Welcome to my backyard!

I've been a backyard naturalist for many years....probably mostly because of the sounds of nature we use in our Kindermusik classes to help children with skills in intentional listening. This kind of listening is far different from "hearing" (from which we cannot escape!). Often in class we use the songs of birds to practice our intentional listening. For myself I am thrilled when I am outside and hear a bird and can name it just from its song! I find I can hear many layers of bird sounds--birds calling, answering, proclaiming, scolding... Once on a short vacation up to Mackinaw Island the squeaking wheels of my suitcase insulted a robin's territorial claim. He tried all the harder for us to understand we were imposing--nay ~~ tresspassing! This short video gives insight to human sounds we hear but usually don't listen to. I found it both humorous and sobering at the same time!

Join our Kindermusik Adventures class (Welcome to My Backyard) Monday's at 10:30 for lessons that stretch our ability to listen with intention! Begins June 1. See www.ashevilleartscenter.com

We'll sweep this clear in half a year if you don't mind the work!

My daughter, Anne and I made a little trip during spring vacation. We went to the ocean. I believe it's been over 15 years since I've seen the ocean and this was Anne's first time!


Anne's reaction was one of quiet determination. She didn't say much. She just bent down and started to "clean up"! I was reminded of the quote above from Alice in Wonderland.

And I just got to work with her so now we have lots of fun shells for our Creatures at the Ocean class this summer (starting all this week!).


Five little seashells lying on the shore.
Swish went the waves and then there were four!
Four little seashells cozy as can be.
Swish went the waves and then there were three.
Three little seashells all pearly new.
Swish went the waves and then there were two.
Two little seashells sleeping in the sun.
Swish went the waves and then there was one.

One little seashell left all alone whispered shhhhhhhhhhh as I took it home.


We had for so many years lived so close to Lake Michigan (very much a jewel!) but I have missed the waves and the tides.

Poppies for Memorial Day.....





Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing.....


Peace,
Yvette

Children's music concert--FREE!

Do families already know about this???? It sounds fabulous! I hope to make it to the first and the third event.

When we were growing up, by some stroke of luck, our family attended many concerts. Some were concerts where siblings were performing but many were recitals, ensembles from the local college, or when the symphony traveled to our region...I think it's very important to take children to as many live concerts as you can manage. Live music has special qualities that affect our well being! Concerts like these that are free are wonderful because if you have to drift out with an especially wiggly one--it's OK! After the concert talk about what you heard, what you liked, what was amazing....It doesn't take too long before you have children who are attentive and critical listeners. And they start to apply these skills to their musical endeavors and also to their listening skills for school and everywhere else!

Keowee for Kids!
Festival 2009

Friday, May 29, 3:30 and 5 pm • flute & guitar
Lord Auditorium, Pack Library, Downtown Asheville

Saturday, June 6, Noon and 2 pm • flute, guitar & cello
The Hop, 640 Merrimon Avenue, Asheville

Friday, June 19, 1 and 2 pm • flute, viola & harp
First United Methodist Church, Waynesville

KEOWEE for KIDS! are mini-concerts which introduce young listeners, ages 5-12, to chamber music and instruments through story and sound. The programs are designed to help children explore creativity through active participation in the musical experience.

Free Admission • Thanks to the generous support of Dr. Dennis R. Campbell, DDS, Pediatric Dentistry of Asheville and The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation

Cool Cats under Cool Capsbusking in the city!!!!

Look what a treat I found "in the city" today! These happy buskers are playing an original I think! And they are from left to right:
Anne, Devin, Duncan and Grayson. Do you think they are they having any fun?

Do you have to be a gifted musician?

Would you ever say to a child: "You aren't mathematical. You just don't have that gift for math so why don't you try something else?" Of course NOT! We expect all children to achieve a certain level of math.

Why do we NOT expect that all children will achieve a certain level of music fluency? Especially now as we have research that proves that music training improves math scores, reading scores and SCORES of other measurements for scores of other intelligence indicators. Why? How can schools say "We have no money for a music program?" or "We can only afford music for the first half of the year. We'll do visual art for the second half."

