There's a delicate balance of keeping the beat during class and stopping to explain a tidbit about the amazing work the children are doing in Kindermusik! I don't always get a chance to finish my sentence.....But I do hear from families that they appreciate knowing some of the details. I hope you'll read on because I'm also going to tell you about some great free live music events!
1. Giddy UP Horsey! Knee bounces help to dissipate cortisol by deep pressure applied to receptors between each vertebra in a child’s spine. Cortisol, the horomone of flight or fright (stress) build and strengthen the neural pathways to the brain stem where attention to and action for survival is paramount. Activity in the brain stem controls heart rate, respiration, digestion, preparing them for a fight or for fleeing. These systems are important for survival of the species. The brain stem is not where creative thinking and learning happens. By stern reprimands, arm shaking, swats to the bottom, etc, the average toddler receives a good dose of cortisol about every 9 minutes of his waking life. Adrenaline takes about a day and a half to neutralize. Children with excessive cortisol actually have larger brain stems. (This would be a child in an extreme situation.)
So enjoy these knee bounce activities at home. They are good for you too! Have you noticed how much giggling goes on with the Giddy UP Horsey activity? Laugher and fun help build neural pathways to the frontal lobes of the brain where creativity, problem solving and thinking happen. This amazing information comes from articles and a book I read by Joseph Chilton Pearce.
2. “Village” (newborn to 18 months): We’ve been exploring our senses and I mentioned that I would look up how many senses we actually have! First the 5 we commonly know as our senses: Touch, smell, sight, taste, and hearing. Then there’s proprioceptive or kinesthetic sense which tells the brain about the relative positions of the parts of the body (Why do babies wait until they are in the car to wave goodbye? They are “Looking” for their hand!) The senses of Acceleration and Balance (strongly connected to the Vestibular system) allow one to sense body movement, direction, and acceleration, and to attain and maintain postural equilibrium and balance. And other senses like temperature, pain and other internal senses….See Wikipedia if you want to follow this trail!
3. Listening in “Imagine That!” (3 ½ to 4 ½ yo) We are playing with a listening puzzle that asks the children to listen to layers of sound all at once. I’d love a chance to help the parents understand the importance of listening with intent. Our hearing actually happens with the movement of tiny muscles and like any muscle they can be strong or weak. Amazingly our ears are connected to nearly all our senses, body organs and our vestibular system. When listening with intent it becomes a full body experience whith physical, intellectual and emotional elements. Practice listening very carefully to layers of sounds in your neighborhoods, grocery stores, parking lots, and of course MUSIC!
4. “Young Child 2” Wow! We are learning to read music and to sing what we read. They are really working hard. The more you work with the activities and listen to the CD at home the more the children will be excited to show me what they know. You, the parents, are really partners in this journey and when your child is taking piano, violin, flute (or bassoon!) your level of involvement and attitude will determine the child’s success. In Kindermusik you are learning as much as the child is about how this journey will unfold. Remember, at this level, if your child doesn’t seem interested in the glockenspiel they YOU play it and that will count if they are within hearing distance.
5. “Young Child 4” This is getting exciting! This week I will show them music with some notes missing. I know they will easily guess the song and fill in the blanks then play it on their glockenspiels! The more you listen to the CD and sing along to all the songs the easier it will be for them to figure out the puzzle! It is time to be thinking about the next step: Private lessons. Violin? Cello? Guitar? Some teachers have long waiting lists and it’s a good idea to start this ball rolling.
If ever you have questions, I try to be quick to respond with email: singandtwirl@gmail.com
See you in class!
Yvette
