Silence sounds like.............

Silence, no longer exists for today's child.  We live in a world that has constant sound.  Even at night  I can hear the pitch of electronic devices humming along; in order for me to sleep I must completely turn off the power to items like printers, computers, dvd players and coffee makers. I find that most children today no longer make distinctions between this "invisible sound" and others in their environment.  I often play a game in Kindermusik with my Imagine That (ages 3-5) and Young Child (ages 5-7) classes.....we lie on our bellies, count to three and put our listening sticks up (pointer and middle fingers are extended and put over our lips).  I ask them what they hear and I will always get responses like:  mom's talking in the waiting area; a truck or car just drove by or a motorcycle.  What I never hear as a response is the air-conditioning unit, flourescent lights (which buzz loudly), a classmate breathing or the wind blowing through the windows. 

This has caused me to think about my own childhood.....I grew up in the country (am quite thankful for that) before air conditioning was standard for a home and well before the age of electronics. So, I can say that when it was quiet.....trust me - there was silence! I remember laying in my bed at night listening to the sound of crickets, bullfrogs or a fly buzzing in my room.  Sounds were fascinating to me and I loved to listen. 

Listening and hearing are quite different from each other.....as we hear stuff all day long it becomes a familiar sound and our brain does not even register it, in otherwords we no longer distinquish between the sounds of our environment and new sounds that enter.  A good example of this is when you move into a new living space, especially when moving from the country to the city or vice versa, you cannot sleep at night because there are different sounds and your brain registers each one. 

Listening is the intentional focus and concentration of the sounds.....along with all the qualities of that sound.  It is my belief that children can learn to listen, but because we live in a "noisy" society it is a skill that needs to be taught.  In Kindermusik class we teach this intentional listening.

Here are some suggestions to help foster an ability to listen in your child:
1. Plan a ten (add more as your child's ability increases) minute period of time within your day, find a quiet place to sit with your child and listen.  Just listen, do not talk just listen.  Then after the time period, talk about all the sounds you heard.  If your child is young, pictures work well...your child can point to the picture of what he or she hears or hold it up. 

2.  Attend live concerts,especially informal ones with acoustic instruments (acoustic is important, because children hear electronic sounds all day long).   

3.  Encourage your child to listen to different sounds and describe them with words.  Words used could be expressed in terms of colors, hard, soft, full, tingy, brassy or woody. 

4.  As your child becomes a better listener, make listening challenges more difficult.  For example, when filling a glass with water determine it's fullness by listening.  The pitch of the water filling the glass will ascend (go up) the challenge is to listen closely enough to know when the glass is full. 

Kindermusik, a caring & compassionate environment!

As I was contemplating subject matter for this mornings blog...I decided that I needed oatmeal, coffee and a book for me--a treat, as I normally read only early-childhood material.  As I am enjoying my breakfast at a small coffee shop nearby while reading "The Art of Happiness, A Handbook for living" by Dala Lama and Cutler...I ran across a paragraph that I couldn't help but think about how what I do in each Kindermusik class is helping to create not only an environment for rich language development, but an environment of compassion and caring for others.  There is a passage in the book found on page 59-60, that compares language development to the development of caring and compassion.  I think everyone agrees that surrounding our children in a language rich environment--like that found in a Kindermusik class--is an essential key to developing and broadening the capacity for language in a child, but the same is true for developing a capacity for caring and compassion--and Kindermusik provides this as well. 

In any Kindermusik class you will find many opportunities for your child to work with another child in sharing, taking turns, observing, gaining ideas and cooperation; all of these are essential in developing the capacity for compassion.  The authors give some specific examples of environments in which experts agree that the seeds of caring and compassion are able to flourish and ripen in children:  "having parents (or I would add, teachers) who are able to regulate their own emotions, who model caring behavior, who set appropriate limits on children's behavior, who communicate that a child is responsible for her or his own behavior, and who use reasoning to help direct the child's attention to affective or emotional states and the consequences of her or his behavior on others." 

We live in a world where caring and compassion, at least seem to be declining.  We see and hear about war, fighting, hurtful behaviour towards others, people killing people and governments operating to only serve themselves....precious little evidence of caring and compassion. 

In Kindermusik, there is plenty of evidence of caring and compassion:  each child and parent is an important part of our class and is respected for what they can bring to the class;  we share with each other, we are kind and courteous to each other, we learn together and from each other, we enjoy a common language together--music and when we choose behavior that hurts others--we face it and begin to learn the consequences for such choices....what a beautiful model for creating an environment that the seeds of caring and compassion can take root, flourish and blossom to their fullest potential. 

In a few weeks, we will have an additional chance to experience caring and compassion.  We will have an opportunity to fill a shoebox with special items for our friends here in America and around the world...Operation Christmas Child.  I would encourage each of you to participate in this in your own way; some of you will choose to schedule a Saturday morning trip to the dollar store with your child to purchase items for another child who may not have soap, toothbrush, toothpaste or even a comb while others will make items with your own hands--knitting a scarf, washcloth, mittens or socks.  Whichever you choose, your child benefits directly--as you are modeling for your child the capacity for caring and compassion.

I can't help but think of the song, "If I had a Hammer" (I love this recording--as it is sung by children).....this would be a great song about caring and compassion to add to your child's repertoire.  In Kindermusik class, we have a a hammer of sharing each time we get the rhythm sticks from the basket, we have a bell of respect as we ring with each other and we have lots of songs--songs of love, friendship and learning!

