Money, money, money....

Kindermusik classes begin all next week! What is holding you back?
The most frequently asked question you all have been asking is:  

“My child loved your class and I know it is time so well spent with my child but our financial situation has made it impossible! Do you offer scholarship?“

I have been in your shoes! With my own children we scrimped and scraped to piece together their music education as a top priority because it is the BEST investment you can make. (Think about investing in the stock market or even putting money under your mattress—it’s value goes down!) Investing in your child will pay off in areas like higher SAT scores, leadership skills, and college scholarships. Imagine how I felt after my high school kids played in a concert and they were approached by a college recruiter! I thought that only happened with basketball and football players!!!

First, there’s always a payment option. We can break it down to 3 payments or chisel out what works best for your family.(I’m the human behind all this and if you just talk to me we can work it out!)

What if there’s just NO money to invest?
Let’s start a conversation to see how we can make this work. If you are able to take Kindermusik at either the Weaverville or Skyland locations I can start by offering a 35% scholarship. (Sorry for the Asheville Performing Arts Academy you would need to approach them personally.) I would really need you to fill out this form as it helps with fundraising for the scholarships. Disregard the due date as that does not apply to Kindermusik. The form also lists responsibilities that do not apply to Kindermusik. Please do not stay away because you think it’s not possible!

Let’s talk about this. Classes start very soon. (We prorate for starting after the first week.)

Your baby deserves this experience and we can make it happen.
Email me right away.
singandtwirl@gmail.com

Music education: I'm trying to be a tiger mom!

I'm trying to be a Tiger Mom to my daughter, getting her to practice, practice, practice her cello! I'm doing this because I believe playing a musical instrument well is key to developing her confidence, self efficacy, creativity, intelligence....well, to developing just about her whole self. You know when you gaze into the eyes of your newborn and say I want you to be independent, compassionate, confident, capable, trustworthy, trusting, loving, curious, intelligent, productive......(my list is quite long). But I'm not the best Tiger Mom. Ever since this "Tiger Mom" concept hit the headlines I've been thinking about how it applies to me. I'm pretty easy going (wimp?) in every other area with my daughter EXCEPT music.

This was an interesting read:

Sorry Tiger Mom, it doesn’t have to be drudgery to be productive and character building.
Getting over the “hump” isn’t just about reaching the inherent rewards, it’s an integral part of the confidence-building element of Sistema previously referenced here. Confidence, in this context, is virtually synonymous to Albert Bandura’s concept of self-efficacy, a term he used to describe our belief in our own ability to ......(go read it!)

This I found at a blog by Johnathan Andrew Govias. It's a short article and touches on music education and self-efficacy AND a program to lift children over the drudgery, the "hump" of learning to play an instrument. Do read it! The program he is talking about is El Sistema and....hark! I hear now the timpani in the distance! El Sistema is coming to Asheville. (In about 18 months.)

Here's a listening experience for you if you'd like goose bumps. The Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra contains the best high school musicians from Venezuela's life-changing music program, El Sistema. Led here by Gustavo Dudamel, they play Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10, 2nd movement, and Arturo Márquez' Danzón No. 2.

Who wouldn't want this experience for their child? I believe every child can.

Kindermusik in Asheville wins honors!

The families of Western North Carolina have voted on family friendly activities, restaurants, programs, and much more.  The Kindermusik educators of of Western North Carolina are humbly grateful to have been voted "BEST" in two different categories! Thanks to you we are recognized as WNC Parent's BEST PARENT/CHILD Program and BEST MUSIC Program! HOORAY!!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

 

It really is the BEST thing to do with your little ones. You'll have a moment each week where it's all about the two of you. Delve into your relationship with your child. (Grandparents and dads you are welcome to be here. It's not just "Mommy and Me". This is great for you too.) You will see your child's thirst for musical fun, curiosity in full swing, creativity in movement and sound.

I am so happy that we are recognized as BEST MUSIC Program as I feel so passionately about the power of music to make a difference in the child's cognitive development---and social, emotional, physical development, as well as their musical development. I'm so pleased with the new set of Kindermusik graduates who are stepping into the world of music lessons with a huge advantage of being literate in music reading, listening skills that are turned on, an understanding of music such that they can listen to a piece of music and tell you if the beats are organized in groups of 3s or 4s. Most 7 and 8 year olds would not know what you are talking about if you asked them about meter in music.

