Village: The Rhythm of My Day

Week 14:

From his birth, your baby has been on a mission to grow and go. Once he rolls, he wants to crawl, when he walks, he wants to run.

Working to master a new motion, he will let nothing get in the way of this progress. But he also needs help learning how to stop himself—a skill called inhibitory control, or the ability to stop oneself and wait. It’s also one of the first steps toward self-discipline.

Stop and go songs, dances and chants give him practice for this lifelong skill through fun and play. By making a game of stopping and starting, he understands that he has control over his own actions, giving him a great sense of accomplishment (and you can catch up with him).

Our Time: FIDDLE-DEE-DEE

Week 14:

As we near the end of the semester, renew your child’s excitement about Kindermusik through revisiting “old favorites”–favorite activities, favorite sounds on the CDs, favorite songs to sing, or favorite dances. Flipping through your Home Activity Book will remind you of many of these. And you might even come across some ideas you have yet to try! Also, review the Kindermusik Foundations of Learning statements to remind yourself of the many reasons Kindermusik is the single best choice for your child!

Imagine That!: CITIES! BUSY PLACES~FRIENDLY FACES

Week 14:

We have had a lot of fun pretending to be in the city visiting all the different shops and people! Carla Hannaford, noted neurophysiologist and educator, explains why make-believe (pretend play) is so important.

“The value of make-believe cannot be stressed enough. The child can take its world, and through play and familiarity organize it into more and more complex mental and emotional patterns. The time from ages two to five is a crucial stage for children’s cognitive development as they learn to process information and expand it into creativity. Interactive communication and play, when children are learning from each other’s imagination, accelerates the process.”*

Enjoy lots of play time with your child this week!

*Smart Moves: Why Learning is Not All in Your Head, by Carla Hannaford, Ph.D., p.

Young Child 2

Week 14:

Dear Young Child 2 Parent:

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Chinese Proverb

As a parent, I am sure you thoroughly understand the premise of this Chinese proverb! Children often do not remember something when only told about it. Seeing and, even more importantly, doing, solidify their understanding. This is one of the reasons the Kindermusik curriculum is so completely integrated. For example, several approaches are used to present rhythm patterns in order to ensure your child’s comprehension.

Two weeks ago, I introduced the song “Hop, Old Squirrel” to the children by singing it for them. We discussed the staccato and legato sections in the song. I then taught them a simple accompaniment on the glockenspiel that they could play while I sang the song. Last week the song was introduced through a movement activity. The movements corresponded with the rhythm patterns found within the song. This week, they played the rhythm patterns on their glockenspiels.

Integrated learning allows your child to grasp concepts through several learning methods and across the learning domains, including cognitive, physical, social, and musical. Further integrated learning can take place at home. Use the ideas presented in Music at Home 28 to help your child learn the song “Sing and Celebrate.”

This is our last week!

Young Child 4

Week 14:

This week, we continued to focus on music of Central and South America. We also reviewed musical form or structure. Exposure to songs with clearly defined phrases and simple structures such as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “Simple Melody” help children develop an awareness of form and pattern in musical language.

Comprehension of musical language tends to give those who participate in formal instrument instruction a head start in their music study. This comprehension, combined with the Kindermusik graduate’s knowledge of music notation and sound, can pave the way to an extremely fulfilling musical experience for your child!

All young child students performed wonderfully at our recital this weekend! I will be posting a video soon!