What do you do with a baby, an infant, in Kindermusik?

I've been teaching Kindermusik since 1995. Maybe it was in 1998 that I began teaching the brand new Kindermusik Village class for babies who are newborn to 18 months. Now families did not need to wait until their baby was a year and a half old to experience this great program! But, oh, my goodness! What does one do with these babies? And just how young should they start???

The miracles that I experienced in teaching babies over the years turn out to be everyday occurrences! Miraculous nonetheless! One day I noticed a tiny, tiny baby babbling on the resting tone of the song that I was singing. (The resting tone, or tonic, is the tonal center. You might recognize it as the first note of the scale a song is built on. For instance in the song, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, the tune both begins and ends on the resting tone.) Now THAT was a miracle.  That baby is a genius! A musical prodigy! I heard it! And now after more than 10 years of hearing this miracle in nearly every class I still believe each and every one of those babies is a musical genius. I hear them babble, sing, fuss and even cry on the pitches of the songs we sing in class every day.

Babies in Kindermusik come to me as young as 5 weeks old. Here they're a bit older and more able to act on their curiosities. They are able to prove to us their receptivity to musical experience. With the very tiny babies we must trust in their ability to process musical input with out the obvious feedback. But if you watch very carefully, and know what to look and listen for, the proof is right there!

Shinichi Suzuki wrote in his beautiful book Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education that he had witnessed a newborn sibling of one of his violin students wriggle in recognition of the music that the student had been working on while the baby was yet unborn. This newborn infant's reaction to music is miraculous too! But many, many mothers have reported that their newborn babies are calmed or animated by music that they had enjoyed when pregnant.

The article below explains some of the research being done to document an unborn baby's music perception. I  have read that the ear begins to perceive vibrations as early as 23 days gestation and this article states that it is fully functional around 5 weeks before birth.

Infants Recognize Melodies Heard in the Womb

 But, getting back to tiny babies in Kindermusik, I'd like you to know of other miracles I notice on a regular basis. One of my favorite musical activities, favorite because it always gets the babies' rapt attention, smiles, and active participation, is the stop and go game. For this we sing a song like

"Walk all around now, walk all around. Walk all around now, walk all around. Walk all around now, walk all around. Walk all around now, walk all around, and STOP!"

(you can download this song from Kindermusik.play.com )

I ask myself "How much self control or physical body control does a baby have? Can a 6 month old, or a 2 month old, play in this stop and go game? The walkers (the older ones who can prove their musical processing to us) can stop and can even learn to anticipate the phrase to stop at exactly the right moment. But in observing the babies in their mothers' arms do it too! They go from wiggling arms and or legs, moving their heads around, vocalizing, etc. to absolutely motionless! The entire room is silent and motionless. Another miracle! These babies can measure and predict the timing of the phrases just like the older ones! The rest of the games includes extending the "waiting" of the stop until you get a signal from the baby to begin again.

Here's the important lesson I have learned.  

Babies get it.  They come out of the womb already knowing about the pitches, tonalities, the patterns of melody, rhythm, phrases, sounds and silences, and so much more.  We adults have to be ready to notice it too. If they notice that we notice it (repeatedly) then they will decide it is worth knowing about, worth remembering. THAT is when the neural connections solidify and become permanent. Otherwise this music aptitude just goes away! 

And the question for the parents of these musical genius' is "How long should we wait before bringing our baby to Kindermusik?" How many missed opportunities to notice musical cues? Many grown-ups need coaching in noticing and how to show your noticing to your baby. That's my job! Don't wait. Come to visit a class for free with your baby. I'll help you to see the miracles for yourself! 

http://www.kindermusikwithyvette.com/index.php/home/free_class/

There's my baby with my oldest (just 15 years ago)! She began her Kindermusik journey in utero! Her out of womb experiences in class began at 3 weeks. She helped me teach all my classes! Her very first class was a Kindermusik for the Young Child class (5-7yo).  She cried and cried when the parents came in for the sharing time. I decided to sing the explanation for the home activity and like a miracle she stopped crying and was very attentive!

Dream your way through SPRING BREAK

Hello families ofKindermusik with Yvette,
Just a reminder that this week is our Spring Break! No Kindermusik classes! But don't stop the music! I hope you will be singing your way along. Maybe you are on spring break with your family and driving....like me, with your Kindermusik CDs going full blast!  I'm driving to Wisconsin to hear my daughter's Junior Recital at Lawrence University. She emailed me a link to a recording of a piece she is playing. I've posted it here for you! (Yep, she was a Kindermusik kid, of course!)

If you attending my classes you've heard me say: dream big! I look at your little ones and try to add momentum to your dreams! I do mean this literally. If you imagine your child as a teenager;  confident, intelligent, compassionate, beautiful, creative, and talented, then your child is headed that way. If you are already worried about those teen years; wild, defiant, troublesome.... then THAT is what you are imagining and yes, that is where your child is headed. So take it to heart and dream ONLY the BEST!

