Found out today that I was awarded Maestro in Masterful Teaching from Kindermusik International.

Thank you to all who participated in the application process - I appreciate your time and willingness to help me reach this goal.

And thank you to the many families who have taught ME over the last 10 years - you've helped me stretch and grow and learn more than I ever thought possible.

iPhone Apps!

See Kindermusik in the iTunes App Store!

We're Moving . . .

to a new blog. Come visit us at the following address: http://musik4kids.wordpress.com

Don't worry - this blog won't die. Too much effort to let it go totally. See you there . . .

Congratulations Graduates!

Peter Makes His Debut

On today's date in 1936, Prokofiev's delightful music fable for children, "Peter and the Wolf," was given its first performance in Moscow.

The woman who had approached composer Sergei Prokofiev with the idea for "Peter and the Wolf" was Natalia Saz, then the Director of the Moscow Children's Theater. Prokofiev had only recently returned to the Soviet Union after decades of living abroad. The idea was to interest children in the sound of the orchestra through a musical fable for narrator and orchestra, in which the winds would depict different animals, with the strings representing a little boy named Peter, who rescues almost all his animal friends from the jaws of a nasty wolf.

We are learning about this story in our Young Child 2 class.

I Love It!

Is it an igloo? A drum? A swing? A tunnel? A turtle shell? A pie maker? A boat? Absolutely! The possibilities are endless. Bilibos are now a part of our classroom tools and the families can't get enough of them. If you'd like to take a Bilibo home, contact us (musik4kids_kzo@sbcglobal.net) to place your order.

No classes - snow day

There will be no classes today due to the weather.

Slumber Party Kindermusik Style

Here are the Kindermusik University Mentors during our "sleepover" at the Kindermusik International Convention in Schaumburg, Illinois this past week. The best part was walking through the lobby of the convention center in our "pj's" and receiving our very own purple Crocs with the eighth note Jibbitz. Thanks Jessi & Carol!

Magic Week!

It's finally here - Magic Week! Week 5 of our studio classes is a special time. This is when we notice amazing steps our children have taken. Here are a few I've noticed:

• Rolling over
• 1st words
• sharing
• Cleaning up - willingly
• Singing for the first time
• Giving ideas
• Learning new songs
• Playing new songs
• Trying new things
• Class participation
• Meeting new friends

What have you noticed? I'd love to hear about it . . .

A Time to Celebrate

Village - first laugh, first crawl, first steps, first word, first friends

Our Time - jumping, running, slithering, stopping, cleaning, listening

Imagine That - skipping, sharing, turn-taking, story-telling, independence

Young Child - lost teeth, reading, writing, music, instruments, notes, symbols, traveling to new cultures

It's a new semester and all this has happened just in the first two weeks. Can't wait to see what happens next ... come join us and share in the celebrations!

To watch or not to watch . . .

Last week on the radio I heard a story about baby videos. It really caught my attention as I know many of our families have them. We have stressed in our classes that your child needs you to learn. They need your immediate and appropriate response to their actions & thoughts - something a video cannot do.

[ . . . experts worry that the proliferation of these products will continue to displace the one thing that babies need in the first months of life — face time with human beings. "Every interaction with your child is meaningful," says Christakis. "Time is precious in those early years, and the newborn is watching you, and learning from everything you do." So just talk to them; they're listening.]

When used properly the videos are not bad. 10-30 minutes with an adult in attendance makes a world of difference. The adult can respond verbally, expressively and immediately to the child's reaction. In doing this activity together you may find you enjoy each other's company more than the video's . . .

Click here and here to learn more.

You're Invited . . .

Monday, August 20th

6-8pm

Lighthouse Community Church

4321 S. 11th Street

Kalamazoo MI 49009

Kindermusik Demo - Staff

Discovery Toys - Liz Peot

Stroller Strides - Maureen Weston

Not registered - we'll help you find the class you need and give you a gift as our thanks.

Already registered - bring a friend, if they register we'll give you both a gift.

