Where's Community?

What an amazing December day. It's 60' outside and beautiful sunshine warms my back. I'm hanging out my 3rd load of laundry. It's one of my favorite chores. I find it very meditative. I listened to birds and to what I thought for a minute was a lawn mower....a leaf blower. Well, I'll save the world by hanging out clothes and the leaf blower takes us back down a notch. But the noise! Irksome especially because in between the roar I can almost hear the little community of musicians who are jamming on the front porch of the house. (That would be my nephew Duncan and his friends...who I think are playing at the Grey Eagle Contra Dance on Jan. 5. )

So imagine the idyllic scene of hanging out laundry to live music. Ahhhhhhh. You gotta love it. "WHIIIIIIIIIINNNNNE", goes the leafblower.

I used to hang out laundry when I lived out in the country near Holland, MI. When I moved in town I had trouble with the shade in the yard, the ear wigs and the dust from the metal recycling plant down the street. I really missed the smell of sundried bed sheets.

Here in Asheville we seem to have had a lot of rain and my previous load of laundry ended up out in the rain overnight. When I took that load down the smell was so wonderful...rainwashed and sundried.

Today I've been thinking about community. I still floating out there wondering where the heart of this community is.

I'm living here in Asheville in a way that's purposefully trying to reduce my "foot print". I'm renting a room from my sister. Cost-wise it helps her and it helps me. But I'm trying to adjust to other eco-friendly ways that I've given up by moving to a city.

I'm driving a whole lot more than ever. Taking a highway to get to teach my Kindermusik classes. Can't walk to church. Can't walk to library and college concerts, the movie theater (miss you, Knickerbocker). Can't find what I want at the local farmers market so I end up driving to two or three different markets...and their farmers market season is pretty short.

I had high hopes for what's on Haywood Road. I walked to my mom's house via Haywood Rd. with my sister and the kids. You know, I'd say the sidewalks on Haywood are a joke. You can't walk next to a friend, the phone poles are right in the middle of the walk. Every so often you have to turn you body sideways to walk between the building and a control box that's hanging about shoulder high on the telephone pole. There's no green grass strip between the sidewalk and the street so the cars whiz right by....CAREFULL KIDS!!


I was looking forward to being part of the Haywood Road Food Coop. That has been a struggle from the beginning. The cost of living for food here is pretty high compared to Michigan. And they seem to be very sluggish about selling their veggies. I wish I could find out when they get them in so I could buy them FRESH. I tried to volunteer there and the person in charge at the time took my email saying they really weren't set up for that. I haven't heard back yet.

Our local neighborhood has had a once a month potluck which I am really enjoying. But getting to know real people around town is slow work.

Maybe everyone's just blogging and facebooking....(I've found "West Asheville" on an online social network)...I know I am really liking my laptop!

Gotta go check on the laundry.
Peace,
Yvette

Piccolo, just a little....

Here's a little bit for the very little.
These two darling little girls; Addison and Samantha! How much fun we had playing piccolo and drums together in class. Thanks Shelley for the picture! My big girls are ooooohing and ahhhhhing.

Canadian Brass, the flight of the bumble bee

And today, we experienced the Brass Family instruments of the orchestra. We listened and danced. We looked at the pictures of brass instruments to see the similarities and differences. Next time I'll bring in a trumpet to try!

Watch this fun video of a brass quintet. They are playing the "Flight of the Bumble Bee". It is VERY fast! I think the Tuba's fingers must be cramping up; everyone looks worried. But listen carefully. You can't tell! They are flawless. Wow.

Glockenspiels!

Look out world, here they come! The new crop of music READERS!!! We can read C and A on the staff and we know several songs on our glockenspiels.Here we are doing a train ensemble. Yes, moms! Your glockenspiel skills are improving! The children have all been singing on pitch and with creative enthusiasm!


These children are working hard. Learning has never been so fun.

Maybe you can play your glockenspiels for the relatives when they come over for the holidays!
Have fun.
Yvette

Holidays Gifts that make a difference:

For ideas on smart gift giving for children see the blog from the past.

Here's my recommendation for online shopping for children...

