Hello and I hope you all are enjoying a merry Christmas! I was watching Food Network tonight and they had a feature about this lady's edible snow globe kits! I wrote it down for next year and will definitely order some for my kids and my nephew. The website is www.cookieconstructionco.com. The owner of the company is a mom who makes the kits in her own kitchen! That right there makes me want to order for sure.

Hope you are soaking up lots of family time. :-)

Music to my ears

• Look what I came home with today. I snuck out early this morning, met a lady in a parking lot way down in south Fort Worth and loaded this little sweetie up. I love my ipod and all things 'modern', but I do have a very weak spot for all things old. Very weak. Ask my husband. You should've seen the look on his face when I had to ask him for help in getting it out of the van. I've seen that look a thousand times. He's used to me though and I love him for putting up with me. :-)

Now I need to get some records!

Take this to your neighbors

Here is a great gift idea that you can make with your child. My daughter made some last night and even made her own gift tags labeled, "Carlen's Hot Chocolate" with cute polka dots all over it.

• This mix is surprisingly good. Try it. You'll like it.

4 1/2 C. Powdered Sugar

2 C. Cocoa

10 C. Dry Milk

1 C. Creamer

1 Package Chocolate Fudge Pudding Mix

Makes 15 Cups of mix. Mix 1/3 C. to 1 C. of boiling water

A Cappella

Jingle Jangle Christmas

You Are My Holiday

This is just precious! Enjoy it.

Maybe I'll see you there

My family and I have been enjoying the Flower Mound Symphony Orchestra for years and I began when my daughter was a preschooler. Their performances are always free (they accept donations), they are always very special and filling. There are no 'bad seats' at Trietsch Methodist Church where they mainly perform. What I used to do when my children were young like yours, would be to leave during intermission. A little, shortened 'concert' to peak their interest, but not too long to make them start to fidget and fuss. Although be assured that these concerts are very family-friendly and not your stiff, formal concerts. They are PERFECT for children of all ages! The instruments are easy to see from your seat and the acoustics are incredible at Trietsch. Treat yourself and your family to a wonderful, musical experience!

Just as a head's up------they have a WONDERFULLY educational and interactive children's concert every May. I'll let you know about that later!

I noticed on their website they are also doing a performance with their preparatory orchestra (younger musicians) at Borders. This may be the perfect option for you! Here's the scoop"

Flower Mound Symphony Orchestra

December 15 & December 16

7:00 PM Trietsch United Methodist Church Flower Mound


Flower Mound Preparatory and Progressive Orchestras

December 17, 7:00 PM Borders Book Store

2403 S. Stemmons, Suite 100 Lewisville, TX 75067 (off Round Grove Rd.)

"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see. The longer I live, the more my mind dwells upon the beauty and the wonder of the world."

John Burroughs

moving, beautiful, dancing with the heart

Mom's Letter to Santa

This is making the email circuit right now, but I thought I would post it here, just in case you haven’t seen it.

Dear Santa,
I’ve been a good mum all year. I’ve fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor’s office more than my doctor, sold sixty-two cases of choc.bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son’s red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I’ll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

I’d like a pair of legs that don’t ache (in any colour, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don’t hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the lolly aisle in the grocery store.

I’d also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you’re hauling big ticket items this year I’d like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn’t broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, “Yes, Mummy” to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don’t fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting “Don’t eat in the living room” and “Take your hands off your brother/sister,” because my voice seems to be just out of my children’s hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it’s too late to find any of these products, I’d settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don’t mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare tomato sauce a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don’t catch cold.

Help yourself to cookies on the table but don’t eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.
Yours Always,
A MUM!

P.S. One more thing…you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children happy, healthy and always believing.

Music and singing are powerful ways of experiencing being together for all people of all ages.

Fostering Children's Social Competence, Lilian Katz

Practice makes purrfect

Great site

http://www.babycenter.com/0_music-and-your-toddler-or-preschooler-ages-1-to-3_6549.bc

This is a great website I found. Pregnancy seems to be catchy in my classes :-), and I wanted to point out to my expectant moms that there is a neat thing where you can see where your baby is developmentally week-by-week. Also, there is quite a lot of interesting information about music and your baby and toddler. Click on the link to read more!

Twenty-Four Hour Fruit Salad

We have this salad for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I wanted to share it with you! I can't resist not sharing a recipe for something so yummy. (We just had a mega-double recipe last week, so this fruit salad is on my mind :-)).

