Kindermusik Family Time Our Kind of Day Week 1

Dear Family Time Parents, Welcome to Kindermusik’s Family Time! I am so delighted to share this time with you. Already in class this week you saw how music can help your family laugh, share, and learn together. But did you know that making and exploring your own home-made instruments provides opportunities for your children to learn and discover? Together they will make comparisons, conduct sound experiments, and talk about their findings, which in turn will strengthen their thinking skills.
Next to making music in class with your child, the most important thing you can do to accelerate and nurture your child’s development is found in your At Home Materials. The more you use the book, CD, and home activity ideas, the more you’ll discover just how much your child can do. This week, you’ll find ideas for making other shaker instruments at home using dried beans, rice, beads, popcorn, or paper clips.

I can’t wait to hear all about it next week! Rituals – Greeting and good-byeituals help children feel comforabl, knowdged, and ready for learning. The ritual of beginning and ending class the same way each week creates a sense of emotional security for the child, provides order to the child`s world, and can ease feelings of vulnerability.

Laughter – To your health! Laughter helps strengthen the immune system, lower blood pressure, and reduce stress levels. In addition, humor helps young children handle problems or crisis situations, enhances their social skills, and helps them to create social bonds – so laugh away!

Literacy – Children who participate with adults in piture-book reading will begin interalizing some of the basic skills and concepts that are so critical for true literacy. Reading together:

Expands vocabulary and knowledge of story structures
Promotes critical thinking and problem solving
Fosters creative expression and language play
Develops the same skills that build musical language literacy

Emotions and Learning – Emotions have a tremendous impact on learning. Simple family activities like rocking together help develop a child`s sense of security and worth, allowing him to grow into an assured, confident learner with healthy self-esteem.

Music for Young Children Moonbeams I Feb Start (keyboard Ages 7 - 9) Lesson 12

S-10 Verse 3
S-11 Look What I Found!
S-12Clap,Clap,Clap
S-15 A Friendly
Sharp
S-26 Tchaikovsky

H-24 Note Value
Math
H-22 G Major

W-26, 27 G
W-66 FF
W-23 Roller Coaster Ride

K-30 Drop, Drop
K-31 Sunflowers
PT-31 Ears

(KS-68 Months)
(KS-73 Winter Time)

L-14 Intervals

E-22 Reverie
E-1 Composer Geography

Composing:
Sequence W-22 Tied Notes

Terms/Concepts:
G+ scale (keyboard side of tin sheet)
(W-22) Tied Notes1st and 2nd ending
(ES-32, 33) Jingle Bells Duet/Trio

Music for Young Children Sunbeams I (keyboard Ages 5 - 6) Lesson 33

S-59 My Tummy Aches
S-55 Special Sunbeams
S-60 Tricks
S-56 Clothespin Exercises (3)
S-57 Chopin (3)
S-58 Cuckoo (2)


H-101 Feeling natural
H-103 Harmonic

a natural minor
K-114 Unicorn Suite
K-116 Sore Eyes


L-41 How does the music make you feel?

E-37 Playing Tricks
E-35 Prelude in A (3)

Music for Young Children Moonbeams I (keyboard Ages 7-9) Lesson 32

S-21 Legato and Staccato
SS-35/37 Moonbeams Groove

H-56
H-60

W-56/57 a minor Right/Left Hand Scales
W-66 (trill) Finger Fitness
W-59 #2 Changing Chords

I can do a trill exercise
I can do contrary motion

K-55 HT
K-57
K-58

(SR-3)
(KS-95)
(KS-96)

L-29

ES-37 Camptown Races

Music for Young Children Sunshine 1 (keyboard Ages 3-4) Lesson 34

S-30: Little Mozart
S-36-37: A Butterfly

H-49: count the spaces

K-73: Measles

*’This is C’ scale, RH, LH

KS-31: Music Class Is Over

E-22: Go Tell

Music for Young Children Moonbeams I Feb Start (keyboard Ages 7 - 9) Lesson 11

S-10 Verse 2
S-14 Firetower Fred
S-15 Friendly Sharp
S-17 Lines

H-21 Sharps
H-20 Favorite Songs
H-17 Flashcards

W-21 Keeping Fit
W-22 Tied Notes

K-28 Mary
PT-25 Doctor, Doctor
E-8/9 C Major Trio

(KS-69 Aura Lee)
(KS-99 Happy Child)
(PT-11 Old Blue)

