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!
Kindermusik is a process oriented curriculum. We are not against performance for children per se, but our pedagogical philosophy is that process is more important than performance, at least for young children. It’s like in schools, when teachers can teach their subject vs when they teach to a test. Getting children to learn something is a different process than training them to perform a particular outcome.
This is why one of our guiding studio values is GROWTH. We want to encourage the development and growth of the entire child, not just train them to sing a particular song or play a particular instrument.
Kindermusik originated in Germany many decades ago when it was found that people were more successful in formal musical training if they first had early childhood experiences with music. Experiencing music as early as infancy and throughout early childhood was the key to success in later, formal instruction in music.
It was discovered that these early childhood musical experiences didn’t just benefit future musical study, but it benefited all major childhood developmental domains: social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language. And these benefits have been shown to give an advantage to people throughout their lifespan.
That’s what we mean when we talk about the benefits of Kindermusik, and the growth you will see in your child. Through participation in Kindermusik your child will have a safe place to explore new movements, developing both fine and gross motor skills. They will have opportunity to make social connections, learn to share and to get along with others. Their entire brain will be firing and making connections. They’ll get practice in auditory processing and boost their language learning. All of this will take place in a nurturing environment that will promote emotional wellbeing through the release of feel-good hormones.
Music is the perfect vehicle for advantageous development. Plus it’s fun! Sometimes we get caught up in the enjoyment of it and forget the very real growth and development that is happening simultaneously.
What GROWTH have you seen in your child since they started Kindermusik?
Our studio values are the foundational pillars we have built this studio on. They are joy, connection, family, growth, and heart.
Let’s talk about FAMILY.
The family is the foundational unit of society. Without functional families we don’t have a functional society. Children rely upon their families for safety, care, love, learning, support, and all their many needs.
One of our goals at Song of the Heart Studios is to support your family’s growth and connection. One of the ways we do this is through sprinkling parenting tips throughout our Little Learner classes.
Our team is trained in Conscious Discipline and has a wealth of knowledge and experience on how to co-regulate with children, how to manage an unregulated child, how to calm yourself first and be more effective when you interact with your child, and more. Sometimes we may give little gold nuggets of parenting or child development information. Most of time we model how to positively interact with children and build connection with them.
Beyond that, we recognize the value in all family structures. Modern families can be structured in a variety of ways and we have seen a lot of different types of caregivers bring children to our studios. We honor all caregivers and the role they play in a child’s life. Birth parents, adoptive parents, foster parents, grandparents, nannies, neighbors, aunts, uncles, au pairs, and more. Whatever role you play in a child’s life it is an important and valuable one, and we want to support you in it.
When you bring your child to our music classes you are providing them with an experience of safety, joy, exploration, and connection. This will build your relationship with them and give them a sense of security within that relationship. They know you are their safe place.
While we want to empower caregivers and provide connective activities for your family, we also recognize our wider studio family. All of you are our “Heart-ies.” You contribute to the culture here in our studio and bring value to our educators and to the other children and caregivers in your class.
Music is a universal bonding agent that has strengthened communities throughout human history. We all play a part in building that bond. Thank you for being part of this community, our Song of the Heart “family”, and for contributing to the joy that is found within our walls.
Kindermusik at Song of the Heart Studios is SO MUCH more than just music classes for children.
Parents come to us wanting to have fun with their kids. They are looking for an activity, or enrichment. Many parents come with the goal of quality, developmentally appropriate, formal music instruction.
And yes! We provide all of that. But there’s more.
Many parents come to Kindermusik not knowing much about it, but come away from class with a better understanding of their child. Perhaps they gain insights into child development. Sometimes they walk away with parenting tips and tools for self and co-regulation.
Other times parents leave class just feeling good! And that’s all down to the CONNECTION they feel.
CONNECTION is one of our guiding studio values. It’s a core tenet of what we believe and why we do what we do.
Our goal is to build connection between you and your child, between your child and their educator, between children, and between caregivers. We want to create a community where you can come and feel safe and like you belong. Because you do!