1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained

1 (16 1/2-ounce can pitted white cherries (Oregon brand), drained

1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained

3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

2 T sugar

2 T white vinegar

1 T butter

1/4 tsp. salt

2 1/2 C miniature marshmallows

1 C. whipping cream, whipped

DRAIN pineapple, reserving 2 T juice. Combine pineapple, cherries, and oranges; chill. COMBINE reserved juice, egg yolks, and next 4 ingredients in a saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens (about 5 minutes). Cool completely. STIR fruit into egg yolk mixture; fold in mini marshmallows and whipped cream, and chill for 24 hours. Yield: 8 servings. It will 'keep' for up to 2 days (if it lasts that long). :-)

What is a favorite tradition for your holiday meal? Post me a recipe if you please!

The Benefits of Early Childhood Music

Posted on the Music Education Madness website, by Karen Stafford

Can children from infancy through kindergarten really grasp the concept of music theory and principles? Why expose a child to music at such an early age when there's so much time?

If you've ever been around young children, you've probably noticed how they tend to try to skip rather than walk, dance rather than stroll, or sing when they're trying to drown out your instructions:-) The best argument for early childhood music education lies in the fact that children at this age, for the most part, are naturally receptive to the nuances of pitch and rhythm.

No one says that a teacher needs to sit down and start in on theory! The benefits go much deeper than that. Don Campbell, in his definitive study on The Mozart Effect, delved into the connection between music, body, and soul, stating case after case of real-life situations in which physical and mental health improved with measured and planned exposure to classical music. As early as 1962, Dr. Lee Salk demonstrated that the fetus is aware of the mother's heartbeat. Lullabies and tunes crooned to infants have been a centuries-old method of soothing babies to lull them to sleep. How natural it is, then, that this carries over to soothe younger babies and toddlers, and that they use the power of their inner music whenever they wish the comfort themselves.

More to the point, children at this age are less inhibited that they might be after they enter elementary school. They are ready to jump right in and give it a go! There is no pressure for a fantastic performance. The toddlers and preschoolers are free to experiment all the wonders of sound without the "standard" judgment of a preconceived notion of proper performance.
The physical benefits of early childhood music are outstanding, also. Fine and gross motor skills can be improved through improvisational dancing and handling of the instruments. Vocal and speech development can improve through singing. (Have you honestly ever noticed how some children who have to attend speech seem to do great with rhyming and poems?). Listening skills and concentration improve with aural training. The old-fashioned goals of sharing and cooperation are reinforced with the sharing of instruments and encouragement of other students.

The most important benefit, however, is the proven positive effects music has on brain development. This has been thoroughly researched and documented and is most crucial during the first 6 years, when the most important brain development takes place. NPR radio broadcast a program called "Gray Matters: Music and the Brain", which included Dr. Gordon Shaw, who first described "The Mozart Effect".

Imagine....if parents would expose their children to classical music at a young age, what the possibilities would be for these children at an older age! No one is guaranteeing that they'll all become performers, but the youngsters who have had this exposure have an advantage in academic abilities, self-esteem, and probably improved attitudes in general.

Rich and holistic learning all year long

Kindermusik is the single best choice for children newborn to age seven. It "speaks" to children. It meets each individual child's unique needs. It contains activites that integrate all learning domains: social, physical, cognitive, musical, and language. It touches the WHOLE CHILD. More rhythmic activities, instrument play, singing and speaking activities, creative music activities, musical skill-building, and pure enjoyment of music await you next semester. What a great time we'll have together!

Mozart 40 - by Wine Bottle Man

A Family Thanksgiving

Mom and Dad

And all the folks

Who sit around the table,

All give thanks to the Lord above

For the fact that we are able

To have the food and shelter

We all need to survive,

And have the love of family

That makes it good to be alive.
By Karl Fuchs

Happy Thanksgiving to my sweet Kindermusik Family. I love all of you.

Making a pitch for music

Published Monday October 8, 2007

Music is a mind-builder.

Research has found that playing a musical instrument activates parts of the brain involved with logic, creativity and emotions, said Lance Nielsen, president of the Nebraska Music Educators Association and a Lincoln high school band teacher. By contrast, people solving math problems or building things by hand use only the logical, left side of their brains. "That says a lot about music, how important it is," Nielsen said. Joan Reist of Lincoln, a past president of the Music Teachers National Association, said a foundation for music education can begin when children are babies and toddlers, with activities geared to a child's mental and physical development. Families can provide this themselves or join in a group experience with such parent-child activities as Kindermusik or performance-oriented Suzuki programs, Reist said.

