What is the best age to start flute lessons?

Written by Pam Murchison, flute teacher with Kathy's Music, LLC

When I was six years old, my best friend’s mother was a flute teacher and my mother was (and still is!) an excellent painter. Mrs. Booth was very interested in painting and proposed a trade with my mom: she would receive painting lessons and, in exchange, I would begin private flute lessons. I had just seen James Galway perform on Sesame Street and was already hooked on the beautiful sound of the flute. I couldn’t wait to begin! The rest, as they say, is history!

The question of the “right” age to begin flute lessons has long been up for debate, and, as with most aspects of child development, there is no hard and fast rule concerning the best time for your child to begin.  Many children begin wind instrument instruction in the 4^th or 5^th grade, when their school allows them to sign up for beginner band.  If a child begins music instruction before then, it is typically on the piano or violin or even guitar. While common wisdom is that it is easier to produce sound on those instruments because all sound production happens outside of the body with the hands and fingers, innovative teachers have expertly demonstrated that young children can successfully produce a beautiful sound on the flute and begin to learn how to play at age 4, 5, 6 years of age depending on the child's level of interest and ability to focus for short periods of time.

In addition, there are several options for flutes with curved head joints, which reduce the overall length of the instrument. This makes the keys easier to reach, and the weight is more evenly distributed so that the flute is easier to hold.  Tools such as the Pneumo Pro Wind Director are very effective tools to helping students of all ages understand air production, and are particularly useful for beginning students.  Watch this short video to see what a private flute lesson for a young child (4-7) might look like.  Kinderflute group classes provide an introduction to flute specifically designed for this age group (look for one coming to a Kathy’s Music near you in 2014!)

So, if your child:

•  Shows enthusiasm for the flute
• Is comfortable with one-on-one settings with an adult outside of the immediate family
• Is able to focus on an activity for 20-30 minutes at a time

the right time to start flute lessons may be now!

SELF-AWARENESS

Is there any parent alive who would not wish for their 3-5 year-old preschooler to be aware when they are getting frustrated so they could come for help verses acting out?  How about a child being conscious and aware of what he/she is looking like, sounding like or what behaviors he/she tends to engage in when unhappy or frustrated?   Mirroring is an activity used by parents to teach their children how to become aware or conscious.  The concept of mirroring and imitation is at work in much of your child’s learning.  Our children are highly aware of our actions and they imitate us in movement and speech and other physical activities (that’s scary to think about sometimes), but “mirroring” as we used it today in class is an intentional, conscious act by both the grown-up and child.  As you will read in your family activity guide, Carla Hannaford’s research shows that children gain self-awareness when they participate in movement activities such as the mirror games we played today in class and those you will be playing at home this week.

I’m excited by the home activities this week for our preschool families, because these games played regularly with your child will provide such great learning for your child as relates to the awareness of his/her emotions, movements, and expressions.   There’s only so much we can do in class, but the warm and bonding time you spend at home with these wonderful developmental activities will reap rewards that last a lifetime, as it is through self-awareness that children learn self-control and the ability to make positive choices regarding their emotional and physical state. 

Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a psychologist who works with couples, individual adults, and children. He has written and lectured extensively on parental stress and depletion, ways to nurture mothers and fathers, and how a couple can be both strong teammates and intimate friends while raising a family. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA, Dr. Hanson did management consulting before earning his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the Wright Institute.  He lists additional information on ways to engage your child in self-awareness development on his website www.nurturemom.com (great for dads too – has a “FOR DADS” tab) and the following links are to articles specific to self-awareness development in both ourselves and our children:  Self-Awareness for Kids and Grown-ups - http://www.nurturemom.com/Web_store/News/0105coulmn.shtml and  Being Skillful with Your Inner World Too! - http://www.wisebrain.org/WhyInnerSkills.pdf.  For those of our families that love brain neuroscience articles, www.wisebrain.org/science has articles and Brain FAQ’s as well.  FUN FACTS to consider!