There is no charge for this event - it is an Open House format so come and go as you need to.

Upcoming Events

Beach Ball Class, Friday, July 27, 9-10 am.
For some summer fun, join us for a specialty beach ball class! We'll get creative by doing exercises with the beach balls and the kids will be able to take them home after class. Who couldn't use an extra beach ball for the pool or beach?!

Kindermusik Playgroup, Thursday, August 2nd, after class around 10:00 am.
Kara Mounce will be hosting a special Kindermusik playgroup on the 2nd of August. We'll be singing, signing and having a great time together after a hard workout. Snacks will be provided.

Please invite any of your interested friends for these events. Remind them that their first class is FREE and you can earn Stroller Bucks if your friend signs up!

Maureen Weston
phone: 269.978.7079
e-mail: maureen@strollerstrides.net
website: www.strollerstrides.com

Register for a FREE class online at www.strollerstrides.net/Kalamazoo !

Thank You!

I just recently found out that we have been named as a Maestro program for 2007. Our program is in the top 5% of Kindermusik programs around the world - and one of only 190 to earn this title. We have been fortunate to have received this honor every year since 2002.





While this is exciting news for us, we couldn't do it without you. Parents (grandparents, aunts/uncles etc.) who entrust your children with us. Your continued enrollments and recommendations to your friends are crucial to our program's success. Locations who see the value in what we do and open their facilities to us and the families we serve.


Thank you!

And, a special thank you to the Educators who put in countless hours. Their dedication to this program, the curriculum and the children and families is amazing.

Thank you!

Here's to another year of bringing the power of music & movement to the children in the Kalamazoo area!

Kindermusik House

Kindermusik has many faces - children, parents, educators . . . But who is behind the scenes? This video gives you a chance to see who works so hard to put these great programs together.

Dan Pratt (who sings in the recording) is featured in this video - he is the original Chairman and CEO of Kindermusik. Can you believe it's been almost 30 years?!? An amazing voice and you can hear more of him on many of our At Home CD's. Carol Penney was my trainer (and continues to be). Can you believe it's been 8 years?!? Erin is our fantastic Convention planner & Molly is a super writer and inspiration to let yourself fly when everyone's watching. Michael Dougherty is the current President and CEO of KI. A fantastic business man with a giant heart. And good friend Jessi, who keeps all of us Mentors in line, runs the Ruth D. Anderson Children's Fund and the one who put this video together (that's why you can't see her).

Watch and see one of the reasons I like my job so much . . .

I Saw A Little Rabbit

I saw a little rabbit go hop, hop, hop
I saw his little ears go flop, flop, flop
I saw his little eyes go blink, blink, blink
I saw his little nose go twink, twink, twink

I said "Little Rabbit, won't you stay?"
But he looked at me - and he hopped away . . .

Instilling the Love of Music

Instilling the love of music in your child is easier than you thought. Here are some helpful suggestions to get you started.

1. Sing to your child


2. Dance with your child


3. Teach them action songs


4. Share with them your favorite songs


5. Rent, buy or borrow books, videos and tapes that revolve around the subject of music


6. Join parent-child classes available in your area that introduces the concepts of music in a fun way (Kindermusik)


7. If appropriate, take her to local concerts

The above listed ideas and more can be found in this article by Espie Estrella, writer for About.com.

fiesta

n. - any gala celebration; holiday

It was fiesta time in our Young Child 3/4 class - a celebration of so much accomplished over 60 weeks of music & movement time. They ended this program by adding to their glockenspiel skills, learning about a 2-string dulcimer and a recorder. Musical form and songs/games from other cultures were also explored. We are so proud of their accomplishments - ole!

Mexican Hat Dance

Sing & Celebrate

This is a special time of year for our Young Child classes. Young Child 1/2 classes are learning about celebrations - they've had 30 weeks of Kindermusik classes over the last school year and they have learned so much. Rhythm, notation, hand position, form, musical styles, orchestral instrumentation - phew!

One of our YC2 classes