Keeping Kids Healthy: Music and Learning...

"Sesame Street's "Bob" McGrath joins Dr. Winnie King, along with a music researcher and a wonderful group of kids, to try to answer the big question: can music really affect your child's brain, intelligence, and emotional well-being? You'll visit a school that focuses on music and winds up with great academic success, and you'll see demonstrations of ways that music can help your own kids. We'll also visit with a therapist who uses music to help young people with medical problems, and we'll follow her through her hospital rounds to learn how her music creates magic for the kids who need it most..." www.keepingkidshealthy.org

Click here to enjoy this 27-minute video!Keeping Kids Healthy: Music and Learning with Sesame Street's Bob McGrath

Be sure to watch the ending to see how Bob leads a group of young children in a mini music class and I'm certain he mentioned something about Kindermusik at the end!

Autism Speaks

"The band, Five for Fighting, is generously donating $0.49 to Autism Speaks each time this video is viewed. The funding goes toward research studies to help find a cure. When you have a moment, please visit the link below to watch the video and pass it along. They are aiming for 10,000 hits, but hopefully we can help them to surpass this goal." Thanks Michelle for sending me the link!

Click the link here to view video:Autism Speaks

On a side note, rather a high one at that, CONGRATULATIONS to Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra (alto) alumna SALLY J. ROGERS, Ph.D. for receiving $15,000,000 UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute Grant for autism research!

Ball Play

"What does a child learn from playing with balls? Playing with a variety of balls, children experience different material properties, textures, weights, sizes, colors, and learn words to describe these. She develops motor skills and learns to play alone or with others. All this from the most basic of toys. No batteries required." (Playworks, toys for serious play)

And as Village babies (newborn to 18 months) discovered in class this week, Gertie balls are so much fun as they are lightweight, easy to grasp, squeeze, roll, throw, mouth, roll on top of and explore. Imagine that! preschoolers (3-5 years), on the other hand, have been working on rolling, bouncing, kicking and catching the balls in class all the while developing turn-taking and sharing skills! Imagine that!

Music and Memory

"One of the most powerful causes of an emotional response is memory."* In other words, events that cause us have an emotional response (whether positive or negative) are the ones we remember and hold on to the most. And for some reason (we don't quite know why) the presence of music helps facilitates this powerful connection between memory and emotions.

Watch this fascinating video by the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, a nonprofit agency, which is "dedicated to advancing scientific inquiry on music and the brain and to developing clinical treatments to benefit people of all ages."

Click to view "48 Hours" in Quick Time (it's a large file and may take a few minutes so please be patient while it loads completely-- it is worth seeing!) And if you have problems loading, please visit bethabe.org and scroll down to view the video titled, "48 Hours."

If music can help neurologic patients remember, imagine what it can do for the young and the healthy population!

*Krumhansl CL. An exploratory study of musical emotions and psychophysiology. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology. 51(4):336-53, 1997 Dec.

Tutle Dove

Great choice for men's choir!

Arranged in a minor key, Turtle Dove has a hauntingly beautiful effect on our emotions as you and your Our Time child have been experiencing in class. While minor modes do at times evoke sad emotions, they also evoke deep and rich ones,too (quite different from say music arranged in major mode such as the "Happy Birthday" song) So what makes some music sound so rich, mysterious or dark? It relates back to music theory and how intervals (distance between two pitches) are built. For example, major thirds sound happy and bright to the human ears... Minor thirds sound dissonant and dark. While we need both to make music, songs arranged in minor modes certainly cause our emotions to stay with it a little longer and invite us to rock a little closer with our children. Be sure enjoy this song at home as a lullaby, rocking or quiet time.

For a complete lyric of Turtle Dove, click here: The True Lover's Farewell

Musik & Motion Presents Kindermusik in Rancho Cordova

Starting February 20, 2008, Musik & Motion will be offering Kindermusik classes in Rancho Cordova in partnership with Premiere Dance on 10851 Olson Dr. (Target shopping center) Rancho Cordova, CA 95670. April Mason who teaches and owns the dance studio opened Premiere in 2006 and offers weekly ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, pointe and baton classes for students ages 2 to adult.

If you have friends or families who live in Rancho Cordova (or in neighboring cities such as Fair Oaks, Anatolia, Mather, Gold Country, or Roseville), please let them know, and help me spread the word! Of course ditto for current classes in Natomas and West Sacramento locations as well!

Remember when you refer a new Kindermusik family to Musik & Motion in 2008, you receive an instrument of your choice plus Folk Playground Cd from Putamayo Kids! Thank you Susan, Rae, Maegan, Mirna, Kate and Suzanna for your referrals this month!!!

Link to Kindermusik Video at Musik & Motion

I've heard from a few folks out there (thankfully, not too many) that they could not view the video on the Musik & Motion web site so I thought I might share the following link in hopes you might be able to view the in-house video made last month at Musik & Motion. The video on the web site requires a flash player.

As an alternative, if you have Quick Time installed you can paste the following link on the web browser and view the video. However, it's a large file so please be patient and it should load completely after a few minutes-- while waiting, why not get some popcorn or a nice warm drink!

www.chrisstoneeditorial.com//ftp/miss_sunny/
miss_sunny_roughcut2.mov

(all in one line)

Be warm, dry and safe during the rain storm...

Miss Sunny's New Year's Wish

Here’s to 2008...
May it bring more love, music and harmony to each and every Kindermusik family.

To our children...
May the children’s love for music continue to inspire parents to partner with them at home.

To our Kindermusik parents...
May the parents’ passion and commitment to their children's early music education inspire their teachers to partner with them in class.

To our Kindermusik educators...
May more educators reach out to one another, share a kindred spirit and work toward stronger collaboration to better serve the Kindermusik community.

To our Kindermusik community...
May our shared vision break down all barriers and impossibilities, helping us to be our children’s strongest advocates and each others' most trusted support group.

To 2008...
A very Happy and Musical New Year to all of us!