If you are interested in registering for the 5-7+yo class with Yvette then send me an email or check out the website. This class was packed full last fall and most likely will be again this year.

AND!!! The summer classes (begins July 8th) still have room (nearly full!) so it's time to try out the shorter summer sessions!

Cash strapped schools make a mistake to cut music

And cash strapped families too....private lessons and classes like Kindermusik can mean the difference between a so-so musician and a musician that can really play and use their ears on a more advanced level....And can make the difference between a so-so reader and a reader who enjoys a higher academic success!

More and more research shows how music is a powerful tool for helping children reach their potential....(when I grow up I will be a neuroscientist so that I can understand all this....)

Well, someday........

But reading online about what researchers are saying happens in the brain when musicians use their ears helped me to focus the 3 1/2 year olds in our Imagine That! class this week as we are listening to layers of sound (water making waves, the bell bouy, the sea lions, and the work boat horn) and then listening to the music with the singer (the words to the song, the drum beating, the rattling percussion, the man's voice, etc) listening to many layers at once.......

"Playing an instrument may help youngsters better process speech in noisy classrooms and more accurately interpret the nuances of language that are conveyed by subtle changes in the human voice," says Nina Kraus, Hugh Knowles Professor of Neurobiology, Physiology and Communication Sciences at Northwestern University.....

Studies in Kraus' laboratory indicate that music -- a high-order cognitive process -- affects automatic processing that occurs early in the processing stream. "The brainstem, an evolutionarily ancient part of the brain, is modified by our experience with sound," says Kraus. "Now we know that music can fundamentally shape our subcortical sensory circuitry in ways that may enhance everyday tasks, including reading and listening in noise."

Read it all here.
And if you'd like to hear one of Nina Kraus' lecture click here (it's very interesting!)

Kindermusik Kids Now

What do Kindermusik kids look like when they grow up? What kind of things do they do for fun? How's this for a bunch of Kindermusik kids grown to TEENAGERS!!!!

A Child's Emerging "Self"

I can do so many things all by myself!
I can do so many things all by myself!
Can you wiggle your eyebrows, just like this?
I can wiggle my eyebrows, just like this!

Can you show your teeth just like this?
Mirror play helps toddlers work on finding out about their bodies; naming body parts like eyes and nose, figuring out that you can move your own eyebrows, understanding emotions, and working on the concept of being a separate person from their primary caregiver. That's a big job!

Can you blink your eyes?


Their emerging "self" includes a quality of self esteem as well. Being told you are beautiful by someone you love and trust early in life will affect their self esteem in a positive way. And, I believe, be something we want them to know deep down inside before that 16 year old knocks them off their feet with the words "You're so beautiful!" Wouldn't you rather they already know it.

Let mirrors be your reminder to look at yourself and affirm that you are a beautiful person and then look at your amazing children and tell them how beautiful they are!



Hello Beautiful!!!

Yes, that's you!

You are precious.

Peace,
Yvette

All tuckered out....

All this hopping like frogs and dancing like elephants has me completely wiped out this week.....
I tried to study up but just couldn't keep my eyes open.

"How do you do?"

In our little baby class (Kindermusik Village) we've been doing a little greeting ritual. The grown ups are holding the babies while we meet, greet and shake hands with one another. The babies are taking their job seriously: they study all the adult faces. You can almost hear them think as they look from mommy to mommy's friend or from mommy to a stranger. "So this is what it looks like when mommy greets her good friend." "And this is what she looks like when she is greeting someone new!" Some classes are lucky enough to have daddies to study.

We aren't born knowing how to make these facial expressions nor are we born knowing how to read them!

Did you know the FBI actually has to train their agents in face reading? It's really important. How good are you at reading your spouse's facial expressions?

In our culture today babies are generally too far away from the adults faces to do their studying. They are in the stroller, or the car seat, or the little seat on the grocery cart staring up at the lights. Sling babies have an advantage. They are right there soaking it all in.

I'd love to share more child development tidbits with families:
Free Kindermusik Village demo class for babies
Tuesday 9:30 9/29.
singandtwirl@gmail.com

Reserve your spot.

Who is a musician?

Who do you think is in the audience? Trained musicians? Why did the audience get a kick out of the 3rd (higher) note? These folks are not at a Music Educators conference! They laugh with amazement because they are so surprised that they "GOT IT!" without anyone telling them what the next note sounds like.