Reading music and pitch matching improves reading scores:

TUNEin™ to READING comes alive on our video! See our software in action and meet students, educators and literacy experts who explain how and why it makes such a dramatic difference for struggling readers.

What could be better? Well, I think that "better" would be all the joy endocrines that a student would get singing in a top notch school choir...where the director would help them realize the thrill of matching pitches, making harmony, grooving with intensity...making music together...yes, that would be the best.

Lindley Junior School Choir - Simple Gifts

Coventry Blue Coat School Choir singing Bright Morning Stars Are Rising:

What do you suppose their reading scores are like?
Wait, that's not the right way to be thinking...

I'll bet the LOVE to read.

Smarts

"Whether by voice or by instrument, musical performance requires physical control and precision of a high order. A child working at mathematics or languages can sit back and mentally contemplate for minutes before facing difficulty. The same child singing or playing a musical part must both obey exactly and artistically the present behests of the music and at the same time think ahead to prepare herself or himself to deal equally faithfully with what is coming in the music. In no other subject is a child called upon to make four or five decisions a second and act on them continuously for such stretches of time. This combination of constant vigilance and forethought with ever changing physical responses constitutes an educational experience of unique value. Moreover by its nature and traditions the art lends itself more than most activities to the pursuit of excellence to which there is no nobler aim in education".

A quotation of an English music instructor found in a speech by Dr. Frances Rauscher.

Don't forget to sing! Don't forget to sing! No matter what the trouble is don't forget to sing!

That's the lyrics to a song I learned in 1985. It keeps coming back to remind me to always keep a song going all the time either in my head or out loud! I've discovered a website that's very interesting. I've read about how some schools are using a singing program to boost reading skills--in 9 weeks they've jumped up a grade level....and the kids are happy doing it. So here's their list of 100 ways to sing! I'm smiling just for reading the song suggestions! (Be sure to check into # 18!)

1. Hum

2. For fun, humor and just plain silliness (I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Anne Boleyn, Clementine)

3. For laughter (John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt – sung faster each time)

4. In the shower (the best sound chamber in the house)

5. Whistle

6. Along with recordings (see www.westmusic.com for singable songs)

7. Use Rise Up Singing: the Group Singing Songbook—lyrics to 1200 songs www.quakersong.org/rise_up_singing

8. With a Rise Up Singing meeting in your city

9. Start a Rise Up Singing group in your community

10. For love (You are the Sunshine of My Life, Comin’ Through the Rye, Danny Boy, Down in the Valley, My Girl)

11. At birthdays and parties (Happy Birthday, Vive la Compagne)

12. In church (hymns)

13. Door-to-door with a group (carols, folksongs, patriotic songs)

14. Hold a karaoke party

15. As a wake-up (Reveille – army bugle piece, Oh What a Beautiful Morning)

16. To say good night (I Gave My Love a Cherry, All the Pretty Little Horses, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot)