“Mirror, mirror…my reflection can move like this….”  P.12

• Continue mirror dancing with each other and/or in front of a mirror.  Home Cd 2, Track 7 Barcarolle
• Can you find all of the surfaces that reflect your mirror image in your home?   How do you look different from one surface to the next?
• Explore “emotion faces” in your mirrors together at home.  
• Can you describe your child’s “sad, happy or angry” face?
• Can you imitate your child’s face while describing what you see (e.g. lip out and turned down, sparkling eyes, etc.)?
• Do you have a full-length mirror for full body fun, or how about a hand-mirror for emotion play?

Follow this link to additional Self-Awareness activities for Children & Grownups.

http://www.nurturemom.com/Web_store/News/0105coulmn.shtml

Add Music to Your Child's Holiday Party at School 
- Favorite Ideas from Kathy's Music

So it's your turn to provide the "entertainment" portion of your child's holiday party at school?  Try something new by using music this year to add sparkle to your child's "Winter Celebration."  Here are a few of our favorite ideas:

1) Go Ice Skating - Pass out paper plates and invite the children to "skate" around the room while playing "Skater's Waltz" on your ipod.  Download this song from http://play.Kindermusik.com

2) Build a Snowman - Divide the class into groups of 5 children.  Choose one person in each group to become the "snowman".  Give out rolls of toilet paper.  Set the timer.  Give the children 3 minutes to wrap toilet paper around the "snowman" and then add coats and hats to complete the outfit.  The team that finishes first - wins!

3) Hold a Lip Sync contest using "Winter Wonderland".  Divide the class into groups and give each group 5 minutes to come up with their own version of performing this song.  Turn on the ipod and give each group a turn.  Then have the class vote on their favorite performance!  Download "Winter Wonderland" from http://play.Kindermusik.com

4) It's a Sleigh Ride - Give out jingle bells and streamers (these are the reins) to each pair of students.  One person is the horse and the other is the rider.  Play "Over the River and Through The Woods" while the kids gallop around the room.  It's a longer track, so stop the song every 20-30 seconds and make it a "freeze" game.  Be sure to have the rider and horse change places halfway through the track.

BONUS:  Name that holiday song!  Create a playlist of 10 favorite holiday and winter songs.  Play the first 5 seconds of each song and have the kids guess.  The student with the most correct answer wins.

Happy Holidays from Kathy's Music to all the families in our community!

Kindermusik - Developing Your Child's Aesthetic Awareness while Teaching Music.

It's age-appropriate.  It's research-based. It's the best learning experience for preschool-aged children.

Kindermusik Imagine That! is a curricula designed to use pretend play with movement to teach your child music.  But it's SO MUCH MORE!  In our current unit, Hello Weather, we're using the concepts of rain and wind to teach these young children about the musical concepts of Legato and Staccato while practicing Inhibitory Control (which also helps with Ensemble Development).  As part of this unit and the others for this age group, there are several art/craft projects suggested for the weekly home activity.  Sometimes the reasons for these projects are not always obvious to parents.

Did you know?

While decorating a rain hat does encourage pretend play, it also encourages a child's aesthetic awareness and creativity, which can later lead to advances in critical thinking.

While making a rain shaker or a percussion instrument can help us learn about Staccato sounds in music and can promote playing a steady beat, it also helps the child learn to take joy in the creating.  

With the inclusion of these projects in our Kindermusik Imagine That! curricula, we are always promoting your child's aesthetic awareness or aesthetic sensitivity which improves the quality of learning.

So even if we've done similar projects in other units, there is MUCH VALUE in repeating this experience in a similar way to promote the benefits listed here:

Benefits of Aesthetics Sensitivity

•        Aesthetic sensitivity is important for children because it improves the quality of learning and encourages the creative process.

•        Development of an aesthetic sensitivity is an initial talent that can later lead to advances in critical thinking as children develop greater insight into their environment.

•        Aesthetic sensitivity promotes self-learning because they become more sensitive to gaps in their knowledge.

•        Children are more tolerant because they learn that there are many possible ways of doing things. 

–       Consequently, they are also better able to deal with complexity because they do not expect to find one best answer.

•        Children are more independent because they are more open to their own thoughts. They are good questioners for the same reasons.

