You don’t plan for it to happen, but sometimes the stress creeps in over the holidays. And your children, being the sensitive little souls that they are, often feel it too. So how can you make the holidays a little easier and more enjoyable? We just happen to have 7 musical ways!
Keep Your Regular Routines as Much as Possible
At this time of year, it can be hard to keep a normal schedule, no matter how hard you try. So when the schedule isn’t consistent, it becomes that much more essential to maintain some of your same routines – like attending your weekly Kindermusik class, for example!
Turn on your Child’s Favorite Playlist During Playtime
You’ll be surprised at how a little music can change the mood to happy and light-hearted. Your child may even be inspired to spontaneously sing along, dance along, or even play instruments along as well!
Let your Child Make Music While you Make Supper
A couple of pots and bowls and a child-friendly wooden spoon or spatula makes for some wonderful rhythm play, whether your child is accompanying themselves or playing along with a favorite CD or playlist.
Travel with your Favorite Kindermusik CDs or Playlists
When you’re packing the car to head to Grandma’s house, don’t forget to pack your Kindermusik CDs or organize a few playlists to listen to on the way. Listening to music and singing along can make the trip go that much faster for everyone!
Have a Song – or Two – up your Sleeve at All Times
You may not think you have a great voice, but we promise, to your child, your voice could win you a room full of Grammy’s! And when you’re waiting in that checkout line or at the doctor’s office, you’ll be glad to through self-consciousness to the winds and sing that favorite song for your child if it makes the long wait more bearable.
Settle your Child in for Bed with their Favorite Lullaby
A favorite lullaby as you cuddle in the rocking chair or give a gentle back rub before bed can calm and soothe, even after the busiest days. This simple ritual is as good for you as it is for your child.
Suggest an Experience Gift, like a Gift Certificate to Kindermusik Classes
It’s amazing how much “stuff” can accumulate, even for one small child! So this year, consider putting the bug in Santa’s – ahem, Grandma’s – ear that a gift certificate to Kindermusik or another experience gift might be the perfect solution. Just email Ms. Carol at carol@songheart.com or have grandma call us at 801-953-0416.
I’ve been thinking. Singing TOGETHER in Kindermusik class is such a gift. Not only for the children but for the grown-ups, too. Did you know that communal singing has long been on the decline in the United States? That fact kind of makes me want to put my head in my hands and cry. But then I realize I get to sing every day. A lot. And, I get to help families do the same. That makes my heart just sing!
The conversation.com shares,
“Shows like American Idol have promoted the notion that singing is a rare ability reserved for the talented few, and that those without such talent entertain us only by being ridiculed and weeded out.
This “talent mindset” of music runs counter to what psychologist Carol Dweck calls the “growth mindset” that is considered critical for learning: Students who view their success as a result of hard work will persevere through challenges, while students who believe their success lies with some innate ability – like “talent” – are more likely to give up.
My own research found that if children have a negative view of themselves as singers, they are much less likely to participate in music of any kind.
These self-perceptions of a lack of musical talent can then become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Research shows that adults who dropped out of music as children may lose their singing skills through lack of use and opportunity.
Kids who love music but do not think of themselves as musical could miss out on many of the social and cognitive benefits of music participation, on the experience of feeling connected to others through song.”
What is a music teacher to do? Sing! What is a parent to do? The same.
Sing in Kindermusik class, in the car, at home, at bed time, at meal time, at play time. How about just about ALL the time?
Karen Loew in The Atlantic says,
“In these divided times as much as ever, we need to do some singing and feeling together, united as both citizens and amateurs.”
I wholeheartedly agree. Let it begin with Kindermusik!
“The best things to do with the best things in life
is to give them away.” – Dorothy Day
One of our joys during the holiday season is our Song of the Heart Studios service project. We call it Wear a Pair – Share a Pair and we gather new children’s pajamas to donate to those in need.
We invite our beautiful students to wear a pair and bring a new pair (or more!) of children’s pajamas to share the week before Thanksgiving. Sometimes even the delightful grown-ups wear a pair, too.
Why? Because pajamas are cozy and warm. Because they make us feel safe and comfortable and at home. Because pajamas are one of the best things in life. Because somewhere, right here in our valley, there are little ones who aren’t cozy and warm. Who aren’t safe and comfortable and at home.
