Rachmaninov Had Big Hands

Here’s a fun little video a fellow Kindermusik educator shared with me.  Even though the folks in this video (Igudesman and Joo) may have stolen the idea from someone else, it’s very entertaining.  As someone with very small hands herself, I think I need to get me some of these!

Enjoy your week!

You’re Invited!

…to the annual Open House at Leigh’s School of Dance.  Come meet Julie, enjoy some cookies and punch, and see what Kindermusik is all about.  Register to win Kindermusik merchandise and discounted tuition!

Date: Saturday ~ August 22, 2009

Time: 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Location: 13490 S Arapaho ~ Olathe, KS

Hope to see you there!

Can’t Decide Whether to Enroll?

Julie is accepting registrations for the Fall session. Classes begin August 22, so enroll today! Not sure? Check out this video, or contact Julie about a free preview class!

Call today before classes fill up!

Random Thoughts from Summer 2009

As I write this, my Summer 2009 session has just concluded and my summer piano lessons are nearly over.  Here are some random thoughts as I reflect upon this summer:

• Babies can go from crawling to walking confidently in just a few weeks, and it’s an amazing thing to behold.
• According to Landon, age 3, the new Kindermusik one-bell jingles look like “mini-grills” and a chickita resembles a pepper shaker.
• Given the choice of walking like quarter notes or running like eighth notes, preschoolers will choose running every time (duh!).
• Folk tales and school-age children combine together in many unusual and wonderful ways.
• Even infants can experience musical concepts like legato and staccato.
• Hula hoops are wonderful things in the hands of young children.  You can roll, tap, swing, and jump in and out of them.  They can be boats, steering wheels, jumpropes, mowers, and yes, even plows.
• According to some preschoolers, egg shakers are cars, castanets are crabs/lobsters, and drums can be played with elbows and toes.
• Zig zag blocks turn an ordinary 2-year-old boy into Spiderman crawling up walls.
• Take 1 picture of a girl riding an octopus, 1 seashell, and 3 5- and 6-year-olds, and you have the ingredients for some amazing storytelling.
• It is possible to learn and teach 13 dances to 5 classes of 27 children and their parents in a period of 5 weeks (whew!).
• It’s really fun to see 7- through 10-year-olds getting excited about playing Baroque music.

Enjoy the rest of your Summer, and be sure to join us this Fall!

Perpetuum Jazzile – Awesome a Capella Group!

My most popular blog posting by far is of an a capella group called Straight No Chaser singing their rendition of “Twelve Days of Christmas” (watch it here for old time’s sake).

One of the great things about the Straight No Chaser performance is that it draws from “Africa” by Toto.  I thought I wouldn’t find another a capella group who could do justice to that song, but I was wrong.  Check out this rendition of “Africa” by Perpetuum Jazzile, an a capella group from Slovenia.  (Make sure you turn up your speakers to hear the rainstorm at the beginning):

Thanks to Kindermusik of Cambridge, where I first saw this. Have a great week!

Inside the Kindermusik “Bubble”

Today I’m going to step aside and let Michael Dougherty, the CEO of Kindermusik International, speak on my behalf.  I hope you’ll enjoy what he has to say.

We have learned the hard way in this recession that things are not always as they seem.  Banks are not as solvent, General Motors is not as mighty, real estate is not as valuable.  In fact, it seems as though we are in an epidemic of inauthenticity: character, genuineness, good faith, and sincerity are under siege.  It’s not fun to read the paper anymore.

But from within the Kindermusik bubble, the world looks like it always has. The Kindermusik classroom bursts with authenticity: tender teachers, proven curricula, friendship, music, smiles. Perhaps what Kindermusik can teach all of us at times like these is that some things are truly timeless.  Just as a playground swing still brings delight to a child as it did before iPhones, Twitter, and debit cards, Kindermusik wraps parent and child in bona fide warmth. Provides a true, joyful, and nurturing place where we can come together, share our children, and sing.

Nothing fancy, might, solvent, or newfangled.

But valuable?  Authentic?  Genuine?  Sincere?

In a room full of children?  Always.

Michael posted this in the official Kindermusik blog, Minds on Music. Enjoy this blog, and have a great week, everyone!

Kindermusik Fall 2009 Class Schedule is Here!

Julie is pleased to announce the Fall 2009 Kindermusik class schedule:

Classes at Leigh’s School of Dance in Olathe

Village ~ Newborn to 18 mos. with parent ~ Do-Si-Do

Pick up your baby and dance! In Do-Si-Do, you’ll dance the Charleston, the Tango, and the Cha-Cha.  Learn why dancing with your baby helps develop vital learning skills from head-to-toe. We will also play a variety of age-appropriate instruments and dance with fun props.  Home Materials: CD, Kindermusik egg shaker and scarf, Do-Si-Do picture board book, and a set of Art Banners that strengthens vision and promotes early literacy.

8 weeks ~ begins August 27 ~ Thu 9:00 a.m.

Tuition & materials: $100

Our Time ~ 1½ to 3½ yrs. with parent~ Wiggles & Giggles

The songs, dances, and activities in this unit were chosen to reflect the importance of movement in the life of a toddler.  We’ll splash in the tub, hop like frogs, and take pretend boat rides.  An additional emphasis on the emotional life of the toddler leads to a class full of giggles, tickles, hugs, and joyful steps toward independence. Home Materials:  2 CDs, 2 literature books, Home Activity Book, and 2 zigzag blocks, all conveniently stored in a Wiggles & Giggles carry bag.

