All things Egg Shakers

We are in our second week of Do Si Do, the Kindermusik Village curricula for babies that is all things dancing. Several parents shared touching benefits of the home materials, that reach beyond the physical presence of books, CDs and instuments. I was deeply humbled.

This little yellow egg shaker, provoked responses from children that are beyond my wildest dreams. One yellow egg shaker, has become a "lovey" for one year old Samantha. She has carried it everywhere in the last week, including to the doctors for her one year well visit and shots. This egg shaker comforted her when she was in pain, and visibly reduced both her stress level, and her crying when she was handed the egg shaker. Another child is very concerned that only one egg shaker came with the home kit. She has been sharing and communicating with her mother, that there should be two, since we use them in class in pairs. And yet another child, has continually been sharing the egg shaker with her aging grandfather, to encourage him to shake when the music comes on the CD. There are days when I weep with joy at the gifts that God has given for me to share. And this day, I weep over a little yellow egg shaker and the blessings that it has bestowed upon lives that truly matter to me.

Children, Music, Together in Natrona Heights

Peep Squirrel, Yada Yada dee dee dum -

Singing and moving to Peep Squirrel, encourages a child's emerging sense of pretend play, creative use of a puppet, and sharing joy with mom in a delightful Kindermusik class.

www.kindermusikwithchrista.com

Love Little Ones

This makes me laugh out loud. I hope it brings joy to you as well.

Why I teach and believe in music

Free Toddler & Family Music Class New Kensington

Join us for free music classes to preview our upcoming new offerings at St. Andrew's Anglican Church, New Kensington, PA.

Classes will be held on Thursday, October 22. Call to register for one of several free class offerings! 724.226.8774 . Visit www.kindermusikwithchrista.com for our upcoming class schedule.

Toddler Music Class begins in New Kensington

We are thrilled to announce Kindermusik with Christa will be adding a new location to our program this fall. St. Andrews Anglican Church, 1090 Edgewood Drive, New Kensington, PA will be our newest location, offering a 5 week Family Class, and a 5 week Toddler Music class.

Classes will be initially offered on Thursday mornings beginning November 5.
9:30 am = Family Class (ages 0 - 4 years)
10:30 am = Toddler Class (ages 1 1/2 to 3 years)

Beginning in January 2010, we are pleased to offer a broader range of classes, including the core Kindermusik curricula which run for 14 weeks.

Call 724.226.8774 for more information

Music, Children, Slide Whistles, Natrona Heights, FUN

Music class for toddlers in Tarentum, Natrona Heights, Sarver areas

Happy & Healthy in Children's Music classes

Dear Kindermusik Parent,
I want you to know that I have joined in Kindermusik International's Healthy & Happy Initiative which is created to help protect you and your children from the spread of virus's like the H1 N1 flu and seasonal flu. By collecting facts, checklists, and prevention tips from the Center For Disease Control, Kindermusik is making sure I am more prepared than ever to provide an environment much less likely to allow virus's to spread.

*I am dissinfecting toys and instruments at CDC standards to prevent transmission.
*I continue to encourage hand sanitizer distribution to each child at the start and end of each class (under parent supervision with younger children).
*I receive updated information on virus prevention and trends from the CDC.

Your child's health and happiness is important to me. Please contact me so I can answer any further questions to make you feel at ease in coming to class with us.
Sincerely,
Christa Beck
http://www.kindermusikwithchrista.com

Children & Music; The Creative Benefits

Kindermusik really is the best choice of class for your infant, toddler, preschooler, or family. http://www.kindermusikwithchrista.com/

Music makes us happy

Check out the link below, about how music affects our feelings. Join us this fall, be happy, make music with your family in Kindermusik classes. Offering the most classes ever in Tarentum, PA.

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22189/70780

Toddler Music classes in Natrona Heights

“Teaching music is not my main purpose. I want to make good citizens. If children hear fine music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline and endurance. They get a beautiful heart.”

-Shinichi Suzuki, creator of the Suzuki method of music educator

Enough said :-)

www.kindermusikwithchrista.com

Making music together in Kindermusik classes

Come join us this fall as we make music together in Kindermusik classes!