There is nothing better than seeing one of our wonderful Kindermusik kids skipping down the back hall into the studio and placing a new pair of jammies into our pajama collection bin. That’s a simple joy that makes our hearts swell and their hearts sing. Comfort. Coziness. Safety. Home. EVERY child deserves them.
Oh, how we LOVE our PlayDates with a Purpose. We are finding that children and Grand-Friends are the perfect combination for joy. We partner with Beehive Homes to bring this multi-generational class together to sing and laugh and share.
Today, after our Halloween PlayDate at Beehive Homes, one of the dear ladies stayed to talk. She shared that some of the residents don’t attend activities but when the Kindermusik kids come they make their way to the beautiful living room and sing, sway, laugh and play with us. She pointed out a particular Grand-friend who rarely interacts with others but who, today, laughed and shook her shakers and tossed a ball back and forth with a new friend. She was thrilled to see this woman come out of her shell and said she couldn’t wait to have us back again next month.
We adore the Kindermusik families who want to not only share their hugs and smiles but introduce their kids to the joy of friends of every age. We feel so lucky to be a part of this gift. You can join us here and you can learn more about what we do in the video below. Get out your tissues!
GROWTH – it’s the work of childhood and if you think about it, it’s really the work of life. As parents, we are constantly growing and stretching and learning. We think we have this parenting thing down and then the baby gives up a nap, the toddler decides that biting is acceptable behavior, a preschooer develops separation anxiety, and a school-age child has friend issues. Ack! If we have the attitude that learning is a life-long endeavor then those moments become catalysts for our own growth rather than time for a good cry. Well, maybe we’ll have an itty bitty cry BEFORE we grow.
We are all about FAMILY growth at Kindermusik and we have oodles of resources to help you continue that growth at home. Our Kindermusik Online Parent Guides are chock full of parenting tips, child development information, and delightful activities to help both you and your child GROW through these priceless early years. We share them because we are all for anything that helps make good parenting even better – easier is nice, too.
We’ve always known that music is a great tool for GROWTH and research continues to prove that it is so.
“Music reaches parts of the brain that other things can’t. It’s a strong cognitive stimulus that grows the brain in a way that nothing else does, and the evidence that musical training enhances things like working memory and language is very robust.” Read more about that here
While those of us “in the know” – musicians of all types – have always understood that music has positive health benefits for us, it’s not common knowledge. Dr. Boyle shares research with us that explains how the magical art of music has a scientific effect on our minds and bodies.
“A large scale review covering over 400 scientific papers on the topic of the neurochemistry of music has found that music may be better than prescription medications for some issues and has broad benefits for the body and mind.”
Jonathan Weiss, Medical Daily
First, let’s remember that there is an entire field that uses music to impact well being – Music Therapy. Though it’s been around for over 70 years in the United States, many people are surprised to learn that it exists. Music Therapists use a variety of musical methods with clients to benefit physical and mental health. Beyond this formal therapeutic use of music (which, no surprise to Kindermusik Educators, often pairs music with movement), music can significantly influence health in our everyday lives – particularly boosting our immune system!
Holiday…or Cold and Flu Season?
For many of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the winter months mean colder temperatures and a greater increase in the occurrence of everyday colds. The stronger the immune system, the better we are at fending off the sniffles and sneezes of the season. Couple weather shifts with an increase in stress levels (for a variety of reasons), many of us will be susceptible to annoying coughs and stuffy noses. So, what can music do for us?
According to Dr. Daniel J. Levitin, a neuroscientist (and in interest of full disclosure – a musician), science is able to explain how music shapes actual neurochemical events in the body that may lead to a stronger immune system. It’s fairly common knowledge that stress impacts our ability to fight off germs. Music reduces negative stress in the body, thereby increasing our own body’s natural defenses. This magical art actually lowers the presence of stress hormones.
Cortisal Down…Immunoglobin A Up
Music is intangible – you can’t touch it. It floats through the air and arrives at our ears…and simply changes us. As far as the immune system is concerned, and according to the work of neurocognition expert, Dr. Ronny Enk, music specifically lowers levels of cortisal, the stress hormone, and increases levels of immunoglobin A, an antibody that supports positive immune function. Dr. Enk and his team played joyful, dance music for one group, and random tones for his control group. The folks that listened to music experienced the benefit described above. This is a real, physical response to music. This is measurable…quantifiable.
