A Very Overdue Post!

Hello!! This long overdue post from Serendipity Studio features a really interesting article about the importance of Children's music for children :) Although it doesn't always appeal to the grown ups in the house, music especially for our smallest friends really does benefit them in so many ways!


And I do find it grows on me after a while ;) It's not only Jarvis singing along to the Wiggles when we're driving down the road!


Enjoy :)
Kath


Why Children's Music is Crucial


Love and nourishment are the keystones of healthy development for every baby. But next is music; in fact sometimes it is hard to tell them apart!


Babies hear sounds and feel the rhythm of the heartbeat in the womb. When they are born, they associate their experience of our moods with the sounds around them; loving voices are soothing, while sudden loud noise is distressing.


As you nurse, the steady beat of your heart is baby’s experience of rhythm. As you sing, shake baby’s rattle or bells, baby is responding to the high frequency sounds and the drama in your voice.


Newborns have been crooned to since the dawn of time; we rock them, singing lullabies - and for good reason: it is fundamental to healthy development! Early learning begins in the senses – through touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. And learning is faster when baby can focus on simple things, one at a time, (even if only for a micro-second!) Neural pathways are rapidly developing as they taste a particular taste or hear a particular sound.


Though babies respond to all sound, there is a natural progression taking place, from simple isolated sounds and songs on a parent’s lap, through to the full orchestration of music on the radio, and sophisticated singalong songs for older kids. In any arena ‘you gotta crawl before you can walk’



We don’t expect children to behave like adults, so why is it that so many parents, in effect, force their children to ‘jump’ straight out of the nursery into the world of adult music? Our mature taste dominates our adult world, but why do we let it dominate the child’s?


Quality children’s music is a response to the genuine developmental needs of the young, rather than an adults’ world imposed upon them. While good children’s music also often communicates on an adult level, this is only to delight us into keeping involved for our children’s sake.


It is crucial for full, healthy development that we let our children progress from simple nursery songs, through dance and action songs, to a wealth of stimulating songs set in their own world as they grow. They need children’s music, because they are children!


Like us, they need music that celebrates their issues, their struggles, their victories, music that appeals to their sense of humour. And like us, they need to be able to be transported listening to it or to be moved to dance or sing to it. If they are going to watch, let it be a live performance. 


Quality children’s music, in an atmosphere of love:


1) Promotes healthy parent-child bonding
2) Establishes a foundation for a child’s development in speech and reading
3) Provides a "good-feeling" base for a healthy self image
4) Helps to develop motor skills and co-ordination
5) Helps build memory skills
6) Awakens humour and creativity


The "live" music you do with your child is the most valuable. Recorded children’s music also stimulates infants and can aid parents in learning songs and games to sing directly with them. It is never too early to start.


Next time you’re thinking of a new toy for your child, consider giving them music; rather than DVDs, just music or musical toys. Children tire of many toys very quickly, but note how often they come back to their musical instruments and how often they ask for their favourite albums to be played!


Music is primal. And perhaps it is the one worldly thing that can take us through our emotional world to touch the sublime. Our children not only deserve music, it is an essential ingredient in being human.


This article had no listed author and was taken from http://www.ucamusic.com/content/childrens_music_crucial/

Family Time...and a prize!

Something very exciting is coming to Serendipity Studio in term one of next year...

Kindermusik Family Time!

Bringing children of all ages together provides a dynamic and integrated learning experience for everyone. So, Kindermusik took favourite songs and activities from our favourite units, like 'Shake, Shake the Apple Tree' and 'Hammocking' and rolled them into a fun, family class where each child is welcomed & valued, and family 'together time' is celebrated and cherished.

What you’ll experience in class:

• Singing. From the first “Hello” song to the last “Goodbye,” exploring a variety of musical styles and genres leads children to find their own voice. Plus singing helps with memory and recall, physical development, creativity, and socialization.
• Assorted Movement. Whether moving as a family, as a class, or as individuals, Family Time movement activities enhance coordination skills, create opportunities for imitation and exploration, and give everyone something to smile, rock, bounce, or dance about.
• Story Time. Reading aloud to children stimulates their curiosity, expands their knowledge, and broadens their understanding of language.
• Family Jam Children (and adults) will love selecting a unique instrument and joining in one big class jam session each week.
• Musical Concepts. Fun engaging activities bring out the musicality in everyone, from the youngest member of the family to the oldest. Together you’ll learn more about music as you learn more about each other.
• Expert advice. A Kindermusik educator explains how our musically based activities enhance your child’s complete development.
• Learning continues at home. With the home materials, the learning continues at home with your child’s best teacher—you!

To celebrate this exciting new curricula coming to Serendipity Studio, one lucky family will win their whole semester's tuition back in full! As classes are limited to ten children, and my commitments mean I can teach a maximum of two classes a week, those are pretty fantastic odds. Find out more!