The point is this – the things we are doing in Kindermusik Imagine That! are not only age appropriate but ON TARGET with developing a child's natural abilities and inclination to integrate all the fine arts  (Graphic Arts, Movement, Dance, Drama, Music, And Poetry In Their Expressive Activities).  Music should NOT be learned separate from ART or MOVEMENT.  It should be integrated for a better overall developmental experience.   That's Kindermusik Imagine That!

Music Benefits Babies' Brains  - New Study

Babies who receive musical training smile more, communicate better and react more calmly to unfamiliar or unfavourable situations, according to new research out of Ontario's McMaster University.

The study involved one-year-olds and their parents who spent six months participating in one of two types of music-related activities.

One group played with toys while music played in the background.

The other group learned to play percussion instruments and sing lullabies, nursery rhymes and songs with actions.

The interactive group showed more sophisticated responses to music, but what surprised researchers even more was the non-musical differences between the two groups.

Babies from the interactive classes showed better early communication skills, like pointing at objects that are out of reach or waving goodbye, the study found. They also smiled more, were easier to soothe and showed less distress when things were unfamiliar or didn't go their way.

"Many past studies of musical training have focused on older children," study co-author Laurel Trainor said. "Our results suggest that the infant brain might be particularly plastic with regard to musical exposure."

The study was funded by an award from the Grammy Foundation and appeared in the journals Developmental Science and Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Reprinted from article in Toronto Sun at this link:  http://www.torontosun.com/2012/05/09/music-benefits-babies-brains

10 Reasons to Enroll for Kindermusik This Summer!

Join us for a Musical Adventure this summer with a Kindermusik Class that’s designed just for your child!  You will explore “In My Backyard” with your toddler, create a Drum Circle in “Drums, Drums, Drums” with your preschooler or “Splash” in the waters of summer (lake, ocean, beach).  There will be “Busy Days” full of classical music & more for your baby!  Plus a family class that invites you to “Let’s Play”.  There’s a weekly class for everyone (age 0 to 5) and unique Kathy’s Music Play-Date camps for children ages 3-6.

So – why take a Kindermusik Summer camp with Kathy’s Music??
Here are my top ten reasons!

10. New music that is not only fantastic for your child's development, but is interesting listening for the whole family.

9. A safe environment for you to play and be silly with your child without out fear of ridicule.

8. A chance to get to meet and know other families with children your child's age.

7. Books and instruments to take home and continue the play throughout the year.

6. An air-conditioned activity for the dog days of summer.

5. Weekly opportunity to focus completely on your child and remind yourself how creative and unique he or she is.

4. Egg shakers - need I say more?

3. Bubbles, parachutes and singing together - time to be a kid again.

2. Summer session is only 4 weeks long. It’s a great way to try us out.

and the #1 reason to sign up for Kindermusik this summer....

1. Kindermusik activities strengthen your child's brain and affect every area of her development.

A Good Beginning Never Ends --- why not get started now?  Enroll Now.

Kathy Morrison, Director / www.KathysMusic.com / (412) 344-0535

Offering Kindermusik, General Music Classes, and Private Lessons.

Electrify Your Strings - A Family Event on 3/29

Plug in to a great concert-going experience with Electrify Your Strings - a fun and entertaining event the entire family can enjoy right in our own neighborhood at Bethel Park High School!

Thursday, March 29th at 7pm the Bethel Park High School string orchestra under the direction of Mrs. Stephanie Glover, a string instructor at Kathy's Music, will perform a rockin' concert of memorable pop tunes complete with a custom light show and a featured performance by celebrity electric violinist Bridgid Bibbins. Adults and students alike will enjoy the show and children of all ages are invited to attend.

String players note: an electric violin will be raffled off at the event so make sure you drop your name in the running for a chance at the big prize!

Tickets are $5 per adult and $3 per student and are available at the McMurray and Mt. Lebanon studios, at the door the evening of the performance, or by contacting Stephanie Glover at glover.stephanie@bpsd.org. See this link for the official Bethel Park School District announcement.

Take advantage of this great opportunity to rock and roll with your family!