Rhythm bag: 2/4 time (W-21) Keeping Fit
Tin sheet : find 3 places for C,D,E,F,GName snowman chord: bottom note

L-12 Rhythms

E-8/9 C Major Trio

Composing Ideas:
Repetition W-73 Doctor, DoctorSequence E-8/9 C Major Trio

Music for Young Children Sunbeams I (keyboard Ages 5 - 6) Lesson 32

S-58 Cuckoo
S-54 Snake Pit (3)
S-56 Clothespin Exercises (2)
S-57 Chopin (2)
SS-68,69 I went to Visit the Woods One Day

K-85 Stepping Is Grand

H-102 Chopin

W-20 Spring

K-109 Pop Suite 2, 3
K-111 Soccer

(KS-164 Celebrate)
(K-109 PopSuite(2,3))
(KS-165 Who is he?)

L-42Listen

E-33 Musette (4)
E-35 Prelude in A (2)

Dotted quarter note
All bridges to G scale

Music for Young Children Moonbeams I (keyboard Ages 7-9) Lesson 31

S-21 Legato and Staccato
SS-35/37 Moonbeams Groove

H-51

W-56/ 57 a minor Right/Left Hand Scales
W-65 Finger Fitness
W-70 Finger Fitness

5 finger exercise
Staccato

K-55 HS

H-29 ( to play)
(duet-parent/child – maybe with chords?)

SR-2

KS-94-KS-100 assign according to class needs
K-56 andante

c minor

L-28 + L-29

ES-37 Camptown Races

Music for Young Children Sunshine 1 (keyboard Ages 3-4) Lesson 33

S-29: Bells
S-30: Little Mozart
S-36-37: A Butterfly

Review
H-51: count the lines
*’This is C’ scale, RH, LH

KS-27: Snow and Ice
KS-28: Mrs. TC’s Friends

E-22: Go Tell
2-part Rhythm Ensemble

Kindermusik OurTime Away We Go Week 15

There’s a little drum a beating ......it's my heart!

Our entire lives, our heartbeat provides a constant sense of rhythm. It’s no wonder that we are all drawn to drums. Research shows that the act of drumming actually changes the chemicals in our brains, relieving stress and creating a sense of well being.

As you saw in class, there is no limit to the ways a drum can be made. This week play with your homemade drum together, and see what else you have that can be a drum.

I bet it “beats” any other activity you can think of!

Kindermusik’s Foundations of Learning - some of the benefits your child received from today’s activities are:

Movement and Learning: “Movement is the key to learning! Our brains fully develop through movement activities such as crawling, rolling turning, walking, skipping, reaching, swinging and much more! The brain has a plan for development that involves specific and intensive motor activities to make full use of our complicated nervous system.” – “Movement and Music: The Key to Learning: by Anne Green Gilbert, Kindermusik Notes Nov./Dec. 1998

Music for Young Children Sunbeams I (keyboard Ages 5 - 6) Lesson 31

Thank you for all those who shared your collection for our incentive programs! Keep using the same items in the coming weeks to keep track of your practices by transfering them to another containing. Can you break your own record in the coming week? Have you submitted your song for the recital? Please write down the title and composer. Yes, it is your own composition, you may play a second song. For your composition, 12 bars minimum, preferably hands together, recognizable patterns, at least a couple composition techniques, left hand melodic development or matching chords and a fabulous title etc etc...... Cheers!


S-56 Clothespin Exercises
S-57 Chopin
S-52 Travels (3)
S-53 The Best (3)
S-54 Snake Pit (2)
S-40 Squeeze (review re: triplet rhythm)


K-85 Stepping Is Grand

H-99 Baseball Season
H-115 Building More Bridges

WB – 37 G - E
K-107 Major Sounds
K-108 Pop Suite 1
K-113 A Happy Song

(KS-156 Baseball)

L-37 How does the music make you feel

E-35 Prelude in A
E-28 Sunbeams For Bells (4)
E-33 Musette (3)


Add G-E to scale
Triplet – used in rhythm stories only

Music for Young Children Moonbeams I (keyboard Ages 7-9) Lesson 30

Thank you for all those who shared your collection for our incentive programs! Keep using the same items in the coming weeks to keep track of your practices by transfering them to another containing. Can you break your own record in the coming week?

