Your Brain on Music

Even back in the year 2000 (a long time ago for some, and for the rest of us...well, not too terribly long ago!), technology seemed to just be getting it's feet on the ground.  Research methods and practices were just starting to show the benefits of music on brain development -or so we thought!

This article from the year 2000 exposes music's attachment to development back through the 1980's.  It also gives quite a few good "Lehman's terms" explanations for WHY music is so good! 

So while it may be technically, "outdated", this is some seriously good brain food!

Enjoy!
Briana

Rituals

Rituals~

Everyone has them whether you think you do or not.  The way you buckle your seatbelt, the things you say at Thanksgiving, or even things you do on your birthday -these are all rituals.  In the Kindermusik classroom we use rituals to create organization, comfort, security, and as attention grabbers for the little wandering minds (no, Moms and Dads -this is not you!).  We use a welcome song to get everyone situated and settled in class, and then we use a goodbye song to say our farewells until the next week.  These are just the two capstones of many rituals used in class.  I have been spending the past couple of days thinking about rituals, and how so many wonderful memories are birthed from the simple things we do!  One of my favorite memories involves lots of singing, dancing, and Wee Sing.  I can remember the first class of this Spring semester like it was yesterday!  Smiling faces, exciting new things and sounds -it is such a happy memory! 

So to my families~
Even though we won't be doing our hello and goodbye rituals for a little while, please know that I have enjoyed you all SO much!  Your children are wonderful, smart, cute little movers and shakers, and I hope to see you all soon!

Very musically yours~
Busy B!

Play that Funky Music!

No -seriously, play it!

We all know that children learn by experiencing new things.  That's why they touch it, squeeze and scratch it, and then stick it in their mouths.  Sometimes they're afraid, but most of the time, they'll surprise you by honing in and identifying what is new in their already understood situation.

Playing cultural and various types of music is important for the development of Baby's brain.  By exposing them to new sounds and activities surrounding those sounds, you are allowing them to think more in depth about what they are experiencing by expanding the processing skills, as well as encouraging all of those other great FOL's we KM educators LOVE to rave about!  I'll give you an example!

Polka -as adults, we don't necessarily appreciate Polka music, but lets face it; that oom-pah-pah really gives Baby something to dance to!  The importance of this: bodily control and development of motor skills (gross and fine).  I could go on and on with the various types of music and all of the amazing benefits, but I think you get the picture!

Every time you turn on the radio, Baby listens.  Every time you hum, Baby listens.  So I challenge you, parents!  Play some new and exciting music for your Babies.  I promise you, they'll listen!

Musically yours,

Briana

Baby's Place in Space

After Baby is born, every experience is new.  You smell new, their clothes and blankets smell new, their home smells new, even THEY smell new (well, different at least).  Every day, all day is full of new experiences.  How exhausting!  Sometimes to us grown-ups, one new experience a day is all we can take.  Thankfully, as we grow up and older, we find patterns and similarities that make our "new experiences" somewhat similar.

Baby, while in your belly, is wrapped up nice and tight knowing everything about your movements.  They are connected to you, and become used to your closeness and their position in your space.  After they are born, that position in your space is quickly disconnected and they are left with nothing but newness.  So -how do we give them an awareness of their space?  In their egocentric lives where they belong with us and around us is one of the most important things. 

In the Kindermusik curricula, there are exercises written specifically to expose your baby to their spaces.  The educational term for this is spatial awareness.  Up high, down low, in close to you, and away from you.  We forget that most of the time, Baby is looking at you or other people, or at your eye level, seeing things from your point of view (literally, not figuratively.  Give them some time, though, and they will!).  These exercises show them things above their eye level, and while they spend a lot of time looking at or nibbling on their adorable toes, by showing them the ground, you are showing them the carpet, your feet, shoes, etc. from a different and new perspective.

Kindermusik has created cute rhymes, games, and songs to encourage this type of awareness, and believe it or not, Baby LOVES them and learns at the same time.  One of my favorites is called "Clever Cows"

The clever cows in single file walk up the hill and stay a while.

Then black and brindle, red and brown the make a line and walk back down.

Now, you may be thinking, "how does this show my baby anything?"  I'm SO glad you asked!  You follow the directions in the rhyme, of course!  As the cows go up the hill, so does baby in a step-ladder motion.  At the top, they are extended above your head and away from your body.  As the cows climb back down the hill, they come down to the ground and back to you.  You have three new perspectives here!  You have the High, the Low, and the in between/movement view where baby can look around while in motion.  I LOOOOVE it!

While holding your baby way up high, way down low, in cuddled close, or away from your body during songs, games, bed time, car time, any time, you are creating new connections in their brain (something I talked about in this post), giving them a new perspective and yet another new experience. I encourage you to make the most of this brand new time because when they start to walk -all space is their space!



Musically yours~

Talk the Talk. The Kindermusik Talk!

I'm sure that you all are SO sick of hearing me talk about talking to your children, but I promise that I do it because it is so very important.  Kindermusik International's blog Minds on Music, recently posted on how important your voice is to your baby!

My next post will be on something entirely different, I promise!


Happy reading!

Musically~

The Art of ... Repetition

Each time I post, I find myself thinking about your exceptional children, and how Kindermusik's FOL's (Foundations of Learning) come into play in our lessons.  This week, the families will hear about the importance of repetition.  This kind of seems like a no-brainer, but sometimes, it is helpful to talk about those because, well... we often don't!

It is easy to see the physical results of repetition.  We see them learn to walk, learn to talk, and learn to color and then write.  Repetition physically is one of the most rewarding things we can experience as parents because it is proof that your little bundle of love is making progress.  Who doesn't want that, right?  There is a flip side to this, though, that is harder to think about because it is always hidden!

