In my many years of teaching music to children and families, there is usually a pattern in our enrolment, most parents will choose to enrol their children in music classes from the older-toddler age of around 18 months, until 3 years old. 

It stands to reason – from 18 months onwards, children become more and more mobile. They can communicate even in simplistic language, their limbs can now move independently with some degree of control, for example, they can hold and shake a musical bell, and some will overtly demonstrate their enjoyment in music, by bopping or swaying along to the beat. Mentally, they are able to understand simple instructions, engage in basic imaginary play,  and are becoming more emotionally independent from their primary carer. 

I find that if you stick to at least two years of music group class attendance with your child, the benefits do start to show – they pick up good habits from our regular classroom routines so that they are able to participate in musical activities, sing, dance and have enough confidence and familiarity to play with various musical props in class, without mum and dad’s help. 

When they reach the Kindy age of 3 onwards however, music attendance tend to abruptly stop. Again, this is understandable – most parents go back to work, Kindy school will take up 3 days per week, and parents tend to consider Kindy school instruction as sufficient for their child’s education. 

However, in my opinion, the period of ages 3 – 5 years old is actually the most crucial time for children to keep up with their music group class attendance. Music will complement their experiences at Kindy school. Now that they have acquired more refinement in manipulating their hands and fingers,  playing an instrument becomes easier. Their comprehension and communication skills have grown,  their ability to find and keep up with the tempo in a musical piece becomes more honed, and their imagination is in full swing – allowing immersion and enjoyment in all our musical activities.

I ask my parents to picture this:  when your child sits in a small group playing shakers together, or waiting for their turn to beat the drum when we are studying a musical piece, they are already learning skills that they need to be successful in school:  1) they acquire the discipline to focus and concentrate, 2) they listen out for each other, 3) they are essentially learning how to play as part of an orchestra  4) and learning becomes a self-fulfilling act – each stage where they find success and enjoyment in music making motivates them further to continue learning following this growth path. So it’s a win-win for all. 

Teaching a group of lively 3-5 year olds can be challenging at times, but I am lucky that I can rely on my aptitude and experience to keep the ‘ribbon flowing high’ – I know when it is time to energise the group and dance big,  or to settle down to focus and learn a new music definition, or when it is time to perform in our mini-ensemble, or to sing our way into a quiet musical game.  As one parent of a 3.5 year old said to me once, “I don’t know what you do there in your 3-year old class, but my daughter comes out of there skipping and humming to herself!” 

Music to my ears…

 

 

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Did you know that one of the only activities that activate, stimulate and make use of our Ueki entire brain is Music?!

There are many documented studies that show how children are naturally musical right from the very beginning. In fact, babies talk in “musical dialogues” with their mums and are more attentive when addressed in a sing-song lilting voice rather than a monotone!

Making music benefits your child’s development in so many areas of their growing life, and what better way to introduce your child to Music than through Kindermusik!

We combine singing, dancing, moving, self-expression, storytelling, rhymes and instrument playing, to create an energetic and engaging class for the whole family. And with your @Home Materials, you get to continue the music-making and beneficial activities at home too!

We keep our class sizes small so we can pay individual attention to each child and work on their strength and potential.

Each child is unique – at every Kindermusik class, we help you understand and get to know your child, to bond and create special moments with them during this short but precious period of their growing life, and to guide and enhance their musical and social journey.

Join us and see why thousands of families world-wide choose Kindermusik for the whole family!

As children reach school age and begin to attend regular school hours, we make sure their love of music continue to grow – we offer group Keyboard classes which are full of fun and laughter, and individual Piano lessons – all at our lovely studio in Karrinyup (for 6 years and above).

I have always wondered why most musical instruction for children focusses primarily on two areas – learning to play the instrument and studying some form of musical theory.

What about teaching children (or at least encouraging them) to ‘compose’?!

Just as children first learnt to scribble, draw, then eventually read, imagine growing up where they were never allowed to learn to print letters, to write words, or to put down ideas in writing?

It’s a bit like stopping them from speaking or singing!

