Boys vs Girls

I've just read a very intriguing article on the difference in the brain development of boys vs. girls. In my recent classes, I had a group that was equally split between boys & girls and noticed an obvious distinction between what the boys were interested in and what the girls gravitated towards. I try hard not to lump children into their specific sexes and not limit my expectations to what I think their genders would dictate. You can't assume that all girls love dolls and all boys love cars. This past semester was based all around different modes of transportation & movement. It was very apparent what interested the boys. They loved the gross motor movements of pretending to be cars, airplanes, trains & pretty much anything that allowed them to moved around the room with drive & gusto. The girls, on the other hand,  loved when we had free dance with scarves, playing with chimes & bells and rhymes with finger games. It really got me thinking as to how much our influence affects their development and how much is simply hard-wired in their brains before they're even born. Here's the link to the article if you'd like to read for yourselves.Brain Development: Is the Difference between Boys & Girls all their heads?

Change of Seasons, End of Spring Classes

Spring classes are suddenly nearing an end. Next week we wind things up and it's all gone by so quickly. Many different thoughts run through my head as I evaluate what my first full semester of teaching classes was like. Of course, with it being my first full semester, I had a great deal of nerves to contend with and also a number of things that I will do differently next time. I am confident that the lessons I've learned will all make me a better teacher in the future.
Overall, I had a fantastic time! It was a such a joy to watch each child grow and progress throughout the semester and see them interact and participate in their own special ways. I had children throughout my age demographic of 18 months - 3 years and it was so delightful to watch each child respond to the activities and lessons according to their developmental stages and unique perspectives. It was great to hear some be able to sing every word to their favorite songs or discover something new about the world around them in one of my classes. The best part, above all, is seeing great big smiles and hearing their precious giggles when we'd participate in a favorite song or activity. To all my families who've participated in my class; Thank-you so much for allowing me to be a small part of each your worlds for the past four months. I sincerely hope that you've all had as much fun as I've had and I can't wait to hopefully see you again when I resume my classes next year (Fall 2011)! Have a great summer everyone and keep on singing and dancing!

Growing in a Slightly Different Direction...For Now.

After a great deal of thought and deliberation, I've decided to make some changes to my Kindermusik schedule as of this summer. The very next day after I posted my Summer Camp Classes announcement, my husband and I found out that we were expecting our second child! I was hopeful that I'd still be able to teach classes for this summer, but decided it would be best to hold off. I'm due in the beginning of December and hope to resume classes for the fall of 2011. At that point, I'll most likely be providing a few core classes in my home town and then plan to launch a studio location in Steinbach, MB for the new year of 2012. I hope to be able to provide a full spectrum of classes at that time and look forward to really stretching out and bringing the Kindermusik experience to as many families as I can. I'll be posting any changes to these plans as time goes along and will be sure to give everyone a heads up as to when I'll be starting up again and which classes I'll be teaching.
I'm sad to have to put my classes on hold when I only just got started, but I'm so very excited to become a mother again and want to cherish every moment of motherhood that I can. I've greatly enjoyed teaching my music & movement classes and I can't think of a better job to return to than Kindermusik, where I can sing and dance with young families again.

Summer Camp Adventures Classes

   I'm so excited that Spring has more-or-less sprung that I can't help thinking about summer activities and all the fun times to be had. Seeing as last summer left a lot to be desired, I'm eager to make up for lost time. There's camping, fishing, days at the beach, visiting the zoo babies, and maybe taking in a summer festival or two.
   All this summer fun I plan to spill into my Kindermusik classes as well. I want to provide Adventures Summer Day Camp Classes. The format for this class is quite different in that they are five 1 1/2 hour classes as a Monday-Friday format or maybe a weekly style, whichever seems to work best for those that are interested. The themes are based on all the discoveries that summer has to offer through song, rhyme, story time and extras include doing some crafts and a snack time. I'm hoping to be able to have these classes available for the first 2 weeks of August. This is a wonderful way to experience Kindermusik in a new and different way or to try it out for the first time without committing to an entire semester. Following is a brief description of what classes I'll be making available:

Busy Days—newborn to 1.5 years -- Set your baby's day to classical music. With a little more Tchaikovsky in your "Twinkle, Twinkle" repertoire discover new ways baby benefits from the classics as you develop an appreciation for the world's most respected music. Each lesson features new activities and songs that the parent can sing for all the places baby and mom go together—the store, the playground, the doctor, and more.
Home Materials: Busy Day board book, Home CD, Village cage bell instrument, and poster.

Creatures in My Backyard—1.5 years to 3 years
Give children something to sing about in their own backyards. Be the flower from the "seed's" perspective. Run and jump in rain puddles made from hula hoops. Snack on whole wheat mini-waffles dipped in honey, just like a real honeycomb. Shoo real flies and sing "Shoo Fly."
Home Materials: Home CD, Bunny hand puppet, and a set of 5 picture folders.

Confetti Days!—3 years to 5 years -- Throw a new party every day. Ride a carousel inside the classroom. Play a balancing game and walk on the web of ropes. Do a musical move and freeze. Learn colors and sing the Spanish song "De Colures," "Pop, Goes the Weasel," and "Looby Loo."

Home Materials: Home CD, pair of confetti bell instruments, story kit, and a set of 5 picture folders.

*Heads up to those Kindermusik families already enrolled in my classes.  As part of my incentive program, I'm offering to give you a FREE class towards the next semesters enrollment for each family that enrolls in any of my Kindermusik programs on your referral. That works out to be nearly $10.00 off the total tuition!

Have a Happy Spring & Easter Everyone!

Fascinating ways that Music affects the Development of our Brains!

Check out this link:
Research%20notes%20more%20ways%20music%20affects%20brain

Spring Sessions

Well, my Demo Days have come and gone and overall, I'm very pleased with the outcome. Being new to town, I had no idea what to anticipate. Aside from a little case of the jitters and feeling a little rushed in my preparation for my evening presentation, I was happy to have acquired several enrollments and enjoyed meeting some of the families in the community. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to presenting another series of Demo Days later this summer.

So with that behind me now, I'm excited to prepare for my full toddler 'Our Time' class. This is such an exciting age to work with and I find myself breaking out in giggle fits when I go over the curriculum preparations as I imagine what great fun it'll be. I'm determined to do the very best that I can. Not only because first impressions in a new environment is crucial, but because I truly believe in the program and genuinely want to bring something positive to the young families around me.

I'm still taking enrollments for a preschool 'Imagine That!' class if anyone is interested, or if you'd like to participate in a class for free to learn more about the program, let me know and we'll work something out.

"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

Well, another year has come and gone and the anticipation of a new one holds the promise of a new slate and a chance to make it better than the last. As a parent, my most important goal is to spend more quality time with my son. As a working mom, that is a constant challenge. Particularly when you live in a northern climate where temperatures plummet and lack of sunshine makes it very hard to find fun and engaging activities for your family. This is where I'm looking forward to being able to both teach and involve my son in Kindermusik classes. Classes are filled with songs, rhymes, games and story time to keep our kids' little minds and bodies busy through those cold winter months. The bonus is that with the take-home materials, there's plenty of activities & fun to enjoy throughout the week too and it's all laid out for you. You don't have to worry about trying to find something creative and stimulating to do with your kids when you're exhausted from work and vitamin-D deprived.

So, that being said, I'm providing two FREE Demo Day Classes at my local public library in St. