Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Recital Tickets
There are still a few tickets left for recitals. $10.00 each cash only. Get them while at Master Class. No tickets will be sold at the door per the Elks Clubs By-Laws.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Thankful for being a part of my extended Kindermusik Family
I have been involved with Kindermusik since 1991. It was a decision that I will never regret.
My Daughter Bree went through Young Child many years (this was before Growing, Beginnings, Our Time, Imagine That and Village) she grew each time, increased her knowledge of music, and this weekend just competed in an East Coast Music Event where her team came in 1st place with a Superior rating, and she herself did very well on piccolo and flute. She's 18 now, and a Senior. This was her last competition as a highschool student.
I was reminiscing earlier this week, of where I first started the program, how HUGE it was those first few years when there was nothing else musical for young children to do in the area. How recessions hit (twice!) and new businesses were created to compete for the Kindermusik students......Yet Kindermusik with Sandie is still here!
But that's not what this is blog post is about. It's about continuation. Continuation not just of my Kindermusik program, but continuation of family connections. Of my connection to all of the children who's lives I have musically touched.
I have Kindermusik students who study privately now, with others or myself. Some are in HIGHSCHOOL! I just this week had an old private student bring in her children to join a Kindermusik class. I have had the cousins of some of my graduating students start their own Kindermusik adventure in the last few years.
Currently, out of 64 Kindermusik families...........I have been there to see new children born; once, twice, even three times with 63 of these families. I have been a musical part of their worlds, have even done Kindermusik Parties, Kindermusik Christenings and Kindermusik Hayrides for some of these families.
I have been connected to these families through happy times, and sad times. Just this last year, I heard of the loss of a father, who was taken so suddenly from his family. He himself had contributed many times to Kindermusik events that I had held in the past.
I am so honored, that these families, over these years have wanted Kindermusik with Sandie to be a continuing part of their lives. That sisters tell sisters and brothers what a rewarding experience it is or was for their own children, and I get a renewed attachement to old families. That grandparents tell friends children how it improved their own grandchildrens skills, and I get to know new families.
I know that all of my families have many choices for their children. I cannot thank them enough that they chose me, to share in their childs growth and learning.
Sing with you soon! Ms. Sandie
My Daughter Bree went through Young Child many years (this was before Growing, Beginnings, Our Time, Imagine That and Village) she grew each time, increased her knowledge of music, and this weekend just competed in an East Coast Music Event where her team came in 1st place with a Superior rating, and she herself did very well on piccolo and flute. She's 18 now, and a Senior. This was her last competition as a highschool student.
I was reminiscing earlier this week, of where I first started the program, how HUGE it was those first few years when there was nothing else musical for young children to do in the area. How recessions hit (twice!) and new businesses were created to compete for the Kindermusik students......Yet Kindermusik with Sandie is still here!
But that's not what this is blog post is about. It's about continuation. Continuation not just of my Kindermusik program, but continuation of family connections. Of my connection to all of the children who's lives I have musically touched.
I have Kindermusik students who study privately now, with others or myself. Some are in HIGHSCHOOL! I just this week had an old private student bring in her children to join a Kindermusik class. I have had the cousins of some of my graduating students start their own Kindermusik adventure in the last few years.
Currently, out of 64 Kindermusik families...........I have been there to see new children born; once, twice, even three times with 63 of these families. I have been a musical part of their worlds, have even done Kindermusik Parties, Kindermusik Christenings and Kindermusik Hayrides for some of these families.
I have been connected to these families through happy times, and sad times. Just this last year, I heard of the loss of a father, who was taken so suddenly from his family. He himself had contributed many times to Kindermusik events that I had held in the past.
I am so honored, that these families, over these years have wanted Kindermusik with Sandie to be a continuing part of their lives. That sisters tell sisters and brothers what a rewarding experience it is or was for their own children, and I get a renewed attachement to old families. That grandparents tell friends children how it improved their own grandchildrens skills, and I get to know new families.
I know that all of my families have many choices for their children. I cannot thank them enough that they chose me, to share in their childs growth and learning.
Sing with you soon! Ms. Sandie
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Should Price be the first or only factor in choosing a music program for your child?
I've been getting quite a few calls of late from parents wanting to know why my Kindermusik classes and or lessons are so much more expensive (not by much!) than the local Park and Rec programs. Directly in question was my "All Keyed Up" Piano Encounters weeklong camp for young children. The price at my studio for this program is $160.00 for 10 hours. The price for the compared Park and Rec program was $55 for 4 hours (or $137.50 for 10 hours). My first reply is always, I really can't answer that question as I'm not affiliated with the Park and Rec and/or the people who hold the programs, but I can tell you what I DO know.
These programs are priced lower because they are usually town, state or government subsidized. I myself did a program for special needs years ago in an adjacent town, and they charged families very little. Yet i was still paid my going rate.
