Wednesday, December 21, 2011

My Musical Kindermusik Families

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Can't wait to see you all again in class in January!

Everyone.......Be sure to remember to get your Kindermusik class registration materials in ASAP.
All class information and registration form located at
www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/music/suzuki

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Kindermusik: Parenting through Music

Spotlight on Parenting: Village/Do-Si-Do and Our Time/Wiggles & Giggles
  
 Music makes traveling with children easier...really!
 
Childbirth and parenting classes should include a section called "Packing for the littlest traveler." Parents who travel with a young child often look like a mobile baby super store. Pack-n-play, stroller, nursing pillow, sippy cups, bottles, binkies, blankie (and backup blankie), case of diapers, case of wipes, baby food, toys, car seat, two or three outfits for each day, oh, and yes, the child! Are we there yet?!
 
At Kindermusik, we know a thing or two about traveling with the under 7 crowd. After all, we play Virtual Travel Agent each week in class. This semester in Village we booked excursions to go bird watching in Australia and Africa, learned infant massage in South Africa, sang songs in France, and even went dancing in Virginia and Charleston. In Our Time, we visited Clapping and Stomping Land, watched frogs in Sweden, hopped on Lukey's Boat, and took a donkey ride in the West Indies. No packing required! 
 
(Next semester in Village, we are headed to the farm! Reserve your spot now for the hayride! Ready for Our Time? Then buckle up for traveling by planes, trains, and automobiles.)

Everyday connection: Kindermusik for the Kindertraveler.  Few children enjoy being strapped in their car seats for long periods of time. Music makes it easier. Create a playlist of your child's favorite Kindermusik songs for the trip or download these parent-child favorites: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=6ygelrcab&et=1108956559221&s=101227&e=0013f5duocEAs3ZCkIvKUUP6aP2ofnVcBguw2TmS9_YkV6fZex2bje_3yCVPXz8ovMynRMHJD2Xo4g_1vq9dEud2LdgdylcR0X3hH3J5OmHT4rOH8n7hiOBW6rZy1zu5mgOE9-MgEBnLeWcrTkDr92vyrmNDcn1vKAdxujczNG1z1Dqhqf0LX3lO_NvUb46lriTDNF0jf2c2F3xvqOUdHp4c-WvnGG_JuHc.

Happy Holidays! Thank you for choosing to spend each week in Kindermusik. Please enjoy this free "Winter Wonderland" song download. Click on the link and then the orange download button to download for free. http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=6ygelrcab&et=1108956559221&s=101227&e=0013f5duocEAs17XvOffM4koCXXv1wpSvcmFdG-ZGDcxeMj7NawQYKsLjsD7STkSZ06iGjAJNPF16A8obyAcFhvwUm3-52q2VjmSgE47Li5uGDPPucTrK5nu0ToKEuygMt8TdK_N_02BBdMhGlhvsyofvasUkezgN1lWOI7sw-R-bM=.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

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KINDERMUSIK CLASSES at SIUE THIS Winter/Spring 2012 !
You’ll find exciting information and new details about my upcoming Kindermusik Winter/Sp;ring classes (Thursdays & Saturdays) here AND on the SIUE Suzuki website.  I hope to see you and your child(ren) in class with me this January!
desingh@juno.com   www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/music/suzuki  618-792-6190  
Blog:  Kindermusikwithellensingh@blogspot.com Facebook Page: SIUE Presents Kindermusik with Ellen Singh
Kindermusik is a music and movement program with curriculum for children ages birth through seven years old.  More specifically, Kindermusik classes provide a holistic musical and learning experience in the critical first years of young children and their families.  This developmental program, guided by a proven methodology combining music and childhood development, provides opportunities to foster child-parent relationships and gain a lifelong love of music and learning.  This program is great preparation for future Suzuki students as well!  It is taught by a trained and licensed Kindermusik educator.  The SIUE Suzuki Program presents “Kindermusik with Ellen Singh” which provides you with this program! 
 “VILLAGE” Class: (Birth to 1  ½1/2 Years Old)       Semester Theme:  Cock-a-doodle-Moo!
Hop on the hayride—it’s time to head for the farm! In this class, you will sing songs about the farm, including “Old MacDonald,” “Hayride,” and “Clever Cows.” You’ll engage in rituals and playful activities with your baby, including infant massage, lap bounces, exercise, and quiet time.


What a Parent and Child Will Experience in Class:
  • Variety of Music -- Musical diversity builds strong neural in a baby’s forming mind, which is why each Kindermusik semester contains an array of styles, sounds, and genres.
  • Instrument Play -- Age-appropriate experiences with child-safe instruments enhance a sense of rhythm and steady beat, develops a keen awareness of the distinguishing qualities of sound, and encourages spontaneity and creativity.
  • Dance -- A classroom full of baby and adult pairs dancing together helps a little body develop the muscle strength needed to crawl and walk and helps a little heart to fall in love with the sheer joy of responding to music.
  • Together Time -- A Kindermusik class is truly the essence of “quality time,” offering the parent a place to create special memories with their child, gain new insights into their child’s development, and nurture their child’s natural love of music.
  • Expert Advice -- A Kindermusik Educator explains “what-to-watch-for” every step of the way and how each activity enhances a child’s complete development.
  • Learning Continues at Home -- With the home materials, the learning continues at home with the child’s best teacher—the parent!
Enrollment Includes:
q       Developmentally appropriate curriculum for parents and babies, ages newborn to 18 months
q       Class of no more than 12 babies with parents
q       8-week semester
q       Weekly 45-minute class that includes new and unique parent and baby activities
q       Learn about 30 songs, lullabies and nursery rhymes and play over 100 activities together by the semester’s end
q       At-Home Materials  including:  A picture board book with charming farm animals and the sounds they make—Cock-a-doodle-Moo, a CD of the songs heard in class, a Sunshine Jingle instrument for music-making at home, and a set of Art Banners for the nursery wall that strengthens vision and promotes early literacy.
q       .
 Tuition: $132 (by January 9)          ($9 per class + $60 At-Home Materials Package)

