C'mon, let's play!

I'm not talking about adult inspired, structured play (think camps, lessons and school sponsored activities here) but creative, imaginative, UNSTRUCTURED play time. Scientists say that "free play" is critical for building proper social, stress relief and cognitive building skills such as problem solving. Lack of unstructured play time can actually translate into socially maladjusted adults!

What's more, adults need play time too. It can be classified into three different categories--body play which involves active movement, object play i.e. using your hands to create something you enjoy, and social play i.e. joining others in social activity. In all of these kinds of play, it turns out purpose or end results are not important.

Child development expert, David Elkind, suggests that play "is a way in which children learn... and in the absence of play, children miss learning experiences... Play has to be reframed and seen not as an opposite to work but rather as a complement...."

So go ahead, wipe the dust off your guitar, make a mud pie, take a walk with your child--you'll both enjoy it!

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-serious-need-for-play

Parents Confess

Every year, a week or two into the semester parents begin to slowly pull me aside and the confessions begin, “my child can’t cut with scissors”. Of course just to fuel their fears there is always one student in the room with incredible fine motor skills carefully choosing to cut out an octopus. First, relax your child is not alone. Second, realize mastering some of these skills will make entering kindergarten easier. Invest in a good pair of child friendly scissors. Next choose the right paper. Construction paper is a great thickness, not too flimsy and not too stiff. Always have a fun end product for the child. Cutting to just practice cutting is drudgery at any age. Draw a simple shape on the paper like a triangle, big flower or bug that takes up most of the paper. Precut colored construction paper into inch wide strips. Help your child hold the scissors correctly and have them cut the strips into any shapes. If they appear to be frustrated after a few minutes it is a good time for a gluing break. Every child loves to glue. The child can glue the cuttings anywhere in the drawn shape, do not worry when they glue over the line. Most children will want to glue more so this is a good incentive to cut more shapes. Know when to quit, exasperating your child will not help. The shape does not need to be filled in during one session. There are more advanced scissors skills found at http://www.enchantedlearning.com/tracing/

Tis the Season!

Christmas is the perfect time to give the gift of music or art! In a time of economic uncertainty, if you have to pick only one enrichment activity for your child, let it be music or art. The study of music and art helps to lay a solid foundation for lifelong participation in and appreciation for the arts.

There is also evidence that the study of music is helpful in the academic realm. A recent study by Harvard Medical School tested the effects of instrument study on both verbal and nonverbal test scores with 59 students. The students that were studying music had higher test scores than those who did not study music; verbal scores were 15% higher and nonverbal scores were 10% higher. Ellen Winner, the author of the study, writes that it makes sense that thinking musically would facilitate other thought processes: "Music involves grasping patterns, and the nonverbal reasoning task involves grasping patterns".

This Christmas, give the lifelong gift of music or art! CSA offers a variety of music and art programs for students of all ages. Please visit our website for more information! (and stay tuned for a new website in the coming months...) Merry Christmas!

An Early Childhood Music class at Community School of the Arts

Creating Gifts and Memories

The Christmas season can easily turn into a time full of empty meaningless gifts. Children love to create their own gifts and cards. I have seen children more excited about giving a gift than receiving gifts. Usually homemade gifts are very inexpensive but will take an investment of your time. This creating time will often turn into a messy but great parent child memory. Forty years later I still remember printing wrapping paper in the basement with my mom. Our family has a tradition of creating Christmas cards. Set aside time on your calendar to create some memories and gifts.
Helpful reminders to make a successful time are:
Make sure you have all the supplies you need before you begin.
Have enough supplies for extras in case something gets ruined early on.
Have realistic expectations of the end product. It will be just as treasured even if the recipient isn’t quite sure what it is.
Allow plenty of drying time; kid’s creations are usually thick!
Let this be your child’s creation.
Some fun ideas are, stamping bookmarks, creating your own cards, making an ornament, painting a box or frame. Supplies for these are easily found in any craft department. There are many more ideas found at
http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/specialfeature/holiday_gifts_ms/

Music and the mind

In September, I had the fortune to travel to Canada and visit McMaster University where some fascinating research is occurring at the McMaster Institute of Music and the Mind. Dr. Laurel Trainor, a well respected researcher and David Gerry, also a researcher (and a fellow Suzuki colleague) invited me to see the pilot trials for their latest study. They were testing 6 month old babies for joint attention. They were testing to see how they baby responded to the researcher with looking and gestures. They are in the process of testing 60 babies! Half of these children will attend several months of a Suzuki Early Childhood Classes, with the control group having an unstructured gathering time. Then the babies will be tested again to see how participation in a music class affects joint attention.

At the institute, in their auditory lab, they study the perception of sound in infants, children and adults. They also study music and language acquisition and how music training affects brain development. They also do research to answer such questions as: Do babies recognize songs? If so, what do they perceive: structure, pitch, patterns? In some of their studies, the babies wear a cap with sensors (looks like a cap of marshmallows!) to assess stimulation of the brain.

Another study tested 7 month old babies to see if they could distinguish between music that had duple meter (feels like a march) or triple meter (feels like a waltz). The babies were bounced to music of certain meter. They then listened to selections played from speakers. One speaker would play the familiar meter then the other speaker would play music with the unfamiliar meter. Their length of time looking at a certain speaker playing the music showed their preference. The conclusion of the study showed that babies with music class experience could tell the difference between the meters. Some of the other studies include results from researching Suzuki instrumental students compared to children with no music instruction and the difference in brain development and response..
On the link below, you can read the paragraph summary of several of their studies. The pictures are fun to see too! Enjoy!
Research proves what we teachers believe: music grows beautiful minds and people!
www.psychology.mcmaster.ca/ljt/research.htm

Get The Most out of Music Class--some tips!

You are your child’s most important teacher. Give yourself permission to be a musical role model by participating fully in class— enjoy singing with gusto, moving freely and listening attentively. You will convey to your child that music is a valuable activity, not to mention fun!

Do not worry about the quality of your singing voice. Instilling a joy for making music is far more important than “getting the notes right.” Language can sometimes get in the way of tonal development so feel free to be playful with sounds like “bah”, “bum” and “dah”. You may find that your child will join in song with you more easily.

Repetition is vital to your child’s learning process. You will surely become tired of listening to your child’s CD, but it is through repetition that the music gets inside your child and greater learning (nuance) takes place.

Keep chatting with friends in class to a minimum. Your focus and attention will rub off on your child and will signal to him/her that what you are doing in class is important and special.

Observe and enjoy quiet time in class and in the music (e.g. listening time, rocking, story-telling, some imaginative play). Quiet times encourage the child to practice self-control, serve as calming moments for the class, and allow for (musical) processing i.e. audiation.

Have fun with vocal exploration—sirens, wind, train whistles, animal sounds are all ideal ways for children to begin to master the high and low ranges of their voices which will improve their ability to match pitch as they develop.

Learning styles are different and that’s okay. Your child may exhibit one or more of the following learning traits. The visual learner likes to observe in class and then try it out at home. This child appreciates lots of good modeling in class. The auditory learner enjoys aural learning experiences and often matches pitch well. This child likes to sing parts of songs or engage in sound play. The kinesthetic learner prefers to learn by doing and enjoys dancing, creative movement and playing instruments.

ENJOY! Music is a gift that lasts a lifetime. By week 5 or 6, you and your child will begin to form a music class “community” that we hope will strengthen and last for years to come.

The Power of Music in the Learning Process

Looking for educational, music-related activities to do with your young children on a rainy day? Check out this article from Community Play Things, which also speaks to the importance of music in a child's learning process.