It is human to be musical. No matter your age: JUMP IN. It's really so much fun to be making music.

(World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale)

Ring Around the Rosie

From Wikipedia

Kate Greenaway's Mother Goose (1881)

It's the circle song for Kindermusik Our Time right now. Children love it.

It's a very important game-song for growing children. I've tried to give you some information during the classes this week but, as always, children have only a certain amount of patience for adult talk. (Who can blame them?) Here on my blog I can finish my sentences and even carry on in infinitio.......

1. Deep pressure: This is what they crave the most and why the song delights them to no end. They anticipate falling down...then "boom" with glee! The deep pressure of falling down helps children to understand the dimensions of their body, especially if they've just had a growth spurt ...what child isn't going through a growth spurt?

2. Practicing balance: Falling allows them to go just past the point of balance in a controlled way. Taking the risk of falling over and practicing this improves your range of balance.

3. Social skills; understanding community. You can't play this game by yourself. It can be a challenging lesson to the timid ones who don't yet feel comfortable holding hands with other adults or children who they don't know. Sometimes they learn that they have 2 hands, one for mom and one for .....oh, a stranger? hmmmmm.
4. Flexibility: Occasionally there's a child who isn't happy if the circle's not perfect. We have to be flexible if there's a child who won't hold hands and make ours a perfect circle!

5. Being an individual with in the context of a community. This applies those visual children who choose to watch the game instead of holding hands and going around. There's a lesson for everyone!

6. Visual spacial skills and time: A child's place in the room changes as measured my time (musical phases). (Musicians make good mathmaticians, good engineers...etc!) I see the children predicting by anticipating the phrase end but stopping a few beats early and beginning their "fall" but waiting till the right time!

7. Vestibular Stimulation: Any time a child's head changes position in relation to the earth their vestibular system is stimulated. The vestibular system is deep inside the inner ear and is important for balance, emotional well being, memory, attention and focus etc. It's very important that children get lots and lots of vestibular stimulation. (Or they will demand it when they are in the second grade trying to sit still in school.)

8. Repetition: Children are creating new neural connections all the time but they depend on repetition to solidify these connections. We adults don't always have the patience for this repetition but it is so important!

9. Love: oh, delight. This is what I see when the children are playing their favorite songs with their favorite adults. "Again! Again!" they say full of glee. And we will. But have no fear. In a few weeks we'll add more circle songs to your repertoire.

Game

The words of Ring a Ring o' Roses differ by region, although the tune remains consistent. The playground game that accompanies these verses also changes by region, but the most common form consists of participants standing in a circle and holding hands, followed by skipping in one direction as they sing the tune that accompanies these verses. At the end of the line We all fall down, the group usually falls down into a heap. Lyrics to other versions show that the final action was sometimes sitting, stooping, squatting, or even a curtsy, rather than falling.^[2] In some versions of the game the last down would choose a favourite or take the place of another in the middle of the ring.^[3] Ring games which end in flopping to the ground or similar are common throughout Europe.^[4]

In this game description from Wikipedia I see that there are variations in the "falling down". You can stoop, sqatt or even curtsy! Well I'm going to guess those variations were invented by adults who just would fall all the way down!!!

Which....it should be said, you shouldn't do if you know it would do more harm than good for you as an adult to be falling on the floor. Even if it is the nice soft floor we have in our Kindermusik room!

Have fun holding hands with your little ones .
Peace,
Yvette

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

Just one case for raising a child to be a musician:

Preparing for life....

Here's an article written by the dean of music at Lawrence Conservatory (Appleton WI) and posted on his blog.

When hiring employees, Microsoft and every other successful company looks for an underlying set of skills that will bring the most benefit to the business. These skills are easy to list, but very hard to find in a single individual. For this discussion I will focus on four of these traits. The perfect employee should be:

Focused
Self-motivated
Collaborative
Communicative

So let's start by taking away our musician's instrument, and putting aside all of our own preconceptions about music being concerned only with the expression of emotion and beauty. We will now take a cold hard look at what goes into creating a successful musician.

Read on to see how these skill are developed, honed to develop a very capable individual and one that's creative and artistically expressive.

But come back and watch this great storytelling musician, David Holt. Click on the picture of his washboard to hear (among his many wonderful stories) his personal story of how he came to love music and choose it as a career. Pay special attention to his demonstration of his invention of "Thunderwear".

