summer schedule is up!

There is something for everyone this summer!
- Weekly classes for babies & toddlers
- Morning KAMPs (Kids - Art - Music - Play) for 3 1/2 - 5 and 5 - 7 year olds
- NEW this summer! mini-KAMPS. Mini-KAMPs (ages 4-7) are 2 hours long for 3 consecutive afternoons/evenings in July. Your little pirate and/or princess will enjoy this splash of FUN!

Two sessions are offered this summer. Sign up for one or both. Sign up for both and take 1/4 off second session. To do this, you'll need to register for both classes individually. Once you've registered or at least created an account, I'll modify your account to reflect the discount. Or simply call or email and I'll take care of it all for you!

Your child won't feel lost in the crowd at our KAMPs! Check out the schedule!

FLEXIBILITY is the word of the season. Vacations and last minute get-aways are bound to happen, and I completely understand that need. So we are very flexible with makeups and special circumstances. Don't hesitate to get in touch about your scheduling needs.

my secret crush

We Love Dan Zanes at our house! He's part bluegrass, folk, rock, blues, and definitely ZANE-y. Parents find him appealing too (and I happen to think he's just so darn cute!). A little bit of nonsense, yet perfect sense for a day in the life of a family with young kids. In Village class we're enjoying the Farm in Cock-a-doodle-MOO. Here's to the fun we're having in Kindermusik....ENJOY, and grab your little one and dance around the kitchen!

Kindermusik Birthday Party!

I've been getting more and more requests for Kindermusik birthday parties lately. It's been 3 years since I started doing music and movement parties, but suddenly in the last couple of months, there's been a surge. Some happy little children have been having awesome Kindermusik birthday parties with themes such as John Deere, Little Einsteins, Butterflies, Princess, and Safari. Every party has been unique and all have been a blast!

Now that my baby is 16 months old and my husband's schedule has changed a little, therefore freeing me up more on the weekends, there's room in the schedule for 2-3 weekend parties per month, either on Saturdays or Sunday afternoons/early evenings. Weekday parties are also a possibility.

Each child's party is unique and personalized, and if your child is enrolled in Kindermusik, then he or she probably has an affinity for a particular instrument or prop (drums, parachute, etc.). I'll weave your child's favorites into the activities and really make the day very special for your child!

I'll consult you with regard to a suitable theme tailored specially for your child. At a Kindermusik birthday party, you'll see puppets, instruments, circle dances, storytime, instruments exploration, instrument play-alongs, singing, creative movements and lots more activities to give everyone a delightful time!

Read more here and Send me an email or call 761-4290 today schedule your child's Kindermusik birthday party. I would LOVE to do it!

The secret language of babies

I'm always interested in learning about and sharing information that brings parents and children together in meaningful ways. My now 15 month old benefited tremendously as a little baby from my knew-found knowledge of Patricia Dunstan's Baby Language. The payoff? A more relaxed, content, and secure baby.

When my baby was a newborn, Priscilla Dunstan from Australia was receiving nationwide publicity over her insight into the 5 unique and distinguishable sounds babies make to communicate their needs.

I was definitely interested in knowing more, so I scoured the information and applied it when my baby cried. To my astonishment, it worked! It's really quite simple. Just tune in to your baby's different cries. Newborns function physically and emotionally by reflex, so it makes perfect sense to learn that they also are born with vocal reflexes.

Dunstan tested her baby language theory on more than 1,000 infants around the world. She found a consistent pattern of five words that all babies 0–3 months old say regardless of race and culture:

Neh= "I’m hungry"
Owh= "I’m sleepy"
Heh= "I’m experiencing discomfort or change me"
Eair= "I have lower gas"
Eh= "I need to burp"

Those “words” are actually sound reflexes, Dunstan says. “Babies all around the world have the same reflexes, and they therefore make the same sounds,” she explains. If parents respond to those reflexes early, they may continue to hear those "words" after the 0-3 month age; however, if parents don’t respond to those reflexes, Dunstan says the baby will eventually stop using them.

It's important that parents listen for those words in a baby’s pre-cry, the window of opportunity when baby is communicating his or her need and before baby gets so upset and hysterical that the sound is lost.