Have you submitted your song for the recital? Please write down the title and composer. Yes, it is your own composition, you may play a second song. For your composition, 12 bars minimum, preferably hands together, recognizable patterns, at least a couple composition techniques, left hand melodic development or matching chords and a fabulous title etc etc...... Cheers!

S-29 Major/Minor
S-27 Goodbye To Winter

H-63

W-52 Over Easy
W-69 Finger Fitness

K-54
K-46
KS-90 Hop Around

a minor scale- add I, IV and V7

Rhythm bags

L-27

E-24/ 25

Music for Young Children Sunshine 1 (keyboard Ages 3-4) Lesson 32

S-29: Bells
S-36-37: A Butterfly

H-58: Butterfly

K-71: Moon
K-72: Beethoven
*’This is C’ scale, RH, LH

L-33: patterns

E-21: Are You Sleeping?

Stepping Up and Down

Bee Artist Recipe Week 13

Happy Mothers Day! Our theme shape of the week is heart! The following are but some activities you may get your toddler involved:

1. Have your toddler present the flower bouquet and mother`s day card to Mammy or Grandma. If you need more....

2. Cut out a heart shape card using construction papers, have your toddler sign the card by making a hand print.

3. Cut out flowers and green stalks using construction paper. Have your toddler glue a 2-dimensional bouquet. Trace your toddler`s hand on construction paper. Cut out and have your toddler glue the little hand at the bottom of the bouquet. Sign on the little hand ``Happy Mother`s Day``

4. Remember to bring the bouquet back to next week`s class so we can change it into a flower pot. Don`t worry if it is broken or given away, we`ll just make some more flowers next week......

Kindermusik OurTime Away We Go Special Announcement

Please bring your homemade drum to class in the next two weeks. No stress if you forgot yours, we'll always have something ready at class for you.

May 24t and May 31st are bonus weeks for our semester. This is our way to serve you better to make up those sick days and important event days...

Have you register in our Summer Semester beginnning June 7th? Please have your cheque payable to MusicBee Academy ready by next class in order to receive your At Home Material in time.

Kindermusik OurTime Away We Go Week 14

Together we’re a circle of support, love, and belonging.

Our circle dances are a very special time in Our Time. A circle is a symbol of community, and in it we all contribute equally. For your toddler, our circle dances give him a chance to see everyone and be part of our community. There is no beginning or end to our circle, just as there are no leaders or followers; we all create our dance together.

At home this week sing, listen, and dance to all of the circle dances we’ve enjoyed as a group this semester. Whether you’re in a circle of two or many, your toddler will experience the vital feeling of belonging.

Kindermusik’s Foundations of Learning - some of the benefits your child received from today’s activities are:

Steady Beat: The most fundamental property of music is beat, the underlying, unchanging, repeating pulse. Feeling and moving to a steady beat develops a sense of time and the ability to organize and coordinate movements within time.

Ball Play: “Children are intrigued by bouncing balls. However, early in development, children are ‘moved’ by the balls rather than ‘moving’ the balls where they wan them to go..A veryfrequent occurrence is that the young child will drop the ball and then immediately flex at the hips to folow the ball down. The result most often is not only a ‘miss’ on the catch but a ‘hit’ in the chest or even the face as the rebounding ball collides with the bent-over child. In most cases, it takes some guidance for the child to ’notice’ that if the ball is dropped, it will bounce back up. It may also take some verbal rehearsal to help insure success as a ‘drop, wait, catch.’”

Kindermusik Family Time Movin' and Groovin' Week 10

Dear Families,

Families making music together, moving together and playing together is as much a treat for me as it is for your children. I can’t think of a better way to make friends.