In my program, there is a limit of 8 children, it includes music, a CD, a percussion instrument to work on steady beat at home, as well as a true evaluation as to whether your child is ready for private lessons. I pride myself on being honest about a students readiness, as it isn't good to set a child up for failure and discouragement if they truly are not ready.
In my program, you know that your child is working with a licensed and certified educator and musician.
What makes Kindermusik different from other young child music classes? Developmentally appropriate activities and tasks. We make sure that each program is appropriate for YOUR child. Even in our Family Class I make sure to go up to each parent and tell them how to use the activity or instrument in the appropriate way for their childs level. Children from Birth to 7 years of age aren't the same, and should be taught in developmentally appropriate ways!
Also, it is a struggle in these economic times, and sometimes those Park and Rec programs look 'just as good' and definitely look cheaper. Are you sure that program is being taught by an educator and or musician?
Is your child there to 'just have a good time' or to learn? Kindermusik through all it's levels teaches language skills, social skills, cognitive reasoning skills AND note reading and writing. Payment plans ARE available, just ask.
Dollar for Dollar, Kindermusik is still a great value at Kindermusik with Sandie. You receive at home materials including a CD (sometimes 2!) books, instruments and the comfort in knowing that your educator is indeed an educator and a musician!
School year semesters are LESS than $19.00 a week. We offer sibling discounts (almost 50% in our summer programs!) and the reassurance that your child will be learning and growing musically and developmentally.
Sing with you soon!
Sandie
Please like Kindermusik with Sandie on facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kindermusik-with-Sandie-Keys-Strings-Music-Studio/92286595899
Please like Keys & Strings Music Studio on facebook!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Why music is good for YOUR child....
Why music is good for YOUR child……
Yes, we’ve all heard it before. Bach for Babies, Mozart for Mommies, you name it, it’s out there. Music makes children smarter, Music helps with grades, Music helps with math skills. It’s almost overload. You see the studies, you glance over the titles….but do you really contemplate it for YOUR child?
A new Kindermusik Dad really got me thinking this week. Dad & Charlie came to visit an Our Time class. Charlie was a happy young man (26 months old). He was exploring every space, every nook and cranny of the living room (waiting area) the great room (class area) and the minds in motion area (aka my eclectic and not child proofed office, forgot to put the gate up!)
I continued to reassure Dad that this exploration was normal. That is was OK for Charlie to touch all of my bins out for the class. That I was happy he felt comfortable enough to go over to the kid sized table and chairs and sit and watch. He always rejoined when something new was brought out to explore. I gradually watched Dad relax, and not follow around so much. He sat on the floor, leaning back and watching his son. The more Dad relaxed, the more Charlie stayed in the class area. The more fun they both began to have….and before we knew it, class was over!
In talking with Dad later, his main purpose to join (and he did join!) was to give his son more social time with other children and families (OH YES!) to learn more about sharing and taking turns (YES AGAIN!) and to have a great time. I loved that this Dad was so ‘in tune’ to what his son needed.
So, what light bulb went off in my musical brain after this great start to a Kindermusik day?
I’m going to work even harder to get to know new families better. To find ways that Kindermusik (or music in general) will help each individual family and child. A child might have recently had a Birth to Three evaluation for fine or gross motor skills, or language delays. Music can help with that. A child might really need guidance processing sequences or routines. Music can help with that. A child might have been recently diagnosed as on the Autistic Spectrum. Music can help with that. A child might be recently adopted and or an only child and not know how to interact with other young people. Music can help with that. A family might be overstressed and just need a way to bond with each other in a fun yet educational way. Music can help with that too.
THIS….is why music is GREAT for YOUR child/children AND family.
Sing with you soon!
Sandie
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
It's all about the beat!
In all Kindermusik classes, there is always emphasis on hearing, feeling, moving, and even “seeing” a steady beat. It may seem very elementary, but it is essentially the cornerstone of music.
More importantly, steady beat plays a huge importance in our speech patterns, movement, thoughts and verbal organisation. From a baby’s first hesitant steps, he slowly finds his pace and soon starts to walk steadily and confidently. Our preschoolers who have a strong sense of beat would be able to use the scissors more skillfully. Ever watch a basketball game? The steady dribble of the ball before it is tossed smack into the basket require an acute sense of beat and timing. A master chef needs to have a command of steady beat in his knife skills. Even writers rely on a sense of steady beat and rhythm in their prose to produce a good read.
Because it is such a fundamental element, parents and teachers often do not give sufficient attention to the development of this very important underlying skill – a strong sense of beat. The consequence of insufficient steady beat experiences in early years can result in poor physical coordination, halting speech (in some cases, stuttering), and even weakness in thought flow. Would you have imagined that something so apparently a strictly musical characteristic can have such bearing on so many areas of our functioning?!
