Little Songbird Music Studio

Today’s Awesome Fact!

elizabeth — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:10:59 +0000

“Resiliency – to bounce back after a disturbing event – is not something we are born with; it must be learned and sometimes that takes many years. There is no vehicle more joyful and playful for providing such training than early childhood music and movement.”
- Dee Joy Coulter, Ed.D.
Neuroscience Educator

Try This!

elizabeth — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:09:33 +0000

The toddlers in our classes respond very enthusiastically to this sweet, soothing rhyme.

Five little birds without any home, (Raise the fingers on one hand)

Five little trees in a row. (Raise the fingers on the other hand)

“Come build your nests in our

branches tall, (Interlace the fingers to form a nest)

And we’ll rock you to and fro!” (Rock the nest gently)

How Well Do You Know Your Nursery Rhymes?

elizabeth — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:08:46 +0000

A lot of our favorite nursery rhymes have very interesting back stories! For example, did you know that “Ring Around the Rosie” is referring to the first symptoms of bubonic plague, and “Mary, Mary Quite Contrary” refers to Mary Tudor, and her instruments of torture? That’s kind of a downer, isn’t it? Obviously, that meaning is lost on our children (thankfully!), but rhymes have a definite historic significance in linking us to our past. Do you know your nursery rhymes well? Here’s a quiz to find out!

Where Are We Going?

elizabeth — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:07:37 +0000

Where are We Going?

One of my favorite parts of the Musikgarten curriculum is its sequential nature. Musikgarten has a nine-year plan for your child, starting at birth, which can develop them into musically minded people at a very young age. Because the curriculum is so stable, activities are repeated year to year, with new musical elements added on as children mature.

Over the next few months, I want to explore the highlights of each of our different classes for you. But for today, I wanted to give you a general overview! Many parents don’t realize that you can go for a full nine years without repeating any particular class!

Music for Babies (0-18 months — two unique semesters available)
Music for Toddlers (15 months -3 1/2 years — four unique semesters)
Cycle of Seasons (3-5 years — 2 unique semesters)
Music Makers at Home (4-7 years — 2 unique semesters)
Music Makers Around the World (5-8 years — 2 unique semesters)
Music Makers at the Keyboard (6-9 years — 6 unique semesters)

These classes aren’t even including the special summer programs we run! Currently, at Little Songbird Music Studio, we offer all classes up through Cycle of Seasons. Starting in the fall, we will be adding both Music Makers classes for young elementary aged students. The following year, we plan on adding the keyboard class. So stick with it! The cumulative effect of the program is priceless! For more information on the philosophy of certain classes, please see Musikgarten’s website!

Five Little Fingers

elizabeth — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 19:06:27 +0000

Five Little Fingers

Our hands are capable of showing deep emotion and enormous sensitivity. Over the course of our lifetimes, humans learn to use our hands to communicate in ways unique to each individual. Children love exploring the subtle nature of finger and hand movements. Finger plays are one way we help children tap into that self-discovery!

Simple finger plays help children with self-discovery, promote relaxation and self-expression, guide vocabulary and improve language skills. The early auditory training of simple rhymes and poems improves early literacy skills and increases vocabulary.

My favorite part of finger plays, however, is the intimacy it creates between parent and child. Usually these are done close to the body, and close to a caregiver. Touching your child’s hand is a loving gesture recognized around the world, and gives your child a sense of love and security.

Today’s Awesome Fact

elizabeth — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:04:54 +0000

Research made between music and intelligence concluded that music training is far greater than computer instruction in improving children’s abstract reasoning skills.(Source: Shaw, Rauscher, Levine, Wright, Dennis and Newcomb, “Music training causes long-term enhancement of preschool children’s spatial-temporal reasoning,” Neurological Research, vol. 19, February 1997 )

Try This

elizabeth — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:03:58 +0000

To reinforce the language of music, play some echo games with your child! Sing two or three note patterns, and have them try to echo your sound. Echo back to your children sounds they make to you. This not only reinforces the importance of what they are “saying”, but also helps them to become aware of the sounds their voice is creating.

With older children you can create longer and more complicated patterns. Do you remember the game “Simon” from the 80′s? Make up a sound game in a similar way and see how far your older child can go!

The World’s Oldest Flute

elizabeth — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:02:28 +0000

One of the neat things about music is its universal nature. Music is played, danced to, sung and appreciated in every human culture we are aware of. Even ancient civilizations were music makers, as was evidenced this past summer when the world’s oldest flute was found in Germany. The flute was made out of vulture bone, and was found to be over 35,000 years old.

Music is a vital part of being human. In fact, some researchers have suggested that music was one of the first things to separate humans from Neanderthals. The discovery of a flute that is so old really speaks to how music is part of our human nature. For more about this flute, check out this article.

The Language of Music

elizabeth — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:58:24 +0000

I sometimes get funny looks from people when I tell them I teach music to very young children. Most folks understand the point of teaching a four year old, many people can get behind music for a two year old, but even some professional musicians become skeptical when I talk about teaching music to babies. After all, what can a baby possibly learn about music?

The answer, of course, is a lot! It turns out that the same part of our brain that processes language, processes music. We learn music the exact same way we learn language! In the same way we talk to children in our native tongue long before they start imitating us, early exposure to music and musical activities prepares babies for a lifetime of music fluency.

Music isn’t about how talented or gifted you are. Sure, there are many talented musicians with skills most of us will never match, just as Shakespeare was a far more talented writer than I can ever hope to be. But that doesn’t mean I’m not fluent in English. I can write, speak and read well. The English language is part of who I am. Music is the same way. A child who has early music training will never know what it is like to be afraid to sing out loud in public or have trouble keeping the beat in dance class. To this child, learning an instrument will come naturally and easily, because they already have the hard part, hearing what music should sound like, down.

We are currently registering children for summer classes. Why not try a class this summer?

Today’s Awesome Fact

elizabeth — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:57:51 +0000

A 2007 poll found that 88% of all post-graduate students in college and 83% of all people earning $150,000 or more had extensive musical training. — Poll, November 14, 2007 Reuters, Ltd.