Children often sing or hum to songs they have heard before (how often do you catch your little one humming to a familiar tune in an unguarded moment).

But we also hear children singing and making up their own tune as they go about playing with their toys… So right from an early age, children have the ability to ‘compose’ through singing!

If your child is learning to play an instrument, it is just as important that they also learn to make up songs as early as possible, using whatever level of music they already know. Composing has many benefits! Why?

• It makes them even more confident and inspired to get better at their instrument.

• Composing reinforces their ability to read music – they need to write down (to notate), the notes they are using, correctly on the Staff paper, so they can then play it.

• Making up a song encourages musicality – they learn intuitively which cadence or chord progression goes well together, which is dissonant, which notes when played sequentially make a nice melodic line, and so on.

• Composing allows them to use their imagination! I always ask my students what scene are they thinking of in their song? What is it about? Is it sad, happy, is it about friends or their favourite pet?

Remember, there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ composition – as children get older, their music teacher will most likely go through the more technical details like harmony, chord progression, relative scales and musical form.

For now, encourage and enjoy your child’s music compositions. You can ask them to play it for you on their chosen instrument, and… don’t forget to record them on your phone! Children simply love watching themselves ‘perform’; it also helps them to listen back to the kind of musical form they have chosen to create.

Composing is very much like story-telling for children – in musical terms!

In our music class, we spend as much time singing, listening and moving to music, as to reciting rhymes and matching simple actions and gestures to rhyming poems.

Why?

Our brains are wired up, right from birth, to recognise patterns. For newborn babies, it is the pattern of mum’s humming, or dad’s deep voice, then on to the routines of the day, the ‘rhythm’ of the day. Again, routines mean patterns – baby begins to understand that when there’s cluttering in the kitchen then it must be getting close to meal time.

As they get older, children rely on daily routines big and small to give them a sense of predictability and continuity, fostering a sense of security and attachment – when children feel secure and happy, learning takes place.

So when we recite a short four-line poem to our 2 and 3-year olds in our Level 3 class for example, this simple routine has so many benefits:

• Phonemes: Rhymes allow children to develop sound linguistic skills – they begin to understand that word endings that match in sounds at the end of each phrase mean they are somehow related to each other – a pattern of phonemes (the smallest unit of sound). They transpose this skill and put it to use as they begin to read independently.

• Cadence: you know that feeling when you are listening to a foreign language that you do not understand – it often sounds like the person is speaking in one long continuous sentence since you have no way of separating the words into discrete blocks? Well, poems serve to illustrate to children the rhythmic flow of sequences of words; its concise form allows children to comprehend the content and ideas. The more children are exposed to the rhythmic quality of a poem, the better they themselves develop good cadence and diction as they begin to articulate. And the more easier children are understood, the more confident speakers they become, and the less frustrated they will feel when communicating.

• Music: Ahh! It seems so natural for us to take a nursery rhyme for example, and put it into music. Even when we read a poem not set to a melody, we automatically use a melodic tone – we make the words and phrases lyrical, our sing-song voices go up and down, with beginnings and endings. We would hardly ever recite a nursery rhyme in a flat monotone voice! Just like music, a poem has cadence, it has rhythm, the word endings rhyme – so for children, lyrical poems and music are by far the easiest way to develop language skills, to communicate, to express feelings, to interact, to listen, and for their brains to find patterns so their brainpower expands!

7 notes Studio Policy and Guidelines (updated July 2018)

isotretinoin where can i buy it Welcome

Thank you for choosing to enrol your child with 7 notes Studio.

Attending Kindermusik classes with our children many years ago, we have seen first-hand the value and long-lasting benefits a quality early childhood music education can contribute to a child’s whole development, helping them to be school ready and enhancing their learning capabilities.  

We look forward collaborating with you, as we help nurture your child’s love of music and guide them through the beginnings of a lifetime of musical wonder and possibilities. 

For a happy, safe and healthy classroom, here are some guidelines that we follow:

1. It is best to arrive a few minutes early for each class, so your child has the opportunity to settle down, perhaps have a drink or snack, or use the bathroom. There are always instruments or books left out for your child to play with before lesson starts.

2. For hygiene and food allergy reasons, we ask that your child do not consume food during class. If possible, please feed them just before the class starts, or any time straight after.

3. Our classroom floor is always kept clean, so for you and your child’s safety and comfort, “Shoes Off” is best. It enables children to feel the music beat easier through bare or socked feet. However, we fully understand if your child insists on keeping their shoes on!

                                                    

4. We encourage children to stay home if they are unwell – we will keep you in touch with our latest activities through emails or phone calls. For Kindermusik, please access your current and past Units through your @Home materials, at my.kindermusik.com.

5. Absences: there is no refund or credit due if your child is unable to attend. The running costs of the program (rent, insurance, licences, class materials, fees) remain the same regardless of the number of children in attendance. A make-up class may be scheduled during school holidays at the Studio’s discretion. If you think you will be absent for a while, please contact us.

6. On certain occasions where you may need to bring a sibling along who is not currently enrolled in your child’s class, kindly please let us know – we understand and will always endeavour to accommodate you in these instances.

7. We love it when you bring friends who are interested in joining our program. Please contact us prior to class so we may prepare for their arrival. Caregivers and grandparents are always welcome to attend anytime!

8. In case of a Teacher’s absence due to illness, we will make up the class at a later date or if that is not possible, we will arrange a refund or credit towards the following Term’s tuition fees.

 

Tuition Fees

1. For current Tuition fees and inclusions (Kindermusik, Keyboard, Piano), please refer to our website www.kindermusikby7notes.com

2. Term Fees will be invoiced prior to the start of the Term – payment is required before the first day of Class. We accept Cash, Credit card or via Direct deposit.

At Home Activities

Kindermusik

 To get the most out of your class, please feel free to explore and familiarise yourself with the @Home Materials and downloadable music which comes with every enrolment.  Every week in class, we will discuss ideas and share some tips you may have picked up while using your @Home materials from home. We always welcome and take note of your valuable comments and suggestions.

 

Keyboard

Please make use of your child’s keyboard book, CD and Flash Cards at home. You will receive weekly updates and email suggestions to help enhance and ease your child’s home practice and prepare them for the following week’s class.

 

Piano Private

 You are able to sit in or watch your child’s lesson at any time. Homework practice is set every week. There are two scheduled recitals (mid-year and end-of-year), wherein we strongly encourage every child to perform at whatever level they feel comfortable. It is important that they become confident players in front of an audience.

 

We will constantly update you on your child’s progress in class, so we can both decide when it is time for your child to have the opportunity to move on to the next level in our Kindermusik,  Keyboard or Piano curriculum.

 

If circumstances arise which require you to withdraw from our class, we kindly request you give us 2 weeks prior notice.  Your Tuition Fees will be charged up to and including this 2-week period.

 

We are confident you and your child will have an enjoyable musical journey with us. However, if you are not satisfied with your child’s experience after attending at least 5 consecutive classes with us, listening to your Home CD and accessing your on–line Kindermusik Materials, we will refund your Tuition fees minus the cost of the Home materials, which are yours to keep and enjoy.

“Self-regulation – the ability of a system or being to take steps in order to keep itself in balance”. This may apply to businesses, organisations and individuals.

When I was at university, I knew exactly why I wanted to get my degree qualifications in psychology – I liked ‘working out’ how other people think, what makes them behave the way they do, and so on. Someone mentioned that there was a rising demand for teenage counsellors, an area which interested me the most,  so that was where my path was heading to.

Once I started a family and had my own children however, my thinking shifted. It dawned on me that it is the first 5 years of a child’s life that is actually the most crucial period – there was no need to wait and try to ‘fix’ our children when they reach their teens – what they experience and learn, from birth to pre-school, were likely to have vast long-term effects in all aspects of their development in subsequent years.