Flip: what's happening in your music maker's little brain.  It's a lot -a lot is going on up there that we don't even notice.  Chemically, the brain is making connections between brain cells through the synapses.  These little guys help build and strengthen baby's brain.  The more connections the better; they help stabalize the brain cells.  Traditionally, this stops when the are about 13 years of age, depending, of course, on genetics.

Every week, when we do our Hello, Hello! song and our goodbye song, we're using repetition to signal the beginning and ending of class.  Each week when we give them an instrument, we are using repition to strengthen their muscles, motor skills, and their brains.

On the really bright side, this is an exciting, safe, and happy experience for your baby as well as being exciting, safe, and happy for you!  It is truly amazing what 45 minutes of moving and shaking can do for everyone.  I know that I spend the rest of the day smiling!




Musically,

Conversing With a Baby

"Eh!" "Really?  Is that so?"  "Breeehh!"  "Well I'm not sure about that...."  "Huuh buh buh buh"  "Yes, well I know you would like to!"

Do you ever feel like you and your baby have nothing to talk about?  They give you a sound that really just seems to be a sound and you think, "huh...well what do I say to that?"  I always chuckle when I hear babies practicing their talking.  Sometimes they seem so incredibly proud of a new sound or our response to their sound that the awe they experience can be contagious! 

In my classroom, I always encourage parents to be as expressive as possible.  I'm sure they think that I'm maybe a little loony sometimes (my farm animal sounds are pretty amazing...), but it really does make the difference.  Within our expressions, speech, and gestures we are showing them how we (rather you -the parent) interacts with others.  One of my favorite Foundations of Learning focuses on exposing baby to their environment through dancing, singing, etc.  We are teaching them how to react, how to behave (somewhat) with in the unspoken rules of the social environment in which you live.

So I encourage you to talk and sing back.  Give your little one (or ones!) the opportunity to tell you what is on their mind, even if it requires a, "no -that's not your belly button!" or, "what does a doggy say?" and to sing and dance your way into life long learning.

Musically,

Busy B

Foundations of Learning, and Learning for Life!

I'm sure by now you know how FABULOUS I think Kindermusik is!  If you're not, that's alright -you will soon!  I think it's fabulous for a number of reasons, but one of the things that I appreciate the most is our Foundations of Learning or, most lovingly called "FOL's."  We use these to let you guys (parents!) know what you're helping your child(ren) learn, and surprisingly you will learn lots along the journey too.


In this last week's lesson, the FOL was: "Children learn at different rates.  If they don't catch on right away, it's okay!  They will learn through observing, practicing, and doing."  This, or course, piqued my interest.  Immediately, I had an example.  Kisses!  Babies LOVE to blow kisses (the understatement being, that they LOVE to receive them too).  But -they didn't just learn that on their own.  WE (or rather, YOU, as parents) taught them to do that.  This is the same for when you experience the "NO!" phase, or the "uh-oh!" phase.  They learned these things from us -cool!

The baby brain is such an amazing little tool.  It absorbs, it produces ideas, it implements ideas, and all of this while trying to figure out how to live in the human world.  So, if they don't catch on to the game/song/activity right away, it's okay!  Just enjoy the moment you have with your mover and shaker because before you know it...they'll be moving and shaking away faster than you think!


Musically yours~

Hot Air!

Just like the modern day lady, I am connected! I've got a twitter, a facebook (or two!), a blog, and LOVE to spend time looking around for crafts, educational, and fun ideas! So, now I imagine that you're asking yourself, "I care about this because?" Well you care about this because I was reading Kindermusik International's blog (Minds on Music), and came to an exciting entry!

I keep telling you that Kindermusik is good stuff for your little grower, right? By now you probably either believe me OR think that I'm full of hot air. I'm really, truly hoping that you chose the former! KM international knows that too, of course, so they've hooked up with other mommies that think it's just as awesome! Here is the link to the Kindermusik International blog's entry: blogs for Mom's who love KM!

Take some time and poke around -they've got a great blog and lots of really neat entries. I like to spend time on there when I need inspiration or motivation (it'd be very difficult to be unmotivated when you read some of these great stories!), or just some joy.

I hope you enjoy it! I sure have!

Musically

"The Role of Music...."

Here is this weeks brain food! I ALWAYS love posting articles that encourage using music to help build brain development. It's short and sweet, which I like, and it even uses some concepts from our recent Kindermusik class: sing to and with baby/child. They like it, even if they claim they don't.


Here's the article:
It's well written and easy to follow! I hope you enjoy it!
http://www.educationoasis.com/resources/Articles/building_babys_brain.htm

It uses the term "spatial reasoning." For those of you who aren't a brain geek like me, here's what it means: the type of reasoning used to identify and manipulate images and pieces of images. Architects are famous for having advanced spatial abilities! A puzzle is a perfect example of this, and for babies, the concept of "square to square, and circle to circle" is the first step to acquiring this.


Musically yours!



PS -I like the section that encourages you to start music lessons early! Score one for the KM team!

Brain builder...

Here is another article that I found Music and brain development! Enjoy!



und

A note on your voice.

For those of you who like the science of the brain, here you go!

In recent research it has been proven that children learn best by listening to their parents. Development of language correlates directly with the baby's exposure to speech and speech patterns. So -out of all of the educational toys, TV shows, how to books, and all of the other gizmo's and gadgets the best thing you can do to help your child learn our language is to speak to them. I prefer to sing to them, but -whatever you prefer! Baby wants YOU, and that's all that matters!

I've attached an article by the New York Times that I used to aide in an essay I wrote not too long ago. It's interesting and if you have the time, I encourage you to read it!