Tu ra lu ra lu! Pat a pat a pan!

Here's some pictures of the fun at the Children's Health and Harmony Expo...go check out the Asheville Citizen Times Photo gallery:
I spy with my little eye a flute and drum (well actually that's my piccolo!) We were jammin'!

Yes, things were jammin' in the Asheville Arts Center corner! The stage was alive with Irish Dancers, Sleeping Beauty Ballerinas, Seussical Musical Theater, and rockin' Rock U. One mom said to me "You mean after Kindermusik they can take all those classes!?" Yes, begin at the beginning with the tiny newborns developing a sense of beat, nurturing curiosity for pitch and melody, keep the music ball rolling with the offerings at the Asheville Arts Center.

Come on over and see!
828-253-4000
www.ashevilleartscenter.com

Perspective

Parenting is not about a power struggle or an affront on authority. Children do not operate on that level. It is about how children learn to control themselves.

SING IT!!!

Grayson (that's my special nephew--we share birthdays!!)and Anne (that's my special daughter) sing in the Asheville Symphony children's Chorus. Their concert with the Asheville Symphony is December 20. They sing like angels. And sometimes like chipmunks.

Holiday Pops: Decking the Hall
Saturday, December 20, 2008 8:00 pm
Last week in Kindermusik for the Young Child we heard a little of the story of the Magic Flute and listened to some of Mozart's music for the opera. Maria's mom tells me she's been listening to snippets of the Magic Flute on YouTube!!

Look what I found! It's the love song of Papageno and Papagena....Papageno is playing his glockenspiel! Hmmmm...he only uses one hand. We are learning with both hands so we will be more versatile musicians.

Patience

Here we are just finishing week 12 of our 15 week semester. What amazes me is that this week was a week of firsts for so many children.

Brady sang in class for the first time. So did Danny, Brighton, Lauren, Gianni...I should have kept a list! Lucas let me pick him up and even hold him upside down! Thomas in our Imagine That! class was very outgoing in building our "fort" to keep us warm "when cold winds blow"...

I know they've been singing at home before this and many children have been singing in class all along. But in a social setting some children need more time....and the assurance of routine...week after week like a steady beat. Consistency...

I remember Henry's mom who waited 30 weeks to hear her son sing in class. On the last day of the 2 semesters...he did and she had tears! Of course he went on to "graduate" from Kindermusik at 8 years old and then on to piano lessons....

Consistency matters.

I've also noticed this week how well the children are doing with stop and go activities. I like to do a lot of this work in all my classes. It really helps children learn how to control their own bodies and it's work they LOVE LOVE LOVE to do. (Shake shake shake you bells, shake shake shake your bells, shake shake shake your bells and then we STOP!) Studies done on actual Kindermusik students show that children with more than one consecutive semester of classes were more able to stop when told to do so..Well the parents in my classes are seeing the benefits of our little clean up song!! Bells away, Bells away! Works like a charm....when almost every time.

The Effects of Kindermusik® on

Behavioral Self-Regulation in Early Childhood

Consistency matters.

We are building an environment that the children can trust...then they will bloom and amaze us with their creativity. All these children have amazing potential. Let's nurture it.

Join the experience with your child. Call the Arts Center to visit a class: 253-4000.

Or email me with your questions.

Yvette

Sister act

I left a town where everyone knows ME. It's kinda fun here in a new locale...I'll notice after a concert, after church, or at a downtown event...strangers will do a double take. Or come up to me and say, "oh, yes I know you." "You're Duncan's mom." "You have 2 boys, don't you?" "I've seen you play at Jack of the Wood."

Well, no. That's probably my sister...one of the three of them who live in Asheville....who are all very talented and well known in Asheville circles.

Here's a peek at Daniele. She has 3 boys. Duncan is at Berklee College of music in Boston. Devin is a homeschooled highschool Senior taking lots of classes at ABTech. And Grayson is 8 and ALWAYS busy. Go see Daniele's blog to see her handmade art. You might find something that will be useful to you!



It's great to come to a new town and have such an in that I'm accepted as if I've been here for years!!

See you around...
Yvette