When children learn to contribute their part to a beautiful whole as part of their Kindermusik class experiences, they have benefitted from one of the most important advantages of group instruction. Music becomes even more exciting when children begin to develop a growing awareness of their selves within the context of the group.

“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks, and invents.”-composer Ludwig van Beethoven

Families join us making children's music together from Sarver, Freeport, Natrona Heights, Lower Burrell. Kindermusik is the single best choice for you and your child! http://www.kindermusikwithchrista.com/

The Best Children's Music Program in Sarver/Freeport/Natrona Heights

“A child sings before it speaks, dances almost before it walks. Music is with us from the beginning.”-writer Pamela Brown


“Study Bach. There you will find everything.”-composer Johannes Brahms


Enroll now for fall. http://www.kindermusikwithchrista.com/

Kindermusik really IS for EVERYONE!

Eleven Princesses for the Day!

As you can see, our Princess for a Day class was filled with Creative Play, Instrument Play, Movement, and music music music!
We pretended to clean the castle by dusting, washing clothes, sweeping, and more.
We decorated our "wands" using stickers and ribbon. We came out of the castle to find many animal friends in the forest (including our favorite, a big black bear!) The butterflies were so very graceful as they floated up and down!

We practiced our Steady Beat using bells, egg shakers, hand movements, full body movement, and locomotor movement. Speaking of Steady Beat, did you know??
One of the first musical skills to develop is the ability to keep a steady beat. Of course the ability to keep a steady beat is essential for future musical experiences, but it is also important in everyday life. Think of all we do that requires regularly paced repeated motion (a sense of steady beat!) – walking, running, riding a bicycle, cutting with scissors, bouncing a ball, playing sports, and more. Music relies on steady beat more than nearly any other activity, making it a perfect skill-builder.

Pure Joy

I have witnessed pure joy in my children's hearts this week. Thank you Chautauqua Institution for simple opportunities that have richly blessed my family.

Sun, Sand and the Beach

Wiggling my toes, in the sand, wiggling my toes, oh how grand! What a delightful time we had this week in our Day at the Beach Drop off class for 3-6 year olds. The children dug in the sand (pretend play), moved and grooved along to Calypso music (creative movement), played instruments (steady beat), and went on a picnic at the beach. We bounced beach balls on the ocean waves, played games with seashells, and practiced self-control as we moved along on the sand. Our delightful day in the sun was made complete with freeze pops and beautifully made beachy picture frames!

Princess Day!

We had a delightful time in our Princess for a day class last week! Twelve little princesses joined in our Princess Parade.

In our class:

We made new friends (social skills).

We learned to be independent and stay by ourselves (emotional development).

We made princess wands (fine motor skills) and used the wands to move around while learning about spatial orientation.

We cleaned the castle and practiced steady beat with our instruments.

We pretended to have a tea party, using our imaginations, and enjoyed our "real" tea party snacks of fresh grapes and red raspberries.

The class was truly a "royal hit" and I look forward to another one in July and more next summer (one day Princess classes as well as week long Princess classes - coming next summer!)

Kindermusik photos

I am so pleased with photos taken in Kindermusik classes by photographer Merrit DesLauriers. She is a talented, creative, professional who takes amazing photos of children and families in natural settings. All images are copywritten and not for personal use.
http://www.merritd.com/

For the love of music

I was deeply touched by this quote and then video from a family visiting the Mayo clinic

"And then we heard the piano and the laughter. From the balcony we could see an older couple sitting side by side at the piano playing together and entertaining a host of people. Some were in wheelchairs, others were sitting with canes beside them or standing. Everyone was smiling with all burdens forgotten for the moment. The joy was absolutely indescribable. When we asked them to play one more for us, Fran and Marlow Cowan, who have been married for more than 62 years, treated us to an exceptional performance that is now a “youtube” sensation."

Sorida - hello

This group of Imagine That students was particularly animated on Monday evening. I captured a little of our hello song from Zimbabwe - Sorida. We added paper plates, and the children were singing and having a good time.

Mommy Needs Coffee

This song is one of my favorites by Ralph's World.

I like to Ooot, Ooot, Ooot, Ooples and Banoonoos

One part of Imagine That class (ages 3-5) in Kindermusik encouarges children's sense of humor through silly songs. The children learned "I Like To Eat Apples and Bananas" last week in class, and howled away as we changed the syllables. This week, I recorded some of their silliness, and captured even more silliness from Sarah in the middle of the video. She declares she will NEVER eat a Ba-noo-noo......