I'm tellin' ya. With Kindermusik you give your child the best start (beginning at newborn through 7yrs.) then take it from there! Keep going...put an instrument in their hands.

Email me to come visit a class to get an idea about all the great work we do.

singandtwirl@gmail.com

Kindermusik Village Class Home activities:

Below is the link for the new "Rhythm of My Day" theme.

This is week #3 and the home activity is about creating and weaving rituals into your day. The suggestion is one I love: When Daddy comes home sing "Hey Daddy, Daddy, Daddy. Hey Daddy, Daddy-O..." (tune: Hey Lolly) Do that for the older siblings coming home from school or in the morning when you first wake up! Other times for rituals would be diaper changing time, meal time, bath time, story time...etc. These wonderful rituals convey security and deep love between child and adults and siblings.

Becky Bailey (author of Conscious Discipline) describes the important basic elements of a loving ritual:
1. touch
2. eye contact
3. your presence
4. playfulness

Here's a perfect example for a "loving ritual" as we did today in our Saturday (9:15) Kindermusik Village class:

Wash the dishes. (rub baby's tummy)
Dry the dishes. (rub baby's back)
Ring the bell for tea. (tweak nose or push belly button and add sound effects!)
Three good wishes and three good kisses (rock, tap, or someway keep the beat)
I will give to thee. (Give the kisses!)

Go here to find out the home activities for every week:

http://www.kindermusikeducators.com/Lounge/Rhythm-Home%20Journal.pdf

If you are not enrolled in one of our Kindermusik classes I invite you to email me or call the Arts Center to visit a class this week!! Do come and see the magic for yourself.

Listen to this if you want to hear more about what's so great about Kindermusik

Here's a radio report from Buffalo NY about Kindermusik educator Wendy Jones. Do listen! Click on the blue words.

The Child's lesson plan!

During this first week of the new semester I watch carefully to see how children react to what's new. New things can be joyous but when EVERYTHING in the world is so new (it is for the very young!) then NEW can be pretty scary! It's written all over their faces: "Where's my routine????" New Kindermusik room, new teacher, new routines, new songs and activities......for some a completely new adventure.

I hear the grown-ups implore: "You're OK! You're OK! Don't be so shy!"

We have insight! We have experience that tells us everything is OK. I look into their worried eyes and say "This is new, isn't it. I don't look like Miss Patty Lee, do I?" They seem reassured when they know I have an idea what is upsetting. Then they watch. Then we sing. Then....they begin dancing!

Here is an article that I found through my Kindermusik educator friend in Michigan, Miss Melinda! It's a little story of a first Kindermusik experience through a mom's eyes. We all need some reassurance, don't we! Find the article here.

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

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

Dear Kindermusik Families,
I am so grateful to have the priviledge of working with you and your children. Thank you for sharing your lives with me.
I truly love my time in the Kindermusik classroom.

I've left so many Kindermusik friends back in Michigan...I hold them in my heart...I miss them so much. But how much fun
I have had making new Kindermusik friends!!!

At the Kindermusik Convention in Raleigh I heard about wonderful research being done on the links between music and
literacy and music and math. They've posted it online for EVERYONE!!!
If you are interested follow this link: http://kindermusik.com/benefits to read even about some studies that were done
with actual Kindermusik classes.

I've been thinking about how the investments we've made in the market with our 401K plans etc. have dwindled. I've thought
about putting cash under the mattress! Then I wonder about the actual value of the dollar...I keep coming back to the
idea of investing in our children. That simply won't devalue. Their gains in academic, social, emotional and physical
intelligence just won't go away! The payback may be realized when our children are eligible for college scholarships...
when they score well on ACT and SAT tests, when they grow up to be happy well adjusted adults....

These are hard economic times for families with young children...and their are lots of activities to choose from when you
consider your child's education and extra curricular activities. Choose wisely!

Many families in my Michigan studio chose Kindermusik Imagine That! as their "pre-school"! This curriculum really does
address preschool academics as well as the creative, social, physical, and FUN elements! Adult visitors to my Kindermusik Imagine
That! class at the south location off Hendersonville Rd. have commented on all the school readiness skills we've covered
in our class! Let me know if you'd like to visit one of these classes with your child.