Research suggests that when a toddler is engaged in free play with an older child, her pretend play becomes both more frequent and more complex. Mixed-age play also offers a number of benefits for older children, including enhancing social-emotional development and communicative behaviors. “It seems the efficacy of the dyad may be increased if the older play partner is familiar to, and perhaps a regular play partner of, the younger child” ~ Dr. Helen Kowlaski

As we come to the end of our ten week semester together, I’d like to thank you all for sharing your family with me. Please come to our May 17th and May 24th bonus classes for making up those sick days. If you’ve not yet re-enrolled in Family Time for the summer semester beginning May 31st, call or email TODAY so that you and your family can enroll in the next class.
And again, thank you for sharing your family with me,

Kindermusik’s Foundations of Learning - some of the benefits your child received from today’s activities are:

Benefits of Reading Aloud
Reading to a child on a regular basis benefits him in several ways. Reading increases his knowledge of the world, his vocabulary, his familiarity with written language, and his interest in becoming literate. As teachers, we should encourage parents or other family members to read aloud to their children at home – the larger the variety of fluent readers he hears, the better (Armbruster, Bonnie and Jean Osborn. 2001).

Movement
A child needs the freedom to move. It is important to allow him plenty of opportunities for movement in a safely arranged space where he can practice using the muscles in his body. This allows him to explore his surroundings, refine his coordination, release some of the energy that keeps him on the go, and develop new skills (http://www.zerotothree.org/brainwonders/parents-18-24-2.html).

Experiential Learning
Moving with a prop provides and excellent opportunity for multi-sensory learning. Gliding a hoop through the room to music, for example, engages the senses of touch, hearing, and sight. Moreover, children can visualize the rhythm and melody and physically apply what they are hearing when they move their props. What a fun way to experience music and movement concepts!

Music for Young Children Moonbeams I Feb Start (keyboard Ages 7 - 9) Lesson 10

Hope you picked up the humor and "I CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS" attitude at the mixed up zone. Special thanks to your mixed up spirit like back hand high five, walking backward, and COSTUME!!!!

Remember to bring your collection for our Incentive program next class!

S-10 Making Music
S-1 Clap
S-27 Goodbye to Winter
S-18 Spaces

H-14
H-15
W-19 Cooperation
W-20 Keeping Warm

5th finger legato exercise
Wrists stay out of snake pit

K-27 Notes That Hug
K-29 Copy Cat
K-24 Patterns

(PT-10 Peter And Mary)
(PT-32 The Bear)

L-10
E-8/9 C Major Trio

Music for Young Children Sunbeams I (keyboard Ages 5 - 6) Lesson 30

We were so mixed up in the Mixed Up Zone today! Loved the way you mixed up your outfit too! Remember that it is not true that "we can play just as well if we skipped all our practices".

"WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT" even when everything is mixed up!

Remember to share your incentive items next week at class!

S-54 Snake Pit
S-50 Let’s Turn Around (3)
S-51 Shoulders (3)
S-52 Travels (2)
S-53 The Best (2)

KS-158 Hop Around
K-53 Night Wishes

H-98 G Major octopus

WB – 37 F# - D

K-105 Salt and Pepper
K-106 Good Old Duke of York

(H-115 Building More Bridges)

(K-87 add 3 bridges)

L-46 G major

E-31 Beautiful Water Music (4)
E-28 Sunbeams For Bells (3)
E-33 Musette (2)


Add F# - D to scale

Recital - Pick a song? Write your own?

Have you submitted your song for the recital? Please write down the title and composer.

Yes, if it is your own composition, you may play a second song. For Sunbeams and Moonbeams, it is preferred that your composition is a minimum of 12 bars, hands together, contain recognizable patterns, at least a couple composition techniques, left hand melodic development or matching chords and a fabulous title etc etc...... Cheers!

MYC Incentive Program - Collection

For this week's incentive program, please pick an item (coins, feathers, shells, stickers, leaves hair shed from your dog?) to collect for every single time you practice a song this week. Hm....5 songs x 5 times x 5 days would be 125 items! So pick something light and small and no bugs or anthing alive please! :D

Please bring your collection to class May 14th -May 20th

Music for Young Children Moonbeams I (keyboard Ages 7-9) Lesson 29

Welcome to the MYC mixed up zone! Things can be quite confusing and mixed up but we learned today that we can face changes and the unexpected with a little humor and the "I CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS" attitude. Stay tuned for more theme days and incentive programs.