Here are some simple and fun activities that you can do with your child at home to reinforce the concept sense of steady beat:
Movement – Turn on the music and pretend to be a marching band. March, stomp or jump to the music. For younger babies, put them on your lap and bounce to a steady beat or dance with them around the room to the steady beat of the music.
Instrument play – Use the instruments from your home materials or make your own. An old pot and spoon will make a very fun ( and loud!) drum. Practice keeping a steady beat along with the music.
Reading – Nursery rhymes are a great way to introduce steady beat. Clap or tap along as you recite your child’s favourite rhymes.
Originally on the Kindermusik Asia Blog by Chiat Goh. Chiat is the Founding Director and Educator Mentor of Kindermusik Asia.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Why Music & Movement are so important to Early Childhood Learning
An exerpt from a terrific article on Infusing Music and Movement in Early Childhood Learning published in the ECMMA newsletter.
Musical Concepts
Early childhood is a time when comparatives such as big and small, hot and cold, loud and soft, high and low, or fast and slow are introduced. This is a great time to work with musical comparatives as well. “Children seem to demonstrate elements of expressiveness through changes of loudness and speed . . .” (Swanwick, 1991). Teachers should choose a varied repertoire of fast and slow, loud and soft, higher and lower, and smooth and choppy songs.
The concept of fast and slow can be experienced with a lullaby and a march. To help students experience a slow piece, give each student a teddy bear or stuffed animal and sing a song such as the American lullaby Hush, Little Babyor All the Pretty Little Horses, an African-American lullaby from the southern United States. Ask the children to rock a stuffed animal to sleep, as a mother would rock a baby. In contrast, play an excerpt from John Philip Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever. Ask children to step the beat, clap, or jump with the music. Children can immediately demonstrate the difference they feel between these two musical ideas.
The Old Grey Cat(Spotlight on Music, 2005) is a fun song that illustrates fast and slow. See the Pony Galloping(Spotlight on Music, 2005) and Rig-a-jig-jig and Away We Go(Feierabend, 2004) are excellent examples of smooth and choppy. My Many Colored Days(Seuss,1996) explores musical contrasts and the book has a recording available.
Once students are familiar with a core of songs, the teacher can start to introduce the comparative words and children can identify the differences. A word wall with the terms Long- Short, Fast-Slow, Loud-Soft, Smooth-Choppy would be very appropriate for the early childhood classroom or home school area.
Watching children during their times of play, teachers and parents can recognize that the fun children have in singing a new song over and over again, exploring new moves with their bodies, or creating new sounds is the method by which they process and retain new information. Implementation of “playing as learning” into all musical activities will allow children to demonstrate their new skills in a joyful atmosphere of learning. Moreover, the knowledge that children are learning as they play through music is simply the icing on the cake.
By Jana Fallin, Ph.D.
with Staci Horton, Susan Vice Bennett, and Diana Taylor
Musical Concepts
Early childhood is a time when comparatives such as big and small, hot and cold, loud and soft, high and low, or fast and slow are introduced. This is a great time to work with musical comparatives as well. “Children seem to demonstrate elements of expressiveness through changes of loudness and speed . . .” (Swanwick, 1991). Teachers should choose a varied repertoire of fast and slow, loud and soft, higher and lower, and smooth and choppy songs.
The concept of fast and slow can be experienced with a lullaby and a march. To help students experience a slow piece, give each student a teddy bear or stuffed animal and sing a song such as the American lullaby Hush, Little Babyor All the Pretty Little Horses, an African-American lullaby from the southern United States. Ask the children to rock a stuffed animal to sleep, as a mother would rock a baby. In contrast, play an excerpt from John Philip Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever. Ask children to step the beat, clap, or jump with the music. Children can immediately demonstrate the difference they feel between these two musical ideas.
The Old Grey Cat(Spotlight on Music, 2005) is a fun song that illustrates fast and slow. See the Pony Galloping(Spotlight on Music, 2005) and Rig-a-jig-jig and Away We Go(Feierabend, 2004) are excellent examples of smooth and choppy. My Many Colored Days(Seuss,1996) explores musical contrasts and the book has a recording available.
Once students are familiar with a core of songs, the teacher can start to introduce the comparative words and children can identify the differences. A word wall with the terms Long- Short, Fast-Slow, Loud-Soft, Smooth-Choppy would be very appropriate for the early childhood classroom or home school area.
Watching children during their times of play, teachers and parents can recognize that the fun children have in singing a new song over and over again, exploring new moves with their bodies, or creating new sounds is the method by which they process and retain new information. Implementation of “playing as learning” into all musical activities will allow children to demonstrate their new skills in a joyful atmosphere of learning. Moreover, the knowledge that children are learning as they play through music is simply the icing on the cake.
By Jana Fallin, Ph.D.
with Staci Horton, Susan Vice Bennett, and Diana Taylor
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