Is your child ready for a move up to Imagine That!? My curriculum guide suggests that at age 3 Imagine That! would be appropriate.
I wonder though. Consider the decision carefully in this world where we are in a hurry...trying to get an edge in the academic world.

Our Time classes even for the 3 year old child can be very appropriate. It's your last chance to have a mommy and me class together.
If your child is willing, allowing him or her another semester with their best teacher (YOU!!) will increase the dividends in your
relationship investment! It is by no means an action of "holding them back". In my own experience as a mother with a 12, 18 and 20
year old children I'd highly recommend taking advantage of the "together" class of Kindermusik Our Time.

Next time you are at the Asheville Arts Center please grab one of the priority registration slips. Oh, and by the way, keep
talking to your friends because I've heard a rumor that the Arts Center is preparing to offer you a cash deal on referrals!!!
This investment keeps getting better and better!

One more thing...Thanksgiving is this week! Only Monday's and Tuesday's classes will be held this week.

I try to share what I'm grateful for in the season of Thanksgiving. Holding the hand of your child while I stamp them goodbye
is one of the most precious moments for me. Thank you for that opportunity.

Peace and Love,
Yvette Odell
Kindermusik educator
Asheville Arts Center
www.ashevilleartscenter.com
www.yskindermusik.blogspot.com

Music Boosts Reading Skills

Kindermusik International has posted on line some of the latest finding concerning music and the power of music when it comes to learning....Right now the link between music and reading (in the coming weeks you'll find music and math research).

Go!!!! to Kindermusik online to find out more.

And you know WHY I want you to know? Because I believe Kindermusik is an investment in your children that won't plunge like the stock market or devalue like cash under the mattress. This is a "Good Beginning That Never Ends..." You parents are investing in our country's greatest resource!
THE CHILDREN!!!

Thoughts on thinking.....

When babies are tiny we moms just do what we can. Sometimes our wise inner voice is strong enough to be heard and sometimes we just flail about, grappling for survival.

I remember my world as mom when Claire, my second baby was born. I was pretty fragile emotionally...and overwhelmed with two children! Ben was the two year old who obviously did not need as much sleep as I did! He gave up this only daytime nap on the day I brought Claire home from the hospital.

Filling my need for sleep was a challenge till I learned how to "talk" the two year old to sleep. It's a technique I developed by nearly figuring out how to talk in my sleep!

After the bedtime book was over I would turn out the light and begin the narrative...I would recite the story of Ben's day in very careful detail. I'd begin by describing what how his hair looked when he woke up and how he hopped down off the bed and his footie pyjamas would swish as he followed me down the hall...on and on and on until either he'd be sleeping or I'd end with the story about telling the story to a child who dreamed a dream....

The descriptions came from my point of view but I wove in his part of the conversations and likes and dislikes ...described the emotions (tantrums, laughter, frustrations with the new baby etc), I talked about everything because it took him so long to fall asleep.

So now I'm thinking...after reading articles on how children learn and how a vocabulary at 3 is a good predictor of a child's reading abilities in third grade, and how the brain lights up even more when THINKING words or music and how their brains light up more for "story telling" than reading a book....that my storytelling of Ben's day was creating pictures in his mind, giving him a vocabulary, and showing him an example of a stream of consciousness....maybe showing him HOW to think....

Do you think so?

In our Kindermusik classes we have the opportunity to think out loud with our children when we explore instruments. I remind parents: Label everything. Name the instrument, what's it made out of? It's shape, color, size...describe the sound it makes, name the action it takes to make the sound....Add the musical element of the day (fast, slow, high, low, loud, quiet...)Talk, talk, talk, talk......

We add "scaffolding": immitate the child's action with the instruments while doing all this talking (that's very affirming to the child) and making suggestions for extended music making (like "I see you shake your eggs. That's fast. I hear the chk, chk, chk....Can you shake them slowly, great big shakes? Yes, look at that, great big slow shakes. Your arms go up and down slowly. I hear the shakers make a steady beat. Maybe you can march your eggs......" etc.

I'd like to think they are getting an idea about how to think. After all how does a 2 year old figure out how to have "ideas"?

Interestingly I've noticed that as my children grow up through the teen years their interest in adult conversation becomes more intense. I've had 12 year old Anne at my elbow for a lot of lively political discussion lately. She's not tired of hearing me talk yet!

Your thoughts on this?
Leave a comment!
Yvette