For this week's incentive program, please pick an item (coins, feathers, shells, stickers, leaves hair shed from your dog?) to collect for every single time you practice a song this week. Hm....5 songs x 5 times x 5 days would be 125 items! So pick something light and small and no bugs or anthing alive please! :D

Please finalize your pick for our June 14th recital and start practicing the stage routine! Cheers!

S-27 Goodbye To Winter
S-29 Major/Minor

H-54
H-67

W-54/ 55 a minor Right/Left Hand Scales
W-53 Spider’s Pickup Dance

K-54

(PT-36 Firetrucks)
(KS-93 Crawly Caterpillar)
(KS-101 Ice Cream)
Add I, IV to a minor

L-26

E-24/25

Music for Young Children Sunshine 1 (keyboard Ages 3-4) Lesson 31

Recital: June 14th Saturday 2:30 at Broadmoor Baptist...check school calendar


S-10: We Can Move

S-32: Spring Song

E-17

H-57: high/low sounds

K-68-69: Little Bird

K-70: My Pet

*’This is C’ scale, RH, LH (IId)


L-43: voice channels
E-21: Are You Sleeping?
“This is C” scale pattern (l l d)

Kindermusik OurTime Away We Go Week 13

What goes up comes down with a bounce—and lots of laughter!

It’s all about learning something new the toddler way, which means challenging and inspiring that natural sense of wonder. And this week, it was all about having a ball.

Toddler’s don’t always realize the physical properties of a ball, and may be surprised and thrown off balance when a ball bounces back up. But, by practicing bouncing and rolling balls in class, she will learn to predict what the ball will do and move as she needs to maintain her balance and keep control of the ball.

She can use these balancing skills when learning new moves, like skipping and jumping. Rolling and catching the ball improves hand-eye coordination, which will help her with many activities as she grows.

The week will roll by quickly, so I’ll see you soon.

Kindermusik’s Foundations of Learning - some of the benefits your child received from today’s activities are:

Responding to the Unexpected: When things break it can be upsetting to children, and they often need help getting through the upset. Playing out a resolution to this type of event helps children rehearse an attitude of “I can do something about this.” Being able to respond to unexpected or undesired events in this way is an important life skill.

BeeArtist Recipe Week 12

Our theme shape of the week is square! The following are but some activities you may get your toddler involved:


1. Make more paper bag instruments and fruit.
2. Hang up the ocean felt.
3. Look for square items around the house.

Kindermusik Family Time Movin' and Groovin' Week 9

Our Lesson 9 & 10 will focus on energy: sudden and sustained, smooth and sharp, connected and disconnected. Understanding and controlling energy is an important skill that helps children with balance, expressive movement, and coordination. Throughout Movin’ & Groovin’, we have explored the many aspects of movement—tempo, levels, pathways, weight, and energy. I hope you have discovered that your family experiences each of these aspects in your everyday life. Movement and music can affect the way we feel: we feel different when we see or experience sharp movements instead of smooth ones. Just like in movement, music can be smooth or sharp.

While our semester of Movin’ and Groovin’ is almost over, more fun and learning awaits! Next semester, I’ll be offering a brand-new unit of Family Time, complete with new songs, materials, and benefits for you to enjoy. Alternately, you may wish to enroll your child in a different Kindermusik curriculum, such as Our Time (ages 18 months – 3.5 years), Imagine That! (ages 3.5 years – 5 years), or Music for Young Children Sunrise pre-keyboard for (ages 2.5 - 5) or BeeArtist Art and school readiness. Chat with me at your convenience to discover which program(s) is right for your family!

Kindermusik’s Foundations of Learning - some of the benefits your child received from today’s activities are:

Pairing the Brain Hemispheres
“[Because] the left hemisphere of the brain controls movements on the right side of the body, and the right hemisphere of the brain controls movements on the left side of the body, a person can refine the integration between the two sides of the brain through activities involving both sides of this body. These movements bring the two systems into balance. Successful integration between the two sides of the brain is necessary for improving all brain processes, including those for reading, writing, …motor skill development, and many others” (Cernicky, Gerry. 2006).

