes are a great way to introduce steady beat. Clap or tap along as you recite your child's favorite rhymes.

I've had more than one parent tell me how after only a few Kindermusik classes, their child did better on their spelling tests at school! Ever seen the movie about the young girl who won the spelling bee by keeping a steady beat tapping on her leg? It helps them stay focused, organize and sequence their thoughts appropriately. And as any other learned skill it takes practice so be patient and have fun!

Birthday Party

Thanks so much for everyone that came to my birthday party! We had over 35 kids come and play and sing and celebrate. We had great fun and it was a great activity for moms and kids. Each child got to make their own bracelet with beads and bells-practicing their hand/eye coordination, pattern recognition and creativity!

We had a fun bean bag toss!!

We hid a shell under the cups and tried to trick each other!

And of course danced and played with our instruments!

And thanks to everyone who stopped by at the Street Fair yesterday. I met some wonderful families and am thrilled to say my summer camps are filling up! It's a wonderful time to enroll your kids!

What are you doing this Saturday?

Eagle Mountain City has a great Street Fair each spring and fall for all the local business owners in the area. It is right behind the Chevron on Peregrine Rd (by Nolan Park). It runs from 12-4 in the afternoon. The weather should be great and it would be a fun little free outing for the family. Please come by and say HI!! Be sure and enter to win free materials and pick up my summer schedule.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to me! That's right- this month marks 1 year since I started my adventure of Kindermusik with Jamie. I can't believe it's been a year since my first class. I still remember being So incredibly nervous. What if the kids didn't like me? What if I forgot the songs? What if no one came? I'm so grateful for the kiddos and families that have been a part of a wonderful first year. So what are we going to do about it? We are going to have a Birthday Party!!!

Wednesday April 13th from 10-noon

OR

Friday April 15th from 1-3pm

It's spring break so it will be a great FREE activity for you and your kids. Come sing, play, read and get a little taste of a Kindermusik class. Maybe it will be just what you need to sign up for my summer camp as well! Spread the word-everyone likes a party!