For a more traditional approach to formal music education, starting at about age 7, both Nielsen and Reist like the piano. That's because it teaches a child how to read music — both the bass and treble clefs — as well as the principles of melody, harmony and rhythm.Although starting early is great, it's never too late, said Nielsen. "Anyone can play a musical instrument. It just takes a little time." — Staff writer Jane Palmer

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1219&u_sid=10151715

The Kindermusik Philosophy

Every parent is the child's most important teacher.

Every child is musical.

The home is the most important learning environment.

Music nurtures a child's cognitive, emotional, social, language, and physical development.

Every child should experience the joy, fun, and learning which music brings to life.

How I became a KM teacher

Back in 1997, I saw an ad in the paper for a Kindermusik storytime at a local bookstore in Lewisville. I took my then-pregnant self, my 2 1/2 year old daughter and didn't really have anything in mind except to have fun with music! After I left, I had the Kindermusik headquarters phone number in hand and the numbers of the two wonderful educators who conducted the storytime (and who I felt like I knew my whole life and not just 30 minutes!). It was one of those life-changing things: I just KNEW this was what I was meant to do. I can't explain it any other way! I called the number to get an information pack and the rest is history. I was in Houston, TX three weeks later for a week-long training and I started to teach after I had my second child. My children are Kindermusik graduates and were in some of my first classes back then! (Now I live with a vocalist and guitarist and love the music around this place!).

I tell people all the time about Kindermusik because of the deep belief I have in the program and what it does for families, for children's growth, and for their minds. I know you tell others too, because so many of your friends have come, and for that I thank you.

In-house re-enrollment is now in progress just for YOU before I advertise locally. Remit your deposit and pay the remainder on the first class in January. My website is http://www.msheidi.kindermusik.net/. Be sure to click on the spring icon when you register. Oh, and get your child's Kindermusik t-shirt when you come to your next class as my gift!

Neil Marsden, a little bird in Kindermusik Village class...

Up, up in the sky
Bouncing to a songMy world is so new
Working on my vestibular system!
Playing with my new shaker Mommy, I love Kindermusik!

Music is...

Music is a Science. It is exact, it is specific and it demands exact acoustics. A conductor's score is a chart, a graph which indicates frequencies, intensities, volume changes, melody and harmony all at once and with the most exact control of time.

Music is Mathematical. It is rhythmically based on the subdivisions of time into fractions which must be done instantaneously, not worked out on paper.

Music is a Foreign Language. Most of the terms are in Italian, German or French; and the notation is certainly not English - but a highly-developed kind of shorthand that uses symbols to represent ideas. The semantics of music is the most complete and universal language.

Music is Physical Education. It requires fantastic coordination of fingers, hands, arms, lip, cheeks and facial muscles in addition to extraordinary control of the diaphragmatic, back and stomach muscles, which respond instantly to the sound the ear hears and the mind interprets. Music is all these things, but most of all,

MUSIC IS ART. It allows the human being to take all these dry, technically boring (but difficult) techniques and use them to create emotion. This one thing science cannot duplicate: humanism, feeling emotion, call it what you will. That is why we teach music! Not because we expect you to major in music. Not because we expect you to play or sing all your life. But, so you will be human, so you will recognize beauty, so you will be closer to God beyond this world, so you will have something to cling to, so you will have more love, more compassion, more gentleness, more good - in short, more life.

Re-enroll today at http://www.msheidi.kindermusik.net/

Pachelbel Bedtime

Pachelbel Bedtime

I am Kindermusik

study taken from:

http://www.shsu.edu/~pin_www/T@S/1999/EarlyMus.html

study taken from:

http://204.15.99.18/abcschools/GMUKinderMusikFinal%20Report.doc

Sometimes it's hard to explain why Kindermusik is so important to a child's life. So, here are some visual aids that might help explain all the things Kindermusik can do--and how it's scientifically proven to help children become exactly who they're supposed to become. And then some.

Also, click the website, and you'll link straight to the study from which these pretty pictures were created.

The Butterfly

by Kazantzakis from Zorba the Greek

'I remember one morning when I discovered a cocoon in the back of a tree just as a butterfly was making a hole in its case and preparing to come out. I waited awhile, but it was too long appearing and I was impatient. I bent over it and breathed on it to warm it. I warmed it as quickly as I could and the miracle began to happen before my eyes, faster than life. The case opened; the butterfly started slowly crawling out, and I shall never forget my horror when I saw how its wings were folded back and crumpled; the wretched butterfly tried with its whole trembling body to unfold them. Bending over it, I tried to help it with my breath, in vain.