Step 2? Take action on your dreams. You will love this article about investing in early childhood music. You are on the right track.

Summer is just ahead and here finally on my website is the summer schedule for Kindermusik with Yvette. You can register online except for classes at the Asheville Arts Center (please call 253-4000 or stop by the front desk after spring break). Let's keep the music going during the summer!

See you back in class after the break....stay safe and healthy!
love,
Yvette

Taking your young children to live music events

A great way to encourage a child's curiosity in music and desire to play an instrument is to take them to hear live music. Parents worry that a baby will fuss or cry, that a toddler will not be containable, that a preschooler will not sit still. While all these are possibilities it is still a great idea to begin this musical exposure at a young age. Here are some things to consider to get you started.

1. Know that you will not stay for the entire concert or event the first few times you go. Celebrate that they were attentive for one song or movement. You can look for free or very inexpensive concerts so that you will not regret leaving early. Try a recital at UNCA or a community band or orchestra.

2. Choose family friendly events. Look for high school or even middle school concerts. There may be lots of younger siblings in the audience!

3. Warmer weather is coming! Jump on the chance to take your little ones to outdoor concerts! These venues often have roped off area for children to dance and singing along may even be encouraged!

4. What kind of quiet toys can you bring with you? A scarf? Finger puppets? I used to keep a tiny pencil in my purse and it was handy for drawing on the program. Eventually my daughter was old enough to circle all the "A's" on the program.

5. If you can find out what music you will be hearing try to listen to recordings during the week ahead. It will make it more meaningful for you as well as for your child.

6. Start off by sitting up close. Many families find that sitting close allows the child to SEE which will definitely help in holding their attention.  Instead of sitting in the back (I know, easy and fast when zipping out with a wailing child!), choose a seat at the end of the isle but close to the front. When you can tell they're attention span has had nearly all it can take, then move to standing in back by the door for just a little bit more. From there you can hold them and whisper in their ears what you are noticing and hearing.

7. If you arrive early don't sit down right away. You might even take the chance to go up front and watch as the musicians warm up.

8. Celebrate even the short moments of attention and quiet that they achieve. Look not on how early you had to leave but count every minute at the concert as growing up and learning! On the way home don't lecture them on how awful it was when they started kicking the seat in front of them. Instead say "Did you see the violins?" "Were the drums loud?" "What did you like the best?"

I hope to see you at some of the wonderful concerts around this culture rich region! Maybe you will even come to the "SHOWCASE" hosted by Joyful Noise Community Music and Art Sunday March 6th at 3pm at Calvary Baptist Church in West Asheville.  There's a musical treat at the end: All Kindermusik families will be invited to come right up front, grab some shakers and make music and dance along together! Come on out!

Wait...wait...wait....NOW!

Watch this really short clip to catch a glimpse of many developmental building blocks we are working on in all age groups of Kindermusik.

Our work with this song includes:
1. Exploring the drums  

2. Pretend play

3. Playing along with a steady beat

4.Math patterns and measuring time

5. Eye/hand coordination

6. Developing our proprioceptive sense

7. Self control  

8. Fun!

If you saw my earlier post on "School readiness and reading readiness: Is it just for preschool?", you'll know that we've been working a LOT self control. The above video is a snapshot of budding musicians learning how to wait for the perfect moment to play a single tap on the drum. There are 3 children playing drums and they all stepping on the path to self control. First, of course is exploration (drums are fun and can make all kinds of sounds, mostly fast and loud!) and understanding their body (specifically for this activity knowing where their arms are and how to make them do exactly what you want them to do--this is part of the proprioceptive sense). Then, waiting (self control); a skill highly developed by musicians especially in any ensemble work like playing in an orchestra, woodwind quintet or rock and roll band. In our little video the drum is part of the simple ensemble. The children's brains have computed the length of the first phrase and have noted that it matches the second phrase. Some predict that the third phrase will also match but when it turns out to be a much longer phrase they have to work against the urge to tap in the middle of the phrase! Wait...wait...wait....NOW! That's pretty complex work for these little ones! But these are the tools they need to be successful as adults.

 Nolan jumps on the last beat of each phrase of Hickory Dickory Dock. At first children will learn that the length of the 2nd phrase matches the first. Then the predict the third one will also be the same size. You have to give them credit when they make that educated guess!  BUT the first  2 phrases are short and the third one is long so Nolan has learned to measure the time for each phrase and the pattern that this creates. Jumping is a gross motor activity and takes a lot more control than tapping or clapping.

Just below I've put a link to an article of interest from the New Yorker about self control as a predictor of success. The author says towards the end that it's sad that we know this but when we see a student who can not wait their turn, or shouts out the answers without raising their hands, the only thing we do about it is complain. There are ways to learn this self control. And, well..., what could be more fun than Kindermusik! It's a valuable way to invest in your child!Don’t!

The secret of self-control.

by Jonah Lehrer May 18, 2009

Children who are able to pass the marshmallow test enjoy greater success as adults.

Music, the Universal Language

This week in our Kindermusik Village class (Newborn-18 months) we've been singing a scale song. So very simple. Even the words are "La, la, la, la,......" The babies are curious about how we are singing one of their favorite words we find them staring at mom's mouth and tongue to see how she makes the "L" sound.

The tune is "Do ti la so fa mi re do, do ti la so fa mi re do, do re mi fa so la ti do, do ti la so fa mi re do." Or if this system makes more sense to you: C B A G F E D C, C B A G F E D C, C D E F G A B C, C B A G F E D C. It's just a major scale. Even if you've never studied music you still can sing it on one hearing. (Think the first line of "Joy to the World".)

But here's the math, and it's math that is in a different dimension because it's about the relationships between the frequencies of each pitch. Each note is a specific distance from the next; all being equal except for two intervals that are smaller (those are between the 3rd and 4th notes and the 7th and 8th notes).  Our ears are measuring the relationships of the distances of the pitches. By a very young age we can all understand this mathematical pattern with our ears and we can sing even sing it! And it's a pattern that's used all around the world.

Today in class little Alex was ready to sing the bottom of each phrase going down: "La!" Right on pitch!!! His ear is already calculating the distance! He's doing math! (Don't we LOVE it when kids can do math in their heads!?)

Watch this video of Bobbie McFerrin leading an audience in singing a "Pentatonic Scale". They were only given the directions you see in the video. And this audience is not specifically an audience of musicians, but rather of people who have an interest in science. He proves the universality of the language of music!

Keep singing!

PS here's a good read:

School readiness and reading readiness: Is it just for preschool?

Go-GO-GO-GO!!!!!
AND: STOP
Stop and be still.
Stop and wait.
Stop and listen.
Stop and think.
Stop.
AND GO!
 Here she goes!

In Kindermusik we are always working on these! In Kindermusik "Imagine That!" we are careful to be still and listen when we stop so we can hear the different timbre of the instrument we are to pick up and play along with "We Are Fine Musicians". It is more challenging to stop when we are making big movements as in our song "In the City" where we move our feet fast all around our big city until the "stop" signal is given with our voice and our hands making the American Sign Language motion for STOP! It takes body control and timing to stop so instantly! Yes, these 3 and 4 year olds can do it! They are thinking, listening and their ears and brain sends the signal then they DO stop! And they love it!

                                                                                  She stopped!

With Kindermusik "Our Time" (18 months to 3 1/2 years) we are stopping to listen to the tempo of each section of our dance "Lento y Rapido" We have to be still and quiet, and think about the speed of the music so we can dance according to that cue!They appreciate the ASL hand stop sign. It helps their picture thinking brain grasp the concept of "stop".

Watch her dance and STOP just like this!

Even in Kindermusik "Village" (newborn-18 months) we see and feel the adults stopping according to a musical cue but also on another level we are beginning to understand being in control of stopping each activity. As we sing "Bells away, bells away" and allow the children the time and trust they need to put the bells in the basket ALL BY THEMSELVES! Two really important elements help the children with this huge accomplishment.  First we must be willing to take the time to allow them to realize they have the choice. When we are in a hurry we "help" them put them away quickly. That's when they hang on tighter! In essence we end up grabbing the bells to speed things up and which means it will take longer next week. Ah! I must ask the adults to do some hard work: stop for a moment. Stop and allow. Stop and wait. Stop and trust. If they don't put it in the basket the first week or even the second week...they will soon. I promise.

We all need practice stopping, don't you know. Funny how this goes in a circle. So, time for the grown ups to stop. Put on a lullaby, maybe dim the lights, sit in a big comfy chair or even lie down on the couch. Really stop. Stop and breath. Stop like we do in the Kindermusik Village class when all the adults take a minute to really stop and relax. Then come back and listen to (or read) this NPR article on self control:

For Kids, Self-Control Factors Into Future Success

What's the potential of underprivileged children compared to children born to affluent families?

By the age of 4 children of professional families had heard 48 million words spoken to them and children of welfare families had heard only about 13 million words.
NPR article on talking to your child- newborn to 4

It's not only words, it's interactions and more. Is it possible to take a group of at risk babies and change their lives through a Kindermusik class that will coach the parents in how to talk and interact positively to their babies? I believe so.

Please vote for my grant idea to teach a Kindermusik class to the teen parents at the YWCA's MotherLove program. Go to this link and vote 10 x per 24 hours. There will be 5 grants awarded. I believe that by getting this class into action I will find other interested sponsors to make this project a permanent program.

I thank you......The babies thank you.