Inhibitory Control
Inhibitory control is the ability to inhibit responses to stimuli while pursuing a cognitively represented goal, allowing one to pursue a goal even in the midst of potential distractions, such as children crying or a television playing in the background. Inhibitory control has been linked to the development of emotion regulation, conscience, and social competence (Kochanska, G. 1996).

Belly Breathing
When you take deep breaths and blow on the streamers in this activity, you have the chance to talk about the value of deep breathing. Often our breathing is shallow and oxygen supply to the brain is limited. Breathing very deeply ensures there is an abundant amount of oxygen for higher brain functions; it also relaxes the nervous system, improves inflection and expression, and brings about improved attention span (Dennison, Paul E., and Gail E. Dennison. 1989).

Summer Recital Date June 14th Saturday

Location: Broadmoor Baptist Church

8140 Saunders Road, Richmond

Date: Saturday, June 14th, 2008

Time: 2:30 - 4:30pm

Audition begins June 1st for Private Students to determine your eligibility to perform at the recital.

Please mark your calendar. Have a wonderful time preparing for the piece(s) you are going to share with fellow students!

New families are welcome to join us. Please call 778-999-2888 or email musicbeeacademy@gmail.com

Irvin's Birthday Party

Thank you for participating Irvin's Terrific Two birthday party at Steveston Community Center's preschool room last Sunday. We had fun having lunch at the little tables, the birthday cake, gym activities, group games and music activities of course!

Music for Young Children Moonbeams I Feb Start (keyboard Ages 7 - 9) Lesson 9

S-9 Crescendos
S-11 Look What I
Found
S-8 Let’s Turn
Around
S-14 Firetower Fred

Solfege: Old Blue

H-13 Chords
H-14 Chords

W-15 On The Move
W-16 Getting In
Shape
W-17 Have A Rest
W-18 Chord Changes #3

Technique toolbox:
Hands getting stronger
Fingers curved
Wrists are relaxed

K-24 Patterns
K-25 Chord Fun
K-26 Groovin’ With Chords

(PT-9 Candy)
(PT-16 Who Is He?)

Tin sheet: IV chordRhythm bag: d

L-9

E-4,5 MYC Rocks

Stay positive parents!

“If you treat a person as they are, they will stay that same person; but if you treat they were the bigger and better person they can become, they will become that bigger and better person.” Eighteenth Century Poet
Johann Wolfgang Goethe

Seven Essentials of Effective Encouragement
adapted for children from a book by
James Kouzes and Barry Posner.

1 - Set clear standards - Be certain your child knows what is expected of him/her.

2 - Expect the Best - Communicate that you believe in your child and that he or she can do what is expected. (Be gracious with failures along the way!)

3 - Pay attention - Catch your child doing things well.

4 - Personalize recognition - Let your son or daughter know specifically what you appreciate about them and why.
5 - Tell the story - don’t be afraid to brag about what your child does right.

6 - Celebrate together - As a family, intentionally celebrate when one member accomplishes something significant.
7 - Set the example - It’s essential that you, as the parent, practice what you preach.

What a clip - Office Orchestra!

Music for Young Children Moonbeams I Feb Start (keyboard Ages 7 - 9) Lesson 8

S-8 Let’s Turn
Around
S-9 Crescendos

Solfege

Hot Cross Buns (play by ear)

H-12 < >

W-14 Right, Left,
Together
W-10, 11 C Major Right/Left Hand Scale
W-60 Wiggle Your Fingers

Terms and Concepts:

Crescendo & Decresendo

PT-25 Doctor, Doctor
K-23 Finger Tricks

(K-21 Yankee Doodle)
(KS-65 Sounds)
(KS-64 Neighbors)

L-11

E-4,5 MYC Rocks

Composition
Multiple of 4 measures

More Two's Time

Two's Time registration at Lang Center is May 5th

Two's Time registration at West Richmond is July 29th

MYC Theme Day - Mixed Up Zone

May 7th to May 13th is the MIXED UP week. In our mixed up zone, things can be quite confusing and mixed up and mismatched. You are welcome to flip your shirt inside out, mismatch your hair clips or socks or even have your watch facing out! We will learn that we can face changes and the unexpected with a little humor and the "I CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS" attitude. Stay tuned for more theme days and incentive programs.