The musical connection: (from www.dunstanbaby.com)
"Already an exceptional violinist by the age five, [Dunston] could hear a piece by Mozart once, then play it back in its entirety, note for note. Her father, Director of the Educational Testing Centre at the University of New South Wales, found that his young daughter had an eidetic memory - a rare photographic memory for sound.

"During her teenage years Priscilla toured throughout Europe and Australia as an accomplished concert violinist. Priscilla then spent more than 10 years exploring the world of opera, where her talent as a mezzo-soprano deepened her understanding of sound produced by the human voice.

"When Priscilla gave birth to her son Tomas, her instincts as a mother and musician led her to believe that a baby’s cries had to be something more than just random sounds. Noting combinations of sounds in a journal, Priscilla explored various settling techniques and observed Tom’s reactions. Eventually she was able to recognize patterns, and identify how specific cries had a distinct need attached to them."

Priscilla says, "Because of my gift for sound, I was able to pick out certain patterns in his cries and then remember what those patterns were later on when he cried again. I realized that other babies were saying the same words.”

How to PREVIEW a Kindermusik Class for FREE!

Our spring semester is just around the corner and this is a great time to bring your child to a preview class!

There is no charge, of course. Just come and enjoy and see for yourself just what is so special about Kindermusik.

If you missed the demo days and friend days, it's okay! Send me an email or call me today at 919-761-4290 to schedule your FREE class!

Sign up on the day you preview, and you'll receive a Best Of Kindermusik CD for FREE!

View the schedule and enrollment options here.

cutie pie who LOVES Kindermusik!

It's always fun to find out that we've made news in a parent's blog. Here goes! (Don't miss the pic at the end!)

Click to visit the blog of one of my adorable little students named Lilly!

see what's in store for spring 2008

Scroll down to find info on toddlers, preschoolers, and young children.

Village for babies 6 weeks to 1 1/2.

Click here to view the schedule and enrollment options.

Cock-a-doodle MOO! This light-hearted curriculum is centered around farm animals and activities. Many familiar American folk songs are included, such as Skip to My Lou, Yankee Doodle and Old MacDonald. Babies enjoy vocal play with This Little Cow Eats Grass. Let baby know how special she is while singing a personal favorite, You Are My Sunshine. Begin the class with infant massage with Hey Diddle, Diddle and limb exercises to Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!
Babies enjoy playing loud and quiet on the large gathering drum to "Yankee Doodle." We enjoy playing specially designed instruments to The Farmer in the Dell. You will love dancing to Hop Up My Baby and Shady Grove. Bonding time is special during our quiet time for listening to Simple Gifts. The board book bears the name of this precious curriculum, Cock-a-doodle-MOO! You will personalize this book by inserting your baby's picture riding on the tractor! Learn about the latest research with babies, why reading & singing to baby is so important, how intentional touch stimulates the regulation of healthy levels of a stress hormone , and more!

We'll continue into spring with Dew Drops. This tender curriculum is centered around flowers and creatures outdoors. Familiar American and United Kingdom folk tunes we will sing include Lavender's Blue, Did You Ever See A Lassie?, London Bridge. Rock with your baby to Greensleeves and The Ash Grove and sing tender lullabies such as That's An Irish Lullaby, Annie Laurie and Sweetest Little Baby. Baby will love swinging in a blanket to Come My Little Darling. Your baby will love playing specially designed baby bells to All the Way to Galway, Rig-a-Jig-Jig and Ride a Cock Horse. All babies love banging on drums to Belfast Hornpipe. Dance with scarves to Jasmine Flower and Come Follow. Relax and bond with baby to Scarborough Fair.

A favorite dance is the Irish Trot and we will experience singing in a beautiful round to White Coral Bells. Baby will love the fingerplay, A Snail and a Grasshopper, as Baby learns about slow and fast. The beautiful board book includes pictures of various flowers. Baby will explore sponges and flowers and unbreakable mirrors. Learn fascinating facts about your baby's development such as why crawling is so important to the developing child to avoid learning difficulties later on and why musical beat reminds baby of mother's heartbeat and is integral in learning speech and reading later on.