Humanity needs connection more now than ever before. We are divided by ideologies, politics, borders, and more. Social media has been a great tool of connection for some but also, ironically, a tool that has disconnected many others from true community, as they grow addicted to the technology.
Covid further separated us, and now, four years on, we are only beginning to understand the costs to all of us, and our children, from that social isolation. There is simply no replacement for in-person, uplifting, joyful human connection.
And that’s what we bring to you. Thanks for being here!
Those are the feelings we want your children to have when they come to Song of the Heart Studios and experience Kindermusik and our music clubs. And for that matter, it’s how we want YOU as the adult in your child’s life to feel when you are with us as well. Whether you drop your Little Music Maker off at one of our classes for older kiddos, or whether you stay to enjoy a Little Learners class with your younger child, we want everyone who joins us to feel safe. To feel loved. To feel welcome. To feel like here is a place where you can learn.
Here’s why this is a primary goal of the JOY Team and Song of the Heart Studios:
It’s all about brain science.
SURVIVAL STATE:
Our most primitive brain state is the survival state. The question our brain asks is “Am I safe?” This is when our brain stem and limbic system’s needs are met. If a person doesn’t feel safe, then they cannot function at a higher level. Only when you know you are safe from threat can a person (adult or child) move up to the next higher brain state. And so here we want you to feel safe.
We have a lot of safety protocols here at Song of the Heart Studios. Part of them include minimizing exposure to Covid. Part of them include never allowing children to be unsupervised. Part of it is having emergency kits in every classroom. Part of it is following fire code regulations. But it is so much more than physical safety.
We want your child to feel like they can trust their educator. We want you to feel like you can trust us. We have physical safety in mind, always, but we also think about emotional safety.
It’s why we give several weeks for new children to acclimate to our studio space and routines and rituals. Our routines create a sense of familiarity, which breeds feelings of security and safety. We are very intentional crafting our classroom routines, from where to put your shoes, to our gathering time and Hello song, to our closing Goodbye song and Wish Well. Knowing what to expect next helps all children feel safe and secure.
EMOTIONAL STATE:
The next level up in our brain states is the emotional state. This is when the brain asks “Am I loved?”
Part of our culture of safety is to help you understand that everyone experiences Kindermusik a little differently, at their developmental level. And that is okay and by design. There is no comparison, no judgment. Only acceptance and affection in a nurturing environment. We appreciate every family that comes to us and love to see the individuality in each child.
When we look into your child’s eyes and sing to them “We wish you well . . .” we are letting them know that we love them. We hold you in our hearts. We delight in your presence. You are appreciated and loved here in our studio. Only when someone feels loved can they move up to the final, and highest brain state.
This is why we witness your child with “You did it!” and “I see you . . . ” statements. When they feel seen, they feel loved.
EXECUTIVE STATE:
This is the state that can only be achieved when a person feels safe and loved. And this is the state where learning takes place. This is the place where self-regulation takes place. This is the place where decision making takes place. None of these executive tasks can take place until AFTER someone is secure in their safety and love.
This is when your child can truly thrive in the rich environment that we provide. This is when your child can make neural connections as we repeat a favorite activity. This is when they can explore safely with new props and instruments and learn new concepts through their senses and through gentle instruction.
Here at Song of the Heart Studios you and your child are SAFE. Here you are LOVED. And here, we hope, you can LEARN.
Here at Song of the Heart Studios it is our mission to be the place where hearts sing and children flourish. We hold values that guide everything we do as we bring an exemplary Kindermusik experience to you and your children. Those values are Joy, Connection, Growth, Heart, and Family. As we focus on our values, strive towards our mission, and deliver our curriculum, we hope that each and every one of you feels seen, valued, appreciated, and wanted.
Our world is a diverse place, but our society has never been fully inclusive of that diversity. As our broader society is going through growing pains in trying to build a more inclusive culture, we are joining that journey. Song of the Heart Studios and our JOY Team are committed to welcoming the diversity of families that come to experience the gift of Kindermusik.
As we commit to being an inclusive studio and work towards that goal we hope that YOU and YOUR family will feel welcome here.