“OUR TIME Class”: (1 ½ through 3 Years Old)     Semester Theme: Away We Go!
Hop on the train, get in the car, board the plane, and Away We Go! This class focuses on transportation, a favorite topic for toddlers who are on the go, go, go! Sing and play along with favorite songs, such as “I’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad” and “Wheels on the Bus”. Explore fast and slow, smooth and bumpy, and high and low. Read stories about ways to get around. Shiny Dinah tells the story of a train, and Giddy-Up! has a horse, speedboat, racecar, and more to help you get where you want to go.

What a Parent and Child Will Experience in Class:
  • Instrument exploration and ensemble skill development -- Children will explore the physical characteristics and sounds of age-appropriate instruments which will eventually lead them to discover their potential for beat, rhythm, melody, and ensemble playing.
  • Vocal play -- Through vocal play, toddlers learn to form vowels and consonants, say words and phrases, and imitate rhythm and vocal inflection. In Kindermusik Our Time, vocal play is presented within the context of songs, chants, and activities done in class.
  • Exploration Time -- Children will love discovering specially designed instruments, textures, sounds, and movements.
  • Story time and early literacy -- Listening to stories enhances language and speech development and fosters awareness of sounds, teaches use of language, and sends the message that words and symbols have meaning. The same experiences that help toddlers learn to read a book also help them learn to read music.
  • Movement Activities -- Each class provides various opportunities for movement such as synchronized movement, group dances and circle games, and even expressive movement.
  • Together Time -- Kindermusik is the essence of quality time, allowing parents to make the most of the fleeting toddler years, giving them the time and the tools to make music and memories together in class and at home.
  • Expert advice -- A Kindermusik educator explains how the musically based activities enhance a toddler’s complete development.
  • Learning Continues at Home -- With the home materials, the learning continues at home with the child’s best teacher—the parent!
Enrollment Includes:
q       Developmentally appropriate curriculum for parents and toddlers,  ages 18 mo. thru 3 years
q       10-week semester
q       Weekly 45-minute class
q       At-Home Materials  including:   2 CD’s featuring 50 class songs, sounds and recordings of favorite activities from class;  2 Interactive Books – Shiny Dinah! and Giddy-Up! to develop early literacy skills.; Home Activity Book;  and 2 harmonicas designed for toddlers. 

q       Tuition: $155 (by January 9)         ($9.50 per class + $60 At-Home Materials Package)


Kindermusik: Learning through Music

Spotlight on Learning: Village/Do-Si-Do

Pete and Repeat were sitting on a fence. Pete fell off and who was left? Repeat. Pete and Repeat were sitting on a fence. Pete fell off and who was left? Repeat. Pete and Repeat were sitting on a fence... Do you remember this childhood joke? For your child, repetition is good for more than a few laughs. It is a necessary building block of development. Repetition strengthens the learning or growth of neural connections in your child's brain. A one-time experience is not enough for a neural connection to form and stabilize. At Kindermusik, we specialize in understanding how young children learn best. So, while we won't put Pete and Repeat on a fence, we will "1-2 Tie My Shoes" and dance to "Kerry's Ten-Penny Wash" more than once. We know this leads to learning and that's no joke!
 
Everyday connection: Pete and Repeat were reading a book. Each time you read your child's favorite book point out different aspects of the story, such as all the green objects or circles. Ask questions like how did the baby bear feel when his daddy twirled him around or what do you think is his favorite dance? Even if your child is too young to speak the words, she is absorbing the language for use later.


 
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Kindermusik: Learning through Music

Spotlight on Learning: Our Time Wiggles & Giggles

When it comes to teaching social skills, parents of young children speak one language. Regardless of how the words sound coming out--Spanish, English, Vietnamese, Afrikaans, etc.--it translates the same: "Wait your turn" and "Share" unite us all. Oui?

While mastering the fine art of turn-taking and sharing increases the harmony when children play together, it also prepares them for future academic success. Studies point to a specific cluster of social-emotional skills--called self-regulation skills--as particularly important. Children who display strong self-regulation are better able to control their impulses, pay attention, work flexibly toward goals, and show an ability to plan and organize their actions.

Kindermusik helps lay the groundwork for self-regulation. In fact, one study measured children enrolled in Kindermusik against those not enrolled. The Kindermusik children performed consistently higher on four separate age-appropriate tasks designed specifically to measure self-regulation skills. We like how that translates!

Everyday connection: Ring Around the Rosey. This circle dance gives your child more than a pocketful of posies. The choreographed movements require children to cooperate, move in sync with a group, and listen to and follow oral instruction. Invite some friends over to dance!