Our Time for 1 1/2 - 3 years old.

Click here to view the schedule and enrollment options.

Away We Go! Toddlers love to GO! Going is their gift, their license to venture out into the world and their means of retreating to the security of Dad or Mom. With toddlers' desire to go comes an attraction to other things that go----people, animals, pull toys, tricycles, cars, planes, and the list goes on. Our transportation adventures are symbolic of the central theme in the toddler's life----the balancing act between independence (going away) and dependence (coming together). From the toddler's perspective, we run and jump into the arms of our grown-ups, then we fly away from them like airplanes in Run and Jump and Soar. We rush into the circle holding hands, then pull back out and raise our hands in the air all by ourselves in Zoom-e-oh Circle Song. We rock cozily together to Silver Moon Boat Then sit apart from each other to roll the ball while singing Keep the Ball-A-Rolling. Transportation naturally relates to music and movement in the toddler's life. Our lessons demonstrate this, linking music, movement and transportation through the concepts of tempo (fast and slow), level (up and down), and articulation (smooth and bumpy). Transportation sounds are interesting to listen to and imitate, while the toddler is learning to listen (as opposed to simply hearing). Away We Go! explores the concepts of stop and go and steady beat and basic spatial relationships awareness such as forward/backward, under/over, around/through, up/down, in/out and on/off. Some familiar chants and songs are Wheels on the Bus, I've Been Workin' on the Railroad and The Arkansas Traveler. Some music selections are tailor-made for this unit such as Soaring and Riding the Rails.

For Preschoolers 3 - 5 years old

Click here to view the schedule and enrollment options.

What’s more exciting to a 3 - 5 year-old than a new toy? How about an entire Toy Shop full of toys! Imagine the eyes of a young child lighting up as he enters an amazing toy shop filled with boats, trains, teddy bears, jack-in-the-box and many other delights. Better yet, imagine a toy boat coming to life and taking that child to a beautiful tropical island. Or a train that takes him wherever he dreams to go. Our newest Imagine That! curricula this spring is Toys I Make, Trips I Take and is designed to bring a young child's vivid imagination to life.

Materials include:a two full-color literature books,a home activity book with songs and activities, an interactive play set, two CDs and a beautiful double-sided purple drum! All new students will also receive the Kindermusik backpack.

Backpack. The backpack will carry items from class to home and creative projects from home to class. The backpack will carry items from class to home and creative projects from home to class.

Toys I Make~Trips I Take Home Materials

For the Young Child age 5 -7
If your child will start kindergarten fall 2008, then this is the class to look forward to!

We will begin a new cycle of the Young Child program fall 2008.
As the capstone to the child's Kindermusik journey, Young Child broadens and deepens the child's introduction to the fulfillment and excitement of musicianship. Young Child helps every child develop a confident, joyful voice for singing and speaking as well as essential building blocks for a future of learning. What could be more natural than the child who explores his world through music? Children love singing favorite songs such as Come and Follow Me, Star Light, Star Bright, Train Is A-Comin and Bell Horses, echoing vocal patterns and singing games like Farmer, Farmer. This semester, Mozart is the featured composer and we listen to many of his compositions, including A Little Night Music and selections from The Magic Flute. Other listening repertoire includes The Clock by Haydn, Cloudburst from Grand Canyon Suite, by Grofe, The Aviary from Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens and the percussion and brass families and their individual instruments. The children's favorite activity is playing various percussion instruments for ensembles such as A Weather Story, The Birds and a barred instrument called a glockenspiel for playing melodies. Children love to move to newly composed music for stories like Into the Woods and Magical Dancing Clocks. Other singing games are Dr. Foster, Tideo, Here Comes a Bluebird and Wild Bird. Parents will love the musical concepts that the children learn as we lay the foundation for future instrumental study. Concepts in Semester 1 are quiet/loud, steady beat, fast/slow, long/short, high/low, singing/speaking, melodic direction and actual reading and writing non-traditional and traditional rhythm and staff notation.

Click here to view the schedule and enrollment options.

Kindermusik! Seven magnificent, musical years!