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

Music for children with Autism and Special Needs

This article is borrowed from several newspaper articles which are quoted at the end. I post this as one of my greatest joys is working with children on the Spectrum as well as other special needs children in both Kindermusik AND private lessons on piano AND violin. I have had nonverbal children who won't make eye contact learn how to read music. To share these joyful experiences with families of special needs children (and young adults) is one of the reasons I continue to work on my own skills and learning.

While most everyone is aware of the fact that autism brings many challenges and obstacles to the lives of those affected by the disorder, there are many facests of autism that people are not aware of.

One such characteristic of autism is the fact that most autistic children have little to no impairment in musical ability. This is largely due to the fact that most people who have autism are more severely affected in the left hemisphere of their brains. The left hemisphere is the more verbally inclined part of the brain, while the right hemisphere is responsible for functions employed in such areas as art, music, and abstract mathematics.

Children with autism often have a great deal of difficulty recognizing the emotional tone in verbal speech, yet almost all of them can easily tell the difference between “happy” and “sad” music. (1) They often have a high degree of enjoyment for music because it is easier for them to relate to and decode music than it is for them to take part in verbal dialogues. They often display a great aptitude for remembering song lyrics and are more likely to initiate a conversation through singing than through speech. Additionally, greater motivation and attention, as well as a higher level of emotional engagement when taking part in musical activities is often seen in children with autism.

Recent studies have revealed that there is an area within the right hemisphere of the brain that mirrors the part of the left brain responsible for interpreting letters and words. This part is responsible for understanding musical notes and passages of notes. (1) Some ability of transfer has been seen by which the right hemisphere can assist in verbal functions when the left is incapacitated. This is evidenced by the fact that some people with severe stutters resulting from brain damage or otherwise are able to sing unimpeded, such as the famous country music star Mel Tillis. Medical professionals say that these cases indicate that musical training can be highly beneficial in enabling the right hemisphere of the brain to acquire left hemisphere abilities. Such activities as playing/singing music to a young child or having them do the singing themselves (as well as dancing or taking part in other rhythmic activities ) could very well aid in developing the neurological structures needed for the learning of language.

Piano lessons have proven very helpful for both high functioning autistic children as well as people who are not mentally impaired in improving verbal and communication abilities. Many areas of cognitive function are improved such as auditory processing, memory, bilateral coordination, and fine motor skills. (1)

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) of the United Kingdom completed an analysis of autistic children’s musical abilities which helped them to discover that the majority of children with autism have an excellent level of proficiency in tone recognition. Dr Pamela Heaton of the ESRC was quoted as saying, “A lot of work has been done on musical autistic savants with exceptional musical memory and rarely found absolute perfect pitch ability. However, our research shows that even non savant autistic children without these special talents and no musical training can have highly developed musical ‘splinter skills’. If we could develop effective non verbal musical training methods, we might be able to understand more about the way these children learn and process other information.” (2)

During the same investigation, a group of juveniles with autism and a group of non autistic juveniles were tested with a series of musically related tasks. One such test consisted of the subjects using a touch screen laptop to identify notes by moving an image of a child up and down a flight of stairs. The autistic children were especially interested in this and they were able to complete the test with 89% accuracy as compared to the 30% accuracy achieved by the control group. (2)

This further points out the advanced attention to detail and analytical listening abilities possessed by many autistic children which can be honed further through immersion in music and musical training.

While children with autism have time and again been proven to benefit from involvement with music, the positive change that music can bring into lives is not only limited to those with autism. A 2009 article in the Chicago Tribune details the strides made by two young women through musical training. One of these young women has Down Syndrome and the other is afffected by attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

In addition, the article points out the fact that more and more students with disabilities are being signed up for music lessons, both for instruments and voice than ever before. This is partially due to the ability of music to engage and challenge the auditory, motor, and visual function of the brain through listening, reading, notes, and manually playing musical instruments. Listening to music has also been proven to stimulate the areas of the brain in responsible for paying attention, making predictions, and updating memory, according to Vinod Menon, associate professor of psychiatry, behavioral science, and neurosciences at Stanford University. He continues to state that making music is a good way to “engage multiple networks in the brain”.(3)

With all of the benefits of musical training being discovered by medical professionals and by private citizens for those with disabilities, it is no wonder that enrollment for people with special needs is increasing exponentially. Much work and research remains to be done, but it seems that right now we are only beginning to scratch the surface of the wonders that music and music lessons can work for people with special needs.

Bennet, Sue “Gifted and Disabled” Autism Coach www.autismcoach.com/gifted_with_learning_disabilitie.htm
Economic and Social Research Council. “Autistic Children Show Outstanding Musical Skills”. May 27, 2004
Music Therapy: Teachers Strike and Emotional Chord With Disabled Students. Chicago Tribune. December 21,2009

Practice Competition Winners

On December 1st we started a Practice Competition that all students were given the form and rules to. This competition set goals of 3 levels, 12 - 17 hours, 18 - 24 hours and 25 plus hours within a 45 day period. The rules were stated on the compeition forms that had to be turned in that they had to be turned in by January 9th, 2010. Prizes were adjusted to give a larger prize to 1st, 2nd and 3rd with runner up prizes based on hours practiced.

The goal was to help children add more instrument time to their daily routine with a reward for their hard work of a gift card to local businesses. We hope that this years winner's hard work will get everyone excited to participate when we offer it again next school year.

The winner's were:

Sitara Zoberi 16.75 hours

$20 Itunes giftcard

Lilli Cartiera 16.5 hours

$20 Showcase Cinema giftcard

Hilal Zoberi 14 hours

$15 Toys R Us giftcard

Nicholas Marinelli 12 hours

$10 Gamestop giftcard

Morgan McNabola 12 hours

$10 Walmart giftcard

Megan Niu 9 hours

$5 Barnes and Noble giftcard

Rebecca Spadacenta 9 hours

$5 Panera Bread giftcard