More Music = More Health
So…what does this mean for us? During the cold and flu season, there are so many opportunities to experience music. Church, concerts, even listening to music around the house – think of these contacts with music as “aural vitamins” for your immune system. Reducing our levels of stress by taking part in music making is even more beneficial. Singing can regulate your heart rate and breathing. Making music with others increases social bonding, which is one of the things we need as human beings.
These benefits are for all of us – young and old alike. In fact, the benefits are incredibly important for those at the extreme ends of life’s journey – infants and our seniors. Sing to your kids! Invite the grandparents to a concert – or visit them and make music together. It will have an impact on the quality of their well being.
Re-posted from Minds On Music / Kindermusik International
We are celebrating giving at Song of the Heart Studios this week. Our Kindermusik kids (and a few of their grown-ups!) are wearing their pjs to class and bringing a new pair to share with the families who are lucky enough to choose their Christmas gifts at Candy Cane Corner.
This is a comfy, cozy tradition that we celebrate every year the week before Thansgiving. We believe that as we celebrate our season of plenty that it’s a good time to share, too! There’s nothing sweeter than seeing a little child skipping down the hall to Kindermusik class in their snuggly pjs while carrying a new pair to give away to a child in need.
We are overwhelmed to tears at the piles and piles of jammies that have arrived so far this week! Because of the generosity and goodness of our Song of the Heart Studios families there will be many Salt Lake City children who will go to sleep on a cold winter’s night snuggled up in a warm pair of jammies and wrapped in love.
Desmond Tutu says it best. “Do your little bit of good where you are. It’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” What a joy to be part of a community that believes and acts on those words. Happy Thanksgiving!
Anything that promotes connection among families is right up our alley. Connection creates cooperation (we could all use a little more of that) AND it creates closer families. Music activities do this in such a beautiful and natural way.
Whether you’re new to Song of the Heart Studios, or whether Kindermusik has been a cherished part of your family life for years, here are four ways to help your child CONNECT with their Kindermusik experience.
1. CONNECT with your delightful class music. Stream your music, blue tooth it in the car, down load it and listen, sing, and dance. You’ll find all your songs in your Parent Guide at my.kindermusik.com.
2. Name the friends you’ll see (or know) at class. One of the best things about Kindermusik is the CONNECTION you will make with loads of new friends.
3. Talk about being in class. This is a lovely way to help your child begin to CONNECT with your teacher. Talk about listening, following directions, and being kind to friends. Life skills are being developed right alongside our music skills.
4. Ask your child about his/her favorite Kindermusik activity. Talking about favorite activities helps reinforce your child’s love of music, gives you a chance to CONNECT and ingrains beautiful memories of your time together at the studio. – compiled from Minds on Music, Kindermusik International
Our Young Child Year 2 students love their dulcimers! We are CONNECTING with new friends AND a new instrument.
“One forgets about parenthood. The on and on-ness of it.” –Violet, the Dowager Countess.
I know I’m a little late to the game, but I’ve been catching up on Downton Abbey before too many spoilers unwittingly come my way. We know Maggie Smith gets to deliver the best, most humorous lines, but this one left me virtually rolling on the floor the other night. (Season 3, episode 8)
It pretty much sums up exactly how I’m feeling these days, navigating the waters of middle school education and taking on extra work as a substitute (no, not much has changed about the life as a sub since you remember those days from your own schooling, except now there are cell phones), especially when I combine that work with the parenting challenges I’m facing.
There were great things about being an only child, and I’m firmly convinced that there is no perfect type of family. But daily I’m experiencing in my parenting life something I rarely encountered growing up as an only: sibling rivalry. It’s compounded by a day spent listening to my young students vocalize the same complaints: “She’s bugging me!” “He took the book I was reading!”
Aarrrgh! It just keeps going!
I’m learning a lot personally this year as I navigate these discipline stressors. I’m amazed at how often I’m required to be emotionally centered. Or, at any rate, how often I have to find the balance within myself to generate the emotional intelligence to deliver an appropriate, adult response. The teenager still living inside me wants to roll my eyes and mouth off some sarcastic response like, “Oh, yeah? Well, you’re ALL bugging ME!” But the adult in me knows that this isn’t really going to help anything, and it may make it worse.