17. Grace before meals (Johnny Appleseed)

18. To calm pets (see video “Bedtime for Puppies” http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ldtY7fFqJeo)

19. On a trip (Carolina In My Mind, Erie Canal, Homeward Bound)

20. As a conversation rather than speaking (try singing in country style, opera style, rap, etc.)

21. In a choir

22. In harmony in simple rounds (Frere Jacques, Kookaburra, Row, Row, Row your Boat)

23. For charity (Singing in the Light—Barbara McAfee’s solar lantern project)

24. With Alzheimer’s patients (activates more areas of their brain than any other activity)

25. To a baby (Knee bounces, nursery rhymes, lullabies, “This is the way we wash our hands…”)

26. For peace (We Shall Overcome, Peace Song, Blowin’ in the Wind, If I Had a Hammer)

27. To protest (Where have all the Flowers Gone?)

28. For freedom (John Brown’s Body, Michael Row, Oh, Freedom, www.singingrevolution.com)

29. To start a meeting (Sing, Sing, Together, Vive la Compagne)

30. To children and grandchildren (Nursery rhymes, children’s folksongs)

31. Start a Song Circle that meets regularly to sing

32. Hold a Sing-along Party

33. Hold a Storytelling & Song Sharing Party—everyone brings a favorite story or song to share (around fireplace)

34. Use Singing Coach software to improve singing accuracy (available at Target, Amazon.com)

35. At camps

36. In a canoe (2- and 3-part rounds (My Paddle’s Keen and Bright, Land of the Silver Birch, Hey Ho, Nobody Home)

37. As a diversion—sing about whatever task you are doing (“I’m washing windows today”…)

38. Around a campfire

39. For brain & ear training—practice singing intervals (do-re-mi, do-mi, mi-do, do-re-mi-fa-sol, do-sol, etc.)

40. For a fundraiser—hold a Song Marathon with sponsors paying $ per song sung

41. As a Song Relay – pass a song around a circle, each singing one phrase

42. To a sick person (Lean on Me, You’ve Got a Friend, You are the Sunshine of My Life)

43. To someone in hospice (Imagine, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Both Sides Now, Turn, Turn, Turn)

44. To build teamwork, camaraderie in a group

45. With a DVD of a musical (Music Man, Oliver, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins)

46. While playing a game with children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews (Ring Around the Rosy)

47. With a Barbershop quartet www.barbershop.org

48. With a Sweet Adelines quartet or choir www.sweetadelineintl.org

49. Like an Italian tenor (O Solo Mio)

50. Hold a Hymn Sing—participants choose their favorite songs to sing together

51. To relatives who live far away (grandchild calls grandma to sing songs to her)

52. On the bus (The Ants Go Marching One-by-one, One Bottle of Pop)

53. On a hike (Oh, What a Beautiful Morning, Marching to Pretoria, Follow the Yellow Brick Road, Swinging Along)

54. On the train (I’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad, She’ll be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain

55. On a picnic (The Ants Go Marching One by One, Goober Peas)

56. While sailing (Down the Ohio, Yellow Submarine, The John B. Sails, Ship Titanic)

57. To meditate (ohm)

58. Biking (Daisy, Daisy)

59. Traveling (King of the Road)

60. At community meetings (songs from different cultures)

61. With youth groups: Scouts, Campfire, YMCA, YWCA

62. In daycares and nursery schools (folksongs and song games) www.westmusic.com

63. To newborns in the hospital (lullabies, nursery rhymes, wake-up songs)

64. On a farm (The Farmer in the Dell, There’s a Hole in the Bucket, Skip to My Lou)

65. Hunting (Oh, A Hunting We Will Go)

66. In the mountains (The Happy Wanderer, yodeling songs, Rocky Mountain High, The Sound of Music)

67. Backpacking (Swinging Along, Loch Lomond)

68. In a mine (Clementine)

69. As a learning tool (ABC Song, the Wheels on the Bus Go ‘Round and ‘Round)

70. At holidays (Over the River and Through the Woods, Jingle Bells)

71. To shift a mood, lift a depression

72. To tell a story (ballads—Puff the Magic Dragon, I Gave My Love a Cherry, Titanic)

73. With an illustrated folksong book—in the library and in children’s bookstores

74. To connect with a friend (You’ve Got a Friend)

75. While waiting (Goober Peas)

76. To create joy (This Little Light of Mine)

77. For patriotism (Oh, Beautiful, Star Spangled Banner, Grand Old Flag, My Country ‘Tis of Thee)

78. To connect with other cultures

79. To learn second languages

80. In an argument—sing your sentences and find out that it’s impossible to stay mad

81. As praise and thanksgiving (Alleluia, Hava Nashira, For the Beauty of the Earth)

82. For hope (Blackbird, Imagine, Somewhere, What the World Needs Now)

83. To cheer someone up (Here Comes the Sun, Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Morning Has Broken)

84. For unity (A Place in the Choir)

85. As a warning (House of the Rising Sun, Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies)

86. On the phone (Pick a Little Talk a Little)

87. About money (If I Were a Rich Man, Brother Can You Spare a Dime?)

88. For love lost (On Top of Old Smokey, The Water is Wide)

89. About getting old (When I’m 64)

90. About eating (Peanut Butter, On Top of Spaghetti)

91. Faith (Lord of the Dance, How Can I Keep from Singing, Old Hundredth)

92. For the earth and ecology (What Have they done with the Rain?)

93. As a social commentary (Little Boxes, Where Have all the Flowers Gone?)

94. For good times (Vive l’Amour, The Wassail Song, My Favorite Things, Hava Nagila)

95. In happiness (I Feel Pretty, Tea for Two)

96. To chase away sadness (Pack Up Your Troubles, blues songs)

97. At the ball game (Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Na, Na, Na, Hey, Hey, Goodbye)

98. For play (Skip to My Lou, We’re Off to See the Wizard, There’s a Hole in the Bucket)

99. To ring in the New Year (Auld Lang Syne)

100. To live healthier and longer (see Young@Heart Chorus www.foxsearchlight.com/youngatheart

Mother's Day for Peace

Every Sunday I spend the day with my mom and we watch the ABC political recap of the week. At the end of the program they show the names of soldiers killed during the past week. I cry every week.

Preliteracy skills:

Here's more that I found following some links on the Puckett Institute site about working with infants on preliteracy skills. It's another affirmation for what we do in our Kindermusik classes!
Preliteracy Development

The period of development from birth to approximately
12–15 months of age includes a child’s acquisition
of a number of important communication and literacyrelated
skills, including, but not limited to, joint attention,
nonverbal (gestural) communication, vocalizations (cooing
and babbling), speech and language perception, and
phoneme speech stem acquisition. Schickedanz (1999), in
her book Much More than the ABCs, describes looking and
recognizing, picture recognition and comprehension, book
handling and play, and child behavior during story reading
as some of the preliteracy behavior that infants master
on their way to becoming literate. The kinds of activities
that are the contexts for preliteracy development include,
but are not limited to, parent/child lap games, singing to
infants, word play, and touching and talking (Armbruster,
Lehr, & Osborn, 2003b; Parlakian, 2003).

From:
Framework for Developing Evidence-Based
Early Literacy Learning Practices
Carl J. Dunst
Carol M. Trivette
Tracy Masiello
Nicole Roper
Anya Robyak

Kindermusik Village

In our Kindermusik Village I've talked about what Jane Healey has called the "contingent response". It's an element that does not exist when a child is seated at a video...no matter how wonderful or educational you might think that Baby Einstein video is.

So what is a "contingent response"?

When you read a board book to your 6 month old she pats the picture of the doggy or reaches out to chew on the corner of the book. Your response of either delight, naming the doggy or concern, by slipping your fingers between the book and her mouth, alerts your child to a perfect learning moment. She may be intrigued by your reaction and she'd like to know if it's related to her action so she repeats the tapping or drawing the book to her mouth. You react again and maybe even make eye contact. She'll probably pick up immediately on cues relayed by your eye contact and body language.

Here's a link to a brochure that I found that describes this contingent response as a social response and explains using games to heighten a baby's awareness of cause and effect.

As I read about the games on page 2 of this brochure I am reminded about our stop and go songs where we waited for the child to signal for us to sing again! Such good games!

Here's the link to the Puckett Institute's brochre. I found the Puckett Institute very interesting too. I'm proud to know they are in Asheville!

Eager Faces, Kindermusik smiles!

Congratulations to Ethan, Maria, Summer and Noah! They've just completed the first year of Kindermusik for the Young Child. They know all about the instruments of the orchestra, conductors, composers, reading music (the staff, reading quarter notes and eighth notes, recognizing a tune by reading the music!)...they sing, keep a steady beat, and can play little ensemble music....What a group! Every year I say this...."I'm so amazed!"

Next year we've got our work cut out for us. We'll play the stringed dulcimer, recorder and our glockenspiels. We learn new notes to make up a major scale. We'll explore flats, sharps and key signatures! And more! We'll read and play and sing syncopation and get a glimpse of music from around the world.....and still more!


In June I'm planning a trip to Michigan to attend the violin recital of a Kindermusik Graduate...I hear she's doing so well....It's predictable with: