Our studio values, the pillars upon which we do everything, are joy, connection, growth, family, and heart.
Let’s talk about JOY!
Our first studio value, this one comes so easily with children. Give a child a safe environment where they feel cared for and the joy naturally follows.
Did you know that you can actually manufacture joy in your life? You can hack your neurotransmitters, in a way, in order to produce more joy in your life.
When joy is felt there are naturally occurring chemicals released in the body. They are: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. When these hormones are present in the body your immune function receives a boost, stress and cortisol are reduced, and even pain is reduced. There are real physiological benefits to the experience of joy.
So how does this play into Kindermusik? There are several elements in a Kindermusik class that boosts our production of these feel-good hormones, or as we like to call it, “Joy Juice.”
Oxytocin is naturally released when we engage in safe physical touch. In our Little Learner classes this happens during our I Love You Rituals and our Cuddle Time. In our Little Music Makers classes it occurs during Sharing Time when you reconnect with your child and as we “breathe it all in . . . and love it all out.”
Serotonin production can be boosted when engaged in movement and socializing. Every Kindermusik class incorporates plenty of creative and free movement, and of course the whole experience is social as well.
Dopamine is released when you experience something pleasurable or fun. Anything you enjoy can trigger this part of the brain. Kindermusik is fun! Maybe your child loves the puppets the most. Or maybe you love watching them try a new instrument. Simply enjoying class on your own terms helps boost your mood.
Humans need joy, and in this stressful modern world, we need to look for it and indulge in it wherever and whenever we can. Kindermusik helps with that!
Did you know that we call our studio staff the “JOY Team?” We hope you and your child find joy at Song of the Heart Studios. Know that everyone on our JOY Team is honored to help boost your joy levels every week. We even get our own “joy juice” production up when we make music with you and your child each week. Win, win!
We try to include an “I Love You Ritual” in EVERY Little Learner’s Kindermusik class. These are the brain-child of Dr. Becky Bailey of Conscious Discipline.
Conscious Discipline is an evidence-based and trauma informed practice of social emotional learning. It utilizes every-day activities to teach adults and children emotional intelligence and self-regulation.
One of the basic tenets of Conscious Discipline is that connection must come before correction. Additionally, Conscious Discipline teaches that connection breeds cooperation.
CONNECTION is one of Song of the Heart Studio’s values, and you will find it up on our walls, we believe in it so much! It is one of the foundational pillars of all we do in our studio and try to promote in every class.
I Love You Rituals are simply a tool that develops that connection between you and your little one. In order for the ritual to work and truly develop and nurture connection you need certain elements:
Presence
Eye contact
Safe, intentional touch
Playfulness
Any short song or game can become an I Love You Ritual when used consistently, with these elements at play. We’ve been using “On your face you have a nose, and way down here you have 10 toes!” In past years we’ve used “Twinkle twinkle, little star, what a wonderful child you are!” You might be familiar with “This little piggy went to market” which could be used similarly.
When you engage in just 5 minutes of connected play with your child each day, you can decrease power struggles and increase cooperation by up to 50%! That is a HUGE return on investment.
This is partly achieved by how the ritual hacks your brain chemistry by promoting the natural production of what we call “Joy Juice”, a hormonal cocktail of serotonin, dopamine, and other feel-good hormones.
Enjoy this short video from Conscious Discipline and learn more about the power and purpose of this simple routine.
Ahh, Springtime. It’s finally here! The forsythia and daffodils are blooming. The weather is maddeningly unpredictable. We’re shrugging off the winter blues and producing more Vitamin D. You’d think it would be all sunshine and flowers . . . but the modern parent knows better.
Spring also ushers in just the next busy phase of a parent’s life. You know what I’m talking about: Easter baskets, teacher appreciation week, planning your family’s summer schedule, supporting your students through standardized testing, finding the perfect Mother’s Day gift, getting the yard in order before the weeds take over . . . . All this on top of our regularly scheduled programming? It never ends.
Even here at Song of the Heart we’re feeling the crunch! We are continuing to provide you with stellar classroom experiences, but are also managing t-shirt orders and trying to provide you with your Heart’s Desire for classes next season. Lots of logistical things happening all. the. time.
So if you’re anything like us, you’re feeling a bit stressed. Well guess what? Kindermusik helps with that!
Did you know that music therapy studies with critically ill adults and children have shown that music can reduce stress, anxiety, and even physical pain by as much as 50%?
FIFTY PERCENT!
That’s right, every time you snuggle up for some musical cuddle time under the “stars”, your brain is getting a dose of oxytocin, the CONNECTION hormone. Every time you engage in creative movement around the room with your little one you are getting a shot of serotonin, the feel-good hormone. Every time you see your child make a friend, put away that scarf, or master a new movement, you are getting a shot of dopamine, the JOY hormone. Kindermusik brings it all!
Here’s some ideas to musically battle the stress and helps your kiddos cope too:
KEEP THOSE ROUTINES IN PLACE. Sing that bedtime song. Keep coming to your Kindermusik class. Children thrive on routine and feel safe with predictability. It gives them a sense of security.
THROW IN A DANCE PARTY. Turn on a family favorite tune and dance with your kiddos for 3 minutes. The blood will pump, bathing your brain in oxygen and oxytocin. Cortisol levels will dip. You’ll all feel refreshed.
I LOVE YOU RITUALS: Sing that Twinkle Twinkle ritual we’ve been working on all year. Use it at diaper changes. Use it at bathtime. Use it before mealtime. Use it at bedtime. Take the time to slow down, intentionally touch, make eye contact, be playful, and connect with your little one through a simple song.
USE YOUR KINDERMUSIK AT HOME MATERIALS. Maybe you use them regularly. Maybe you’ve never looked at them. Open up your Kindermusik account and see what golden nuggets are there. It only takes 5 minutes, but it is the perfect way to connect with your child and reinforce their musical learning at home.
STREAM YOUR FAVORITE KINDERMUSIK PLAYLIST IN YOUR CAR. By now you have the whole year’s worth of albums in your app’s library. Which was your child’s favorite? Turn it on while you run errands and let them jam out and relive their favorite Kindermusik unit. Or maybe put on a playlist of your favorite music and educate your kids on popular music from your generation.
We hope you can integrate music into your daily lives in a way that is fun, joyful, and stress free.