It needed to be hatched out patiently and the unfolding of the wings should be a gradual process in the sun. Now it was too late. My breath had forced the butterfly to appear all crumpled, before its time. It struggled desperately and, a few seconds later, died in the palm of my hand.That little body is, I do believe, the greatest weight I have on my conscience. For I realize today that it is a mortal sin to violate the great laws of nature. We should not hurry, we should not be impatient, but we should confidently obey the eternal rhythm.'

Kindermusik is process not performance oriented, and just because we don't see them do something, doesn't mean that they don't understand. What goes on at home is more important than what goes on in class. So, let's give our 'butterflies' time to grow and unfold on their own; not just in Kindermusik, but in life. The results will be beautiful, natural, and will amaze us!

a little quip

"Speak sweet words if you expect sweet echoes."

A gift that lasts

From a book called, "This is your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession," by neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin (this author was a guest speaker at our recent Kindermusik convention in Chicago):

"We know that there are critical periods for acquiring new skills, such as language. If a child doesn't learn leanguage by the age of six or so (whether a first or a second language), the child will never learn to speak with the effortlessness that characterizes most native speaker of a language. Music and mathematics have an extended window, but not an unlimited one: If a student hasn't had music lessons or mathematical training prior to about age twenty, he can still learn these subjects, but only with great difficulty, and it's likely that he will never "speak" math or music like someone who learned them early. This is because of the biological course for synaptic growth. The brain's synapses are programmed to grow for a number of years, making new connections. After that time, there is a shift toward pruning, to get rid of unneeded connections."

What a long-lasting impression you are making on your child by enrolling them in Kindermusik. I have such an honor and blessing to be their teacher.

Re-enroll for next semester today!

Behavior Labeling

If an adult is reinforced for behaving, we call it recognition.
If a child is reinforced for behaving, we call it bribery.
If an adult laughs, we call it socializing.
If a child laughs, we call it misbehaving.
If an adult writes in a book, we call it doodling.
If a child writes in a book, we call it destroying property.
If an adult sticks to something, we call it perseverance.
If a child sticks to something, we call it stubbornness.
If an adult seeks help, we call it consultation.
If a child seeks help, we call it whining.
If an adult is not paying attention, we call it preoccupation.
If a child is not paying attention, we call it distractibility.
If an adult tells his side of the story, we call it clarification.
If a child tells his side of the story, we call it talking back.

Kindermusik Educators Have a Ball

You ask me what we did at the Kindermusik convention?

A few facts on MOMS

Today's mom is 27 on average.
She is interested in having more than two children.
Only 27% of young moms read the newspaper.
There are 82 million moms in the U.S. today.
U.S. moms control 85% of the household spending.
Moms 50+ are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in America.

I Love You Rituals

I so highly recommend this book. Please buy it. :-) I wish I could afford to give each of you this book, I feel so strongly about it. The author came to speak at our convention and I picked up a copy while I was there. I have been reading it and am so moved. The book is focused on interactive finger plays, soothing games and physically active games that can be played with children from infancy through age eight. These powerful rituals prime a child's brain for learning, help children cope with change, enhance attention , cooperation and self-esteem, help busy families stay close and affirm the parent-child bond that insulates children from violence, peer pressure, and drugs, and much more.

Please put this book on the very top of your list! It has a very important and urgent message for all families.

Also, for those that long-range plan, Dr. Bailey will be coming to Dallas Sept. 19-20th, 2008 for a two-day workshop. I am definitely going and wanted you all to know about it too. It is for parents, educators, anyone who works with children. See her website at www.beckybailey.com for her products and other parenting help.

Bring-A-Friend

Bring a friend to class November 5-9th! I will have shakers and scarves for you and your friend to take home. :-)

Step by step… steadily ♫♫
Originally uploaded by bocavermelha-l.b.

The Elephant does not find his trunk heavy,
Nor does the Mother her child.

African Proverb

Welcome to my blog

This is my first post. I hope you'll stop by and visit once in awhile! This blog is primarily for Kindermusik families, but I welcome friends and family to stop by and read about snippets on early childhood and brain development, music, and other fun things I find. Put me in your favorites list!