See you in Kindermusik class.

Being happy...

"Epo I Tai Tai E" is one of my favorite pieces that I get to share with my students...it's translation means "I will not be sad, I will be happy".  For me, this is the essence of life and a valuable lesson for our children.  This piece is so infectiously happy--I am not sure you can listen to this music without wanting to do a "happy jig"! 

Talking about feelings with your child is so important, it will help him develop a vocabulary to label what he is feeling, realize that we all have feelings-even Mom and Dad and also can reduce frustration because he can better understand and describe what he is feeling.

Create a feelings poster together by dividing the poster into sections and at the top of each section label the column with such feelings as sad, happy, angry, upset or disappointed.  Then begin to look for pictures from magazines, take a picture of your child displaying these feelings to put in each appropriate column or take a picture of Mom or Dad displaying these feelings.  This will give your child an iconic representation of each word and will help her associate with each of her feelings.

Be sure to gather up your happy little one for that lively "happy jig" around the living room. 

A Quiet Moment

Childhood is a magical time--possibly the only time in our life that we truly enjoy the moment for it's own sake.  I use to spend an incredible amount of time in my bedroom with a little record player and a case of 45s....OH! the places I went.  I  was "Tina,  the (very talented) ballerina" headed off to France with my perfected pirouette or I was a tuba as I would pretend to be big, fat and waddle around my room or a piccolo as I would pretend to be skinny, small and lightly tip-toe around while listening to "The Tuba and the Piccolo"--and I cannot leave out the undersea voyage I would take daily while listening to "The Yellow Submarine"--YES, I would hold my nose and do the squiggly wiggly descent to the floor.....I know- you are probably...ROFL.  Those indeed were magical times...times that only I remember because as a child, I did what all children do best.....I was in the moment--my moment with the music and me--hours would pass me by yet it only seemed like a tick of the clock. 

Even though that was (embarrassingly) 40 years ago, children are really the same today--captured by their own creative imagination of each musical moment.  Try joining your child and enter a world of make-believe, which will require that you shed your self-consciousness, future driven, shallow breathing, clock watching, un-accepting, unexciting adult life at the door and enter a world of your child's creative imagination.  Let the music take you to places that your adult mind has never been--lands of ice cream mountains, lollipop traffic signs and marshmallow pillows.  It can happen, close your eyes, breathe deeply and share the moment with your most precious gift--your child.  Get out the instruments, brush off your vocal chords and put on your dancing shoes--enjoy the creative imaginative musical journey with your child. 

Choose any Kindermusik CD or a Classical CD, such as "The Nutcracker", "Carnival of the Animals" or another of your choice, and listen--really listen to the music and watch your child--he or she will begin to move and create an enjoyment of the music that will fascinate you and compel you to join.  So, enjoy yourself and don't worry--let your self go....no one is watching you!  You may choose to dance your journey, play rhythm sticks or drums on your journey, color a map of your journey or sit and cuddle your gift while you both breathe deeply enjoying the quiet musical journey.  However you and your little musician choose to enjoy the musical moment--ENJOY!

Bubble Painting and a Spanish favorite, "De Colores"

Children yearn for and need "real life" experiences such as reading (real books), playing in the backyard or at a park, creating and enjoying music and creating and enjoying art...to name only a few.  Here is a really fun activity with many educational benefits as well....Bubble Painting!  It's simple, take a large piece of white paper outside and attach it to either a fence, table, wall or door at child height.  Divide some bubble solution (either homemade or purchased) into separate containers and add a drop or two of food coloring to each container (a different color for each container is even more fun).  Now for the real fun....invite your young artist to stand near the white paper (maybe 6-7 inches away) and begin to blow bubbles at the paper.  As the bubbles burst on the paper the food coloring will make colored rings all over the paper.  For added musical fun, play "De Colores" (I have included the English translation..at the bottom of this entry) for your young artist to listen to while completing his/her masterpiece.  A few educational and developmental outcomes of this activity: 1. color recognition; 2. primary and secondary colors; 3. practice identifying colors in English and Spanish; 4.  breathe control - how far can your artist "fly"  his/her bubbles and 5.  listening to another language.   Most importantly, your child needs you to be present with him...watching her, cheering him on and noticing how she made her work of art - this sends an important message to your child, a message that you are more important than the laundry, dinner or bills...in fact you are the most important person to me at this present moment.  Being in the present, as adults, is a challenge...but your child needs to see the "I LOVE YOU" message as much as hearing it.

 

“De Colores”

Traditional Mexican Song

“Loose” English translation

In the spring the countryside

is covered in color.

And the birds who come

from afar are colorful.

The rainbow shines in brilliant color.

And I love best, all that is colorful.

I'm new at this.....

Hello...
This is my first attempt at a blog....so please bear with me as I learn the "ins and outs" of blogging.  My goal is to make weekly entries..so as the school year goes--I will do my best.

In our busy technological world we live in, children really need and yearn for real "face" time.....so let's try to take one evening this week, shut-off all technology and spend some quality face-to-face time with your little one.  Maybe you play a game, sing a song, play instruments together,paint a picture, color, read a book (a real book) or simple just visit...but as each of us yearns for a real connection with another human, so do our children.