Vocal Development Leads to Decoding Symbols

All children can learn to sing. The voice is our most important musical instrument, and the children bring it with them to every music class. The use of the child's own voice and body is the point of departure for his or her musical involvement and development. Vocal imitation of all kinds of sounds and the accompaniment of movement with vocal sounds lead to an exploration of the vast range of possibilities of the human voice. Combining vocal exploration with movement is the path to understanding basic concepts of sound and graphic notation.

Why we use hoops and scarves in a music class with young children

Exploration of the space defined by the hoop is helpful to the child in order to establish the boundaries within which s/he can move.  Moving a hoop up, down, and around the body further identifies its space, contributing to the building of body image.  Later on, around age 5, a child needs to learn the concept of high notes versus low notes.  A hoop is perfect for learning this concept in a very concrete way.

With scarves, spatial concepts are clarified and directionality (up/down, side/side) is greatly enhanced.  The light, flowing movement of the scarf also leads the child naturally to expressive movement, and children need to move in order to learn.  Source:  Musikgarten, Music Matters

Teach musical finger numbers early

Ask a friend to hold up his/her first finger. Many adults will hold up their "pointer," or their second finger. In music, your thumb is finger number one, pinky is number five and so on. Make up a game or a song in the car and have your child sing it with you as they wiggle each finger. Remember, one through five for each hand, not one through ten. That would be another error for future musical success. The left hand mirrors the right hand so put your right hand up to a mirror and talk about that with your child as well. When your child traces his or her hand on a piece of paper, help them number the fingers one through five on the right and five through one on the left.

Recipe for Swine Flu Protection

Recipe to protect yourself from the swine flu - or to use if you get it to speed recovery!

2,000 units of vitamin D a day
12 caplets of probiotics such as "Garden of Life" Primal Defense - daily - (if you use another brand, you'll need to calculate the safe dosage)
2 to 4 TBSP pure coconut oil
12 drops of oil of oregano
Use as a mouthwash twice a day – 2 TBSP colloidal silver solution (do not swallow)

A friend of mine - his teenage daughter got the swine flu, and he says this recipe helped her to get over the flu fast. A couple of months ago, a report on www.cbn.com stated that there is scientific evidence that vitamin D and probiotics boost the immune system, helping to ward off any flu.

Circle dances and singing create a sense of community

Even the very young begin to enjoy the pleasure of the circle, and listening and moving together. Rhythm, melody, and form are experienced directly in singing games. Because they are so joyous, the group will often want to repeat the games frequently. The repetitions of song combined with movement/dance are helpful in aiding auditory, muscular, and kinesthetic memory in a positive way. Forming a circle is an age-old way of playing together. Circle dances are tied to the tradition of folk dance, and both the songs and dances learned in that context are children's treasured memories. They are shared and passed on from generation to generation.

How to learn musical intervals

Musical intervals are easy when you use these mnemonics (memory aides) - the beginning(s) of "Oh When the Saints" is a perfect third, "Here Comes the Bride" is a fourth, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" is a fifth, and "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" is a sixth! - Thank you Allen Webber of Palm Beach Community College!

Halloween Safety Tips

A great alternative to Trick or Treating is for parents to organize parties at home, in schools, at a mall, community center, or places of worship.

If you do make the rounds in a neighborhood, here are some safety tips:
# Have adult supervision.
# There is safety in numbers. If they’re old enough to trick-or-treat without an adult, tell your kids to stay in a group.
# Map out your plan. Plan out a route before your kids begin trick-or-treating, and make sure they stick to it.
# Take the long way around. Have your kids trick-or-treat in areas where there are a lot of people around. They should also avoid taking short-cuts through alleys and parking lots.
# Try tick-or-treat-friendly homes. Ensure your kids only visit houses with lights on. And, you might also suggest the houses they visit have some sort of Halloween decoration on the porch.
# Stay outside. Make sure your kids don’t go inside someone’s house. They can get their candy from the porch.
# Remain visible. Dress your kids in a bright costume so others can see them. If their costume is dark, have your kids wear reflective strips or carry a glow stick or flashlight.
# Remember, shorter means safer. This goes without saying but just in case you forget, make sure your kids’ costumes aren’t so long that they can trip over them.
# Don't cover the face. Instead of masks, have your kids wear make-up so they can see better.
# Check your kids’ candy before they eat it. Throw out any candy that is not in its original wrapper or looks like it has been tampered with.
# Say "no" to strangers.