Professor Shanker, a research professor in Philosophy and Psychology, states that, with regards to children’s emotional, social and cognitive development, self-regulation is one of the key indicator of a child’s healthy growth, affecting her or his ability to learn and develop positive habits in later years. The early years are crucial as it becomes more difficult to alter children’s education and life outcomes once they reach Kindy or Grade 1 (Shanker, 2009, Developmental Pathways: Scaffolding for Early Learners)

 

Shanker (2012) emphasises that self-regulation is a learnt behaviour and does not happen naturally as a child matures. As in many learning opportunities, a child learns to self-regulate, such as emotionally staying calm and alert, or being able to delay gratification,  through observing the behaviour and responses of trusted adults around them.

So when I am in class teaching music to children, whether they are babies under 1 year old, or 6-year olds learning to play the keyboard for the first time, I always keep in mind what and how we can practise self-regulation in varied, fun and challenging ways. When we are doing a particular activity, I ask myself what is the end purpose of this activity,  how can we enhance this so that a child benefits not just musically, but also in learning how to manage behaviour?

 

Music is such a natural, easy way to help children to self-regulate. Playing games like ‘Stop & Go’, or singing songs like ‘Who’s that knocking on the Window’,  or dancing to ‘Piggy Jig’ (where you follow a series of movements) – . – all are activities that require children to stop and listen, to delay an expected response and wait for a cue, and to anticipate what is going to happen next.

Without realising it, children develop sound self-regulatory habits simply through playing, dancing, singing and moving to music. Even poems such as ‘Round and round the garden’ and ‘Five Little Peas’, or quiet songs like ‘The Water is Wide’ exposes children to predictive patterns that help them wait and stop before giving a response.

In our class, I am constantly filled with gratitude as days, weeks, months and even years pass – and I get to watch how our children evolve and develop solid self-regulating habits.  Each have their own endearing quirks and personality traits (who wouldn’t want that!), each have quiet or loud ways to express themselves, each have their own dance moves and individual ways to respond to a stimuli.

But each child is learning to self-regulate effortlessly.  As a mum and a music instructor, it is infinitely more satisfying to help children now in their formative years than in later years, to open their young heart, brain and body to the positive, wonderful and long-lasting impact of music.

 

Welcome all families and friends to 2018!

Our school year started this week – lots of new bags, new teachers, new classrooms…

For us, it is the right time to revisit the values that we cherish, and underpins the what, why and how, of all the things we do here at 7 notes Studio

 

 

Music Movement and Laughter

Why are children attracted to music? So many parents come to us to say that the reason they have decided to enrol is because they have watched their child really respond to music – their eyes light as they bop along, sway and bounce lightly on the spot as they listen to their favourite music playing.

 

So what is there about music that makes us feel good?

Well, first of all, when we move our bodies to music, our brain releases the feel-good hormones called endorphins. These hormones bring about that feeling of well-being both physically and emotionally. And because we feel good, we are motivated to keep moving so we can make that feel-good feeling lasts that much longer. So it has a roll on effect.

Another beneficial hormone to consider is neurotrophins – any movement activities that give our body a work out stimulates the brains to produce neurotrophins – these hormones are responsible for nerve cells growth and making new neural connections in the brains. As children develop elaborate neural connections, any learnt movement (such as kicking or jumping) becomes easier to master.

Finally, did you know that learning is always more effective when we are in a feel-good state and experiencing positive emotions? The optimum environment for acquiring new skills is when laughter and learning are present at the same time.

Young children are not really much into the intricacies of what makes their muscles and nervous systems grow. Children will happily respond to a positive, relaxing and rich learning environment, where they are sorounded and lovingly supported by their grown ups, carers, family and friends.

In each and every one of our music classes, we make sure there is always plenty of movement and lots of laughter, because we know where there is more fun, then learning naturally happens.

 

My son is preparing for his Grade 3 Piano exams. Of all the pieces he has to play, he seems to be having trouble putting the correct tempo and leading beat to an otherwise very easy arrangement of ‘Desperado’ by the American rock band Eagles.

A 1973 song, it is familiar to me, played on the radio over and over again when I was little. There has been lots of renditions sung during local talent quests and amateur nights at the pub.

 

 

But then it suddenly occurred to me that my 11-year old son would never have heard of this song!  I haven’t heard it played at all recently on air. So off we go to Youtube, looking for the original piece. After hearing it a few times with his headset on, he is beginning to ‘understand’ how to interpret this song. He tries to play it with more emotion. He puts music dynamics to give the piece more expressiveness.

My heart does go out to him – here is a song which reminds me of my childhood. I watched my older siblings play this Eagles album on vinyl records using my parents’ turntable. That was many summers ago, long before smartphones or iPads.  Now I cringe (on the inside) as I watch my son attempt to interpret a song sung nearly 40 years ago! A song he has never heard before.

Funnily enough, I heard him tinkling on the piano a few days ago, trying to make up his own song.  Like many children his age, he is an avid fan of the Star Wars movie franchise. He has a ‘Jedi’ sword and a Star Wars costume. He has watched all the latest Star Wars films over and over again.

His piano ‘composition’ actually sounded very much like the theme song from Star Wars. It has that repetitive forceful drone chords (he made up for his left hand), paired with a harmony for melody on the right hand. He was very proud to show us and let us listen to his composition (quite a few times!)

It goes to show how much emotion each of us invest when composing, playing music or making choices about which type of music or artist we like to listen to. We may play a musical instrument with as much finesse as we can, depending on our level of ability. We can also play a musical piece effectively just by following all the instructions and music dynamics written for the piece.

But ultimately, it is how we relate to that music on the emotional level, based on our own personal experience, that determines how successful we interpret a piece of music and bring it to life.

Here is a strong yet graceful performance from one of the most inspiring artist I have discovered of late (Piano solo from 4:25)

 

 

What inspires you?

 

 

 

 

How can music help our children develop healthy emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence is a person’s ability to understand ones feelings, discern different types of feelings, emphatise with others, and regulate one’s behaviour and thought processes through this awareness.

This term,  in our 4-5 year old music class, we have been exploring 2 separate Units entitled “Giggles” and “Feel the Music”.

‘Giggles’ delves into the pre-schoolers emerging sense of humour, which at this age focuses mainly on the idea of incongruency, such as simple puns or word play,  or wrongly attributed characteristics, like an owl barking or a camel with 5 humps. What is funny or unfunny is of course very much dependent on a child’s understanding of and corresponding cultural inferences in the world that they live in.

We listened and sang to appropriately matched songs; we danced giddily to fun songs such as ‘Boom boom ain’t it Good to be Crazy’, and our literacy activities focused mainly on jokes, including our very own funny home-made jokes and drawings.

 

 

‘Feel the Music’ explores emotions – happy, sad, angry and scared – to name a few. The children love taking class ‘selfies’ on the iPad, each showing their happy face, sad face, angry, scared or sleepy face. They love contorting their faces to make exaggerated expressions – frowning, smirking, scowling, lightening up – they are so willing to explore all sorts of different emotions.

We have been dancing and moving to vastly different music pieces which could draw out different feelings – think ‘The Turkey Reel’ for that fast happy upbeat feel, or ‘Into the Woods’ for that scary spooky feeling.

Both these Units illustrate clearly how much making music or listening to music elicit certain emotional responses from us. Back then and even to this day, composers and songwriters tend to create songs and music to elicit  certain emotional responses from their audience.

 

Research shows that the more children are accepted and supported in exploring and experiencing different types of feelings, the more they are able to navigate and identify ways to deal with their emotions as they grow up.

These past few weeks, I have been amazed at how much the children in my class have embraced the feelings of highs and lows/happy and sad, of freely manipulating their faces and bodies to demonstrate anger or fear, of really listening to the emotive feature of each music piece and responding expressively.

I am humbled by their willingness to talk about feelings, and at such young age, at their depth of understanding of the kind of situations they may encounter where they experience these feelings.  They have a generous capacity for empathy with their peers in class, and they are truly on their way to developing and strengthening what I would rightly call as, Emotional Intelligence.