Kathy's Music - A Music School.: October 2009

Friday, October 30, 2009

Kindermusik promotes Problem Solving using Dramatic Play

This week, Kindermusik with Kathy's Music, LLC, focused on problem solving in our Imagine That! classes for ages 3-5 years in a variety of ways, including Dramatic Play.

We created a dramatic play “Can You Find Me.” Each child selected a “role” (skunk, bird, bee, squirrel, tree-with lots of stick branches and scarf leaves, little boy, little girl). Why dramatic play? The inclusion of drama in a story activity serves as a means for “…prompting the memory of actions and words, learning story sequences, and reinforcing print meaning and function. Dramatization also develops cooperative social skills, problem solving skills, and the ability to coordinate with peers.” – Read, Play and Learn!: Storybook Activities for Young Children, by Toni W. Linder, Ed.D., p. 24.

Creativity is the foundation for problem-solving skills. From a very early age, fostering a child's creativity will help him learn to find solutions to difficulties that arise. Marcia J, http://www.helium.com/items/819091-helping-your-preschooler-develop-problem-solving-skills

Special thanks to my colleague, Betsy Flanagan, for the research & links!

Just another example of how Kindermusik helps your child develop skills for life while creating a life-long love of music.

Today is a Kindermusik Day!

Dear Families,

Yes! Today is a Kindermusik day in Mt. Lebanon. Even though the Mt. Lebanon schools are closed today, we are still having classes. Our Fall break will be on Monday and Tuesday, November 2nd and 3rd. To all of my Friday families, I will see you soon!

Can't wait to see what costumes you will wear to class today! Don't forget to bring your cameras.

Sincerely,

Miss Kathy

Monday, October 19, 2009

Kindermusik with Kathy's Music Promotes Success in Math

Researchers have found that there is a definite connection between music, patterns, and mathematics.

Kindermusik classes make rich use of music and movement to explore patterns and help your child reach developmental milestones. We guide the group in listening for changes in a musical patterns. In instrument play alongs, your child creates or imitates a pattern of sound. In storytelling, your child learns the sequence of events. And in movement games, we practice imitating a pattern of movement. All of these activities help prepare your child for success in math.

When your child promotes to Kindermusik for the Young child (ages 5-7), we will explore patterns as we transition from aural learning to the written symbols of music. We will explore patterns in rhythms and patterns in the melody on the musical staff. We will discover the sequences of the melody in simple songs. We will practice the patterns in music as we create musical ensembles together using a variety of instruments.

There’s so much more to come in our Kindermusik journey that will help your child be successful in math while learning to be a young musician, just like the children pictured above who are learning to play the Dulcimer in our Young Child Semester 3 program.

www.KathysMusic.com / (412) 344-0535

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Kindermusik with Kathy's Music - Using Movement to Learn

Each Kindermusik class combines music and movement to provide your child with the most effective early childhood learning experience.

In Village (for babies) we begin by just manipulating limbs and encouraging the simplest of moves. You, as the parent, are doing the moving with/for your child. In Our Time (toddlers), we begin to build a repertoire of ideas and encourage our children to explore their body movements for themselves. This week, in the activity “Clapping Land”, we have an example of a simple synchronized/patterned dance that we will expand on in Imagine That (ages 3-5) where ideas, creative movements, and control will be left to the children. In the Young Child 2-year curriculum (ages 5-7), all of your time and efforts come to fruition not only in movement to much more complex dances, but in instrumental play and high level reasoning. Your child will play in multi-part ensembles and will learn when to play and which instruments to play all while reading real musical notes and rhythms. WOW! A Good Beginning truly NEVER ends!

“Movement is the key to learning! Our brains fully develop through movement activities such as crawling, rolling, turning, walking, skipping, reaching, swinging and much more! The brain has a plan for development that involves specific and intensive motor activities to make full use of our complicated nervous system.” -“Movement and Music: The Keys to Learning” by Anne Green Gilbert, Kindermusik Notes Nov/Dec 1998

NOTE: Anne Green Gilbert is author of Teaching the Three Rs through Movement and Creative Dance for All Ages. Click here for Anne’s article highlighting music & movements impact on academics! http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/arts/gilbert.htm

Through multi-arts and movement activities, foundational patterns and dispositions needed for success in school and life are set up and reinforced. New experiences are integrated and anchored within the brain, enabling children to unlock mysteries of our symbol system, make sense of their world, and learn to live and work peaceably with others.

In schools struggling to close achievement gaps, arts and movement programs can be a key to success. Young children who participate in the arts for at least three hours, three days a week for a year are

· 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement,
· 3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools
· 4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair
· 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance
· 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem
· 2 times more likely to read for pleasure, and
· 4 times more likely to perform community service.

Gains in dispositions for learning are critical outcomes of participation in arts and movement programs. (Catterall, 2002)