15 weeks ~ begins August 22 ~ Wed 9:30 a.m., Thu 10:00 a.m. (this class is full), Fri 9:45 a.m., or Sat 9:30 a.m.

Tuition & materials: $185

Imagine That! ~ 3½ to 5 yrs. ~ See What I Saw

In this class, preschoolers use their real experience of playing in the park to create imaginative storytelling scenarios with music.  Each week provides preschoolers time for imaginative play that’s guided in a very specific, sequential way—with a special family sharing time in the last 15 minutes of class.  Home Materials: 2 literature books, 2 CDs, Play Set, Family Activity Book, slide whistle and lummi sticks instruments, and a backpack (optional).

14 weeks ~ begins August 29 ~Sat 10:30 a.m.

Tuition & materials: $195

ABC Music & Me ~ 5 to 6 yrs. (grades K-1) ~ Key Up for the Parade

Join the Parade and get All Keyed Up! Everyone will get to be in the band as school-aged children move to parade music and listen to instruments from marching bands.  They will also discover keyboards of all kinds through the music of J.S. Bach.  In the process, children will learn and experience the musical concepts of piano, forte, legato, and staccato.  Home Materials: 2 CDs, 2 Family Magazines, and 2 instruments.

10 weeks ~ begins September 19 ~ Sat 11:30 a.m.

Tuition & materials: $135

Classes at The Language Workshop in Overland Park

Family Time ~ Newborn to 7 yrs. with parent ~ Make Way for Music

Families will sing, dance, and play as we explore beat, rhythm, staccato, legato, voices, instrument families, and much more in age-appropriate ways. We’ll engage in activities that the whole family can enjoy together, including finger plays, songs, dances, stories, and family jam.  Home Materials: 2 CDs, 2 literature books, Family Activity Book, lion hand and finger puppets, board game and two finger drums.

10 weeks ~ begins September 16 ~ Wed 6:00 p.m.

Tuition & materials: 1 child – $155, 2 children – $212, 3 or more – $265

Visit Julie’s website today to enroll. All classes are 45 minutes in length. A $60 deposit due at enrollment, with the remainder due by first class. Enroll by August 1 and get $10 off, plus a free CD! In addition, there is a $30 discount for siblings who enroll in the same session. Scholarships are also available (click here for details).

Last Chance to Enroll for Summer 2009!

Summer Kindermusik classes for Julie’s Music Brioso start July 7 (next week!) so this is your last chance to enroll.  I’m really looking forward to a great time!  Here is the schedule:

• Peek-a-boo, I Love You (newborn to 18 months) – Tue 9:30 a.m. – 7 openings
• Marvelous Me (18 months to 3 1/2 years) – Tue 10:30 a.m. – FULL
• Splash (newborn to 7 years) – Wed 5:45 p.m. – need at least 3 more children to meet minimum enrollment, or it will be canceled
• Marvelous Me (18 months to 3 1/2 years) – Wed 6:45 p.m. – 6 openings
• Jazz Kitchen (3 1/2 to 5 years) – Thu 5:45 p.m. – 6 openings
• Tell Me a Tale (5  to 7 years) – Thu 6:45 p.m. – 6 openings

If you have already enrolled, bring a friend to the first class.  If your friend enrolls, you’ll get a $10 referral credit.  Enroll today so you don’t miss out on the fun!

Great Children’s Music Resource

Any of you who have experienced Kindermusik classes know that the songs and recordings are high quality, age appropriate, and designed to enhance the young brain in all kinds of ways.  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of much of the children’s music available today.  Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon Beat Boppers today.  This is a great resource for both teachers and parents with downloadable music (much of it FREE), flashcards, and printable activities to enhance the music.  Take a look at this video of one of their most popular recordings and see if you agree.

Have a great week!

Why Music Matters ~ You Heard it Here!

I have communicated in this blog on many occasions (using words, videos, articles, and pictures) about the benefits of music.  I just found another source, schoolmusicmatters.com, that contains quotes from other folks who can talk about this subject much more eloquently than I.  Here is some of what these folks had to say:

When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest.

Henry David Thoreau ~ U.S. poet & philosopher

Who hears music, feels his solitude peopled at once.

Robert Browning ~ English poet

What music expresses is eternal, infinite, and ideal.

Richard Wagner ~ German composer

And music, too – dear music! that can touch
Beyond all else the soul that loves it much -
Now heard far off, so far as but to seem
Like the faint, exquisite music of a dream.

Thomas Moore ~ Irish poet

There’s no passion in the human soul
But finds its food in music.

George Lillo ~ English dramatist

Music must take rank as the highest of the fine arts – as the one which, more than any other, ministers to human welfare.

Herbert Spencer ~ English philosopher & author

During the Gulf War, the few opportunities I had for relaxation I always listened to music, and it brought me great peace of mind. I have shared my love of music with people throughout this world, while listening to the drums and special instruments of the Far East, Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Far North, and all of this started with the music appreciation course that I was taught in a third-grade elementary class in Princeton, New Jersey. What a tragedy it would be if we lived in a world where music was not taught to children.

H. Norman Schwarzkopf ~ U.S. Army General (retired)

Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the secret places of the soul.

Plato ~ Greek philosopher

Enjoy this food for thought, and have a great week!