Instead, I have to take a few deep breaths and engage some empathy. Do I know what it is to feel like life is unfair, even if the details differ? (Hello, yes, I’m writing a whole blog post here about how tough it is to manage all the child development jobs I have right now.) Can I remember how frustrating it was to sit in school with kids I just didn’t like? (Yes. . . [shudders]) Are there times when I feel just plain tired or frustrated and all I want is for people to be patient and loving with me?
Pretty much, all the time.
Dr. John Gottman is a psychology professor emeritus. His work centers around helping us understanding our emotions—how to develop, as he calls it, emotional intelligence, and then how to use specific skills to channel those emotions in the painful times, especially in family and marriage relationships. He says, ““Much of today’s popular advice to parents ignores emotion. . . Instead it relies on child-rearing theories that address children’s misbehavior, but disregards the feelings that underlie that misbehavior. The ultimate goal of raising children should not be simply to have an obedient and compliant child. Most parents hope for much more for their children.”
Georgia Anderson, a Gottman trained Educator, will bring some of these skills to our Kindermusik studio on April 21 at 6:30, specifically focusing on the language of encouragement. You can see the steps on her blog (describe situations using facts, share your feelings and effects of the situation, and show gratitude in meaningful ways), but the best part of coming to a coaching session is the time we get to practice these skills so they become our first responses to parenting challenges rather than the “wish I coulda done that differently” thoughts after-the-fact.
Yes, at Song of the Heart, we have Kindermusik classes. We encourage ongoing musical lessons through ukulele lessons and we continually broaden your child’s interests through other programs, like Spanish classes this summer. But we are in the business of educating the whole child, and guiding you on your parenting journey is one way we can do this. Can’t wait to see you there!
A friend asked me the other day, as we were talking about our daughters’ school performances, “Do we really care what Henri Matisse’s math scores were?” In other words, how do we measure “intelligence”? And how do we create an environment in which our kids discover all the talents they may have to offer the world?
Reading Ken Robinson’s Out of Our Minds, in which he discusses the importance of cultivating creativity, I’m learning that it has only been recently in our education system history that we divide the arts education from math and science subjects. Consider Leonardo da Vinci, whom we know not just for his Last Supper but for his contributions to anatomy and engineering. Did you know that a bridge, based on one of his sketches, was actually constructed in Norway in 2001?
Sir Robinson points out in his book that at universities, professors in the arts and literature departments are employed to write about other artists and writers, rather than to create works of art and literature. He contrasts this to those in science departments, who are paid to produce their own, unique research projects. We can see this mindset permeate education through high school and towards early education, as arts and music programs continue loose funding, and emphasis is placed on math, science and engineering disciplines. And then Sir Robinson follows with the natural question—will valuing these disciplines differently actually serve us into the 21st century? Will we not, in fact, need all the ingenuity we can find, as we try to solve global issues like climate change, economic growth and conflict during a time when most people carry in their cell phones or even wristwatches more “power and memory than the 1969 Apollo Moonlander[1]”?
Sometimes we see the arts as being something we do for relaxation or downtime. Or something that the touchy-feely types do and never really make any money at doing. But what if we could view them as a way to help people discover their potential? Or what if we can use art education as a way to help our kids develop certain skill sets (such as collaboration, visual representation, and kinesthetic awareness) that they can in turn use in their future jobs—jobs that may not even exist today, that we may not even imagine possible?
These are big thoughts when one is just trying to get through the day with a toddler and a newborn. When changing diapers and calming the temper tantrums, while trying to get the laundry done and that work project completed, weigh on us more heavily than the latest photos of Pluto.
However, this is one of the gifts of Kindermusik. Taking the time to get to class, we can structure some weekly time to connect, some time to focus on our little ones. But we will also be rewiring their brains, helping them to unlock their potential and fostering creativity skills that will help them on their middle school science projects and beyond.
[1] Robinson, Ken. Out of Our Minds. Chicehster, West Sussex: Capstone Publishing Ltd: 2011. Print.
A friend asked me the other day, as we were talking about our daughters’ school performances, “Do we really care what Henri Matisse’s math scores were?” In other words, how do we measure “intelligence”? And how do we create an environment in which our kids discover all the talents they may have to offer the world?