Two by Two

On Saturday, I was out shopping with my 10 year old daughter at our local mall. We dropped in to Panera for a quick lunch. While sitting with her eating, I noticed a man with a big pile of something paper-like on a napkin at a table directly in my line of vision. He crumpled it up, got up and threw it away. I couldn't quite tell what had been in the pile.

A few minutes later, I noticed another pile, and this time I realized it was Splenda packets. I became entranced, and watched as he emptied 10 Splenda packets, opening them two by two, into an empty cup with ice. I didn't think much of it as he got up, refilled his cup with ice tea, and sat back down. Then what I witnessed has left me pondering it ever since. He proceeded to empty 14 more packets of Splenda into the ice tea. Folks, thats 24 packets of Splenda into one 16 ounce cup of tea. I was absolutely dumbfounded. I am seriously considering trying to recreate that volume of Splenda vs. tea just to experience how utterly disgustingly sweet that must be. Of course, I can't fathom wasting 24 packets of Splenda, so I may put my math skills to work, and make a small dose to sample.

At some point I realized that this was his SECOND glass of tea with 24 packets of Splenda - the mound I had seen on the table was the first pile of 24 empty wrappers. It truly makes me wonder how a person's body can tolerate all of that artificial sweetener. Hmmmm........... 48 packets of Splenda. Anyone want to try an experiment?

Playing For Change

Last evening, another Kindermusik educator shared this YouTube video with many of us. I was greatly moved by the mission of this organization, Playing For Change.

I truly believe that sharing in the joy of music with people from all over the world can transform lives and promote peace. Enjoy and watch to the end.



More information can be found at http://playingforchange.com/

Clearing out

I am clearing out. After almost 8 years in our house, and a basement “playroom” that has accumulated more and more (and more) kids stuff, the time has come. I admit it, I love kids stuff. Especially educational kids stuff. Like puzzles, and games, and playdough and blocks and pretend play stuff. The basement has been my three children's domain for 8 years. I don’t clean it up (except about once every 6 months when I can’t walk past it one more time without feeling a panic attack come on.) I have reveled in the fact that in one area of my house, there is no need at all to even try to have some semblance of order (OK, in the rest of the house I try, my husband tries, my kids try, but it will never be museum perfect).

I just read an article in a parenting magazine that says children learn to be more creative when given an opportunity to play in disarray. Creativity comes from being able to have Legos out, then getting out kitchen stuff, etc. and being able to learn to function and play “outside the box.” I was thrilled to read this, since this is always how my kids have played (pat on the back here)....due to the fact that I haven’t had time to make them clean up in between every activity. And now, as I am cleaning out the basement, this shows. In the very bottom of the toy bin, are Uno cards that we never knew were missing, toy parts from toys that have long been discarded, an American Girl doll slipper, much glitter (from I don’t know what), and many other interesting little objects (most of which have gone in the trash).

I also must admit, that this is an extremely hard task for me. I am feeling emotional today, piling up the 24 piece puzzles, rhyming cards, and a few toddler toys (that haven’t gotten passed on yet). I LOVE all this educational baby/toddler/preschool stuff and the time I spent doing these activities with all of my children. It signifies an end to a certain time in my life. My children are now 5, 8 and 10, and have no interest in most of what’s in the basement anymore. I am clearing out to make room for our Wii.

The good news is this: while I love the ages my children are now, I equally love the ages from birth through age 5. I am delighted in my career each week to be able to capture some of what I have learned from raising my children; putting together those puzzles, rhyming and chanting, dancing to Kindermusik in my house, parading through the living room with loud pots and pans; to help bring out children’s creativity, enthusiasm and gentle personalities.

Now.....time to go back downstairs and dig Playdoh out of the rug.

Mom my ride

I am a mother of three children ages 10, 8 and 5, and spend many hours in my 2004 Honday Odyssey minivan running kids to piano lessons, choirs, soccer, church and more. I absolutely love my van, even though it truly does look like this... except that it is either Kindermusik or High School Musical CD's playing on repeat.