Month: April 2011

Baby Speak in Baby Music Class

It never ceases to amaze me how much the babies get out of our Kindermusik Village music classes! This morning was the loudest baby class I have ever experienced. Not in a negative way, in a super cute way! All the babies were full of conversation! Squealing with delight. Trying to converse with each other in their babbling, conversational way. And vocalizing with me just as much as they were vocalizing with each other! They were really working their vocal chords and practicing their conversation and socialization skills.

Since our music class is exactly halfway through the session, you can really see that the babies have the routine down pat! They’re are feeling comfortable and ready to explore the instruments and materials. Anticipating what comes next and flowing easily from one activity to the next. Of course it helps that we have a really involved group of moms, dads and caregivers that are terrific at participation, really getting into the groove of dancing and movement in class and even doing activities at home! Sure makes for more learning for the babies!

What a fun class this is! I’m enjoying every minute and can tell that not only are the babies having a blast, but they are learning more and more with each passing week! Can’t wait for our class next week!

Guitar Lessons

Miss Mandi's Guitar
Guitar lessons are the newest area of business here at the Sing Music Studio. I’ve played the guitar for many years but just haven’t taught it. I recently bought myself a new guitar (my 10 year old one was sounding pretty sad) and, due to the high demand from my students, shortly thereafter began teaching guitar lessons. I tell you I love it! Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching singing lessons and piano lessons and Kindermusik too! It’s just fun for me to tap in to a new part of my brain and teach a new instrument. I love learning and teaching too. Teaching, for me, can be just as much a learning experience for me as it is for my student – finding out what each student needs to work on and how to reach each student as we all learn and understand differently. Apparently my guitar students are enjoying it too because I received this cute picture from one of my students of us during our lesson. She even included Mokie! Guitar Thanks

Practice First + Homework Second = Smarter Kids!

Music is the only activity out there that actually makes use of the entire brain. Try this on for size. A study on brain activity was done on musicians. They were hooked up to a monitor that measured activity in each part of the brain. The musicians were asked to play a tune that they knew from memory. Every single light that measured every single portion of the brain actually lit up! So it’s science, brain functioning is actually improved by making music!

I don’t need the science to tell me that though, I know this from personal experience. Every time I play a gig, rehearse or teach a music lesson or music class, I feel energized afterwards. I am literally ready to take on the world and tackle any project that comes my way. It’s not just my mind that feels open, but also my body. It’s no wonder I am so productive after musical activity!

It’s for these reasons that when the parents of my music lesson students ask me about practice schedules, I tell them to practice first and do homework second! Spending that time being musical and working the brain and body opens up the mind to become more perceptive to homework. Your children will be more focused on homework and retain more information after practice than before. That’s certainly a key benefit from music lessons. Not only does music improve your brain functioning, memory skills, vocabulary, social skills, fine and gross motor dexterity, cognitive development, emotional development, mathematical skills and creativity, it can also help your child with their homework. That’s pretty impressive.

This spring at the Sing Music Studio, we’re offering a special on all of our music lessons: piano lessons, guitar lessons and singing lessons. Four lessons for the price of three. Here’s your opportunity to experience the positive effects music lessons have on you or your child’s brain development. We also have Kindermusik, music and movement, classes for children as young as newborn! The mind is never too young or too old to be enhanced by music.

Read more on how music affects the brain in this article from Scientific American.