Golden Apple Lullabies

Whilst on my fantastical adventure to Australia over the holidays, I had the great privilege of hearing super talented Kindermusik educator Cliona Molins performing a song from her new CD, Golden Apple Lullabies on her harp.

In our Kindermusik class we often talk about the importance of teaching our young ones to relax - it's a learned skill, and something which we adults often struggle with!

A young child's life is a whirlwind of activity - every day they are learning new skills, and millions of new connections are forming in their brains. It's so important to have some quiet time in the middle of all of the adventures - we need to give our children the chance to 'just be' at all times of the day, not solely naptime & bedtime. Sharing beautiful soft lullabies is a wonderful way of sharing some quiet time together, just having a cuddle.

Visit Cliona's website, listen to the beautiful song samples, enjoy a cuddle with your child!

You'll love it.

At this stage, Cliona's CD isn't able to be shipped outside of Australia, however, if you would love a copy please get in touch with me and I can arrange it! It's on high rotation around here, that's for sure.

Last day for early-birds!

Just a quick message from us today!


Remember - the early bird discount offer closes tomorrow :) Pay your deposit before then & take advantage of a $10 discount on your term's tuition!


Jarvis & I are looking forward to next term already - especially with all of the inspiration I will have gained from the Kindermusik conference in Mooloolaba in two weeks time. 


Have a musical day :)
Kath & Jarvis 

...and freeze!

Freeze games are so much fun - the anticipation of when the music will stop, the giggling as you try to stay in one spot 'til it's time to move again, the springing back into life as the music starts up...

Not only are 'stop-start' games like this fantastically fun, they're also developing our all important inhibitory control. When our little ones are just getting used to this whole moving around business, their body takes a wee while to respond to the messages being sent by their brains. This is why you'll often experience a few crashes in the initial stages of walking and running - even though their brain is saying 'Stop!!', their legs often don't get the message 'til it's too late! 

As with so many things, the more we practice, the better we get! The more opportunities our children have to practice their stopping and starting, the stronger the connections between their brain & their feet will grow and the easier stopping on demand will become :) And being able to stop in a hurry is a useful skill to have - think about crossing the road, or having another person unexpectedly cross your path when you're running!  

Playing 'freeze' with some favourite music is a wonderful way to work on inhibitory control, as is taking a story for a walk (as we did in class with the story 'Little Feather'  - which you can download here! If you register with play.kindermusik.com you automatically get three credits - use one to download this lovely story!). 

Have a lovely weekend - try and find an opportunity to bring some stop-start action into your day ;)

:) Kath

Hickory, Dickory, Tickle and Bounce

A bit of a sad morning 'round here - the last lesson of the term! It's been so wonderful having all of the wonderful families come & be a part of our Kindermusik family this past eight weeks :) 


It was especially lovely to see our visitors at the 'Friends & Whanau' class on Saturday! The second time round was so enjoyable it's going to become a permanent fixture here at Serendipity Studio, I love having a class where Dads, Nanas, brothers, sisters, cousins and friends can all come along and see what we get up to on a Tuesday morning! 


Jarvis and I will miss all of our friends over the holidays, but don't worry - I'm accepting enrolments for next term's class!


Here's a little about our upcoming unit - Hickory, Dickory, Tickle and Bounce!

Research shows the more you expose your baby to nursery rhymes and songs, the stronger those emerging language-learning skills will be. That's why these Mother Goose-like stories and rhymes are the main theme of this class. Plus, you'll develop research-proven communication strategies with your child through listening activities, speaking "parentese," and sign language. 

Home Materials: CD of beautifully arranged nursery rhyme and songs from class, a rhyming picture board book—Hickory, Dickory, Tickle, and Bounce, a set of Art Banners, and an instrument for music-making at home. 

Our class exploded in popularity this term, leading to rather a full house! Our class size is limited to ten, so if you'd like to be a part of this gorgeous unit celebrating the nursery rhymes we all grew up with, be in quick! To take advantage of our earlybird discount, your $65 deposit needs to be in by Friday, September 17th :) 

Visit the website to enrol or to find out more! Everything's online - from the enrolment form through to payment facilities! 

Over the holiday break, I'll keep posting wonderful ways to share music with your family...looking forward to next term already!

Take care,

Kath

An excellent listen

Hello all! A very busy week around here - apologies for not posting until now. I might even get two posts in tonight if I'm tricky!


I listened to a fantastic piece on National Radio today, about the profound effects of music on our young friends - it even made mention of Kindermusik Village! It was an interview with Greta Bradman, an amazing singer who has studied developmental psychology and neurophysiology, focussing on the impact of music on the brain. 


I highly recommend you take a few minutes to have a listen :) It will reinforce that you really are making the best choice for your child by being a part of our wonderful Kindermusik family.


Radio New Zealand - Kathryn Ryan interviewing Greta Bradman