Bonding

The intricate wiring of the limbic system shows that in order to learn and remember something, there must be sensory input, a personal emotional connection, and movement.

~Smart Moves, by Carla Hannaford, Ph.D.

Glass music-Dance of the sugar plum fairy-Tchaikovsky

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.

Edible flowers

This week in Village class we explored flowers for the song Flowers Sweet. The focus of this lesson is on smell and sensory stimulation. We will feel the flower, smell it, look at it and describe all those things to develop language as well as a connection to the scent. I studied up on 'edible flowers' and actually have many on the list in my own yard! I think I'll try to embelish some salads this week and surprise my family! As you know, babies will mouth anything and everything. And, while I’m not going to encourage them to eat them in class, I do want something safe for them to explore with the numerous nerve endings and sensors around the mouth.

To prepare the flowers for class (and for eating if you choose), I give them a gentle bath in a very mild soap solution. I then rinse them thoroughly in a clear water solution by “swishing” them and I pat them very gently with a paper towels to dry them. This retains their freshness and scent, but removes any types of residue that might be on the flower. You should not eat flowers that you have sprayed or sprinkled with pesticides or any such thing.

There are many websites with information about edible flowers. I like this one because it gives you the pictures and explains what the flower tastes like. NOT ALL FLOWERS ARE EDIBLE!! Sometimes just parts are edible; like tulip petals are edible, but you should never eat the bulb.

Musical concepts through movement

Try this with your child out in the beautiful sunshine. . . through their movement, you will be giving them an opportunity to experience the musical terms 'legato' and 'staccato' (smooth and connected sounds vs. 'bumpy' or disconnected), plus lots of contrasting creative movement.

Have you ever heard the sound of tiny insects walking in the grass?
They are so quiet, you can hardly hear them.
Can you hear the tiny ants marching?
If you put your ear very close to the ground, the sounds are really quite loud.
Boing! Boing! Boing! Can you hear the grasshoppers hopping about?
Sh! Sh! I think I hear worms tunneling through the ground.
Look, there goes a beautiful butterfly high above your head.

I love what I do

I love the Kindermusik philosophy and am so proud to be a part of the Kindermusik community. Thank you for sharing the gift of music with your child. Kindermusik is the community of families and teachers passionately committed to bringing music to children's lives through developmentally appropriate curricula, CDs, books, instruments, and activities for our classes and for family time at home.

Kindermusik's philosophy is founded upon rigorous research and our fundamental beliefs:*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.

I would LOVE to hear what you and your children love most about Kindermusik! Please share your comments with me!