Why Gentle Bouncing is Beneficial in Music Classes for Children

With bouncing activities the adult can give the child a full-body experience of steady beat. This is especially important in our time, when adults and children alike spend a lot of time in a seated position (car, couch, etc). The rhythmic up-and-down movement on the parents' legs is very stimulating to the whole body of the child. The movement also enhances the vestibular function of the ear, which is to register body position, movement, balance, and speed.

The toddler feels confident holding the parents' hands and is free to enjoy a kinesthetic response to movement. Located in the muscles, joints, and tendons of the body, the kinesthetic system gives information on how the movement feels while it is happening. While in air momentarily, the child experiences a feeling of weightlessness that stimulates the brain's energy. The sound of the voice itself is pleasurable and energizing and heightens the delight of the rhythmic bouncing.

Encourage creativity in your child with music

When you notice your baby cooing vocal slides, imitate them. When your toddler or preschooler sings a song or a rhythm, reply in the same musical way. Any tune will do. Make instruments from things you find in the kitchen (I bet you already have). There are some great ideas for homemade instruments on www.familyfun.com
Provide simple instruments of good quality sound such as jingle bells, shakers, and rhythm sticks. You can keep these in your car and take them out one at a time when you and your child are listening to a CD. Explore just one instrument at a time. Explain that these are not toys, and they need to be treated with respect. (Thanks to Jan Boner and ECMMA www.ecmma.org for the above ideas from "Perspectives," Winter 2007)

Your child can sing

All children are innate singers! In fact, the cooing of a child is very light, high, and musical. By keeping the child in a singing-rich environment your child will retain his/her singing voice and gain control of it in an ever-expanding range. And singing songs, playing instruments, dancing, and rocking with you elevates these experiences so they live on in the mind of the child forever.

My blog on Yahoo News Reader

I just added my blog url to My Yahoo News Reader. You can too, and you will receive an alert whenever a new blog is published. http://susansmusik.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Keep your children happy in the car with music

Going on a road trip this summer with your children? Don't forget to take your favorite music with you. Before you starti hearing "Are we there yet?" just put in your cd or i-pod and play some broadway tunes, your Musikgarten CD, or whatever music you and your family enjoy together. If you are singing along with the CD, you will soon discover that your children will sing along too. Find a song that you ALL like, then turn off the CD and see if everyone can sing the song without the CD help. Have a contest to see who can sing all the words from memory! With music, you'll arrive at your destination happy, with a lot fewer sibling arguments.

Want a Better Marriage?

Does it feel like your marriage is on the rocks? Check out this website - Chris Siggins has it together - http://www.rockmyfamily.com/

Can Loud Music Hurt Your Ears?

Find out if loud music can hurt your ears
http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/rock_music.html

Flying overseas this summer?

If you go to Europe this summer, be aware that vendors will now add on a 3% charge to your bill when you use your credit cards like VISA www.fodors.com

Also, if you plan to wear a mask on the plane, make sure it is at least N95 particulate to be effective. Check with the cdc website before you pack...

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/

A great game to play with children on a plane is Monopoly (or so many others) on your laptop -

http://www.boardgamecentral.com/games/monopoly.html

Advice on choosing your seats on a plane

Experience may not be the best teacher, but it's a surefire way to learn. I just learned about seats on a huge transatlantic plane and how to choose yours. Before you make your selection, go to http://www.seatguru.com

Have the name of the airplane handy, such as Airbus A333
Then you can see which seats are better, which have less leg room, which to try for, and which ones to avoid.
I wish I had known this before my husband and I chose our seats for our Paris trip. We have seats with almost no leg room, and seats that are a bit more narrow than the rest of them! I'm hoping to be able to change them somehow, but yesterday that was not possible.
Yes, I know this has nothing to do with music but it might help with parenting if you are taking your children with you on a long trip.

Portable Behavior Kit for Parents

Time out is a good method to modify and shape your toddler's behavior. Once a child can walk and stand, having a time out as a consequence for willful disobedience is an effective way to help your child learn self control, and to recognize you as their God-given authority. A child psychologist suggested to me that I use a kitchen towel for this. At age 18 months, my son had to stand on the towel for 1.5 minutes during the time out. At age 2, 2 min. Age 3, 3 min., and so on. The last time he stood on a towel as a consequence was when he was 6 years old.

I kept a towel with me at all times. It worked in the grocery store, the parking lot at church, even at Epcot center. He was a strong-willed child, and by age 3, my husband and I had pretty much won the battle of the wills, thanks to this technique and to the towel! We did not discipline in anger, only in love, firmly, and often with tears in our eyes. Today, at age 23, my son is one of the happiest, most organized and motivated guys I've ever known. Self disciplined, generous, and joyful. Hey, we made lots of mistakes as parents, and I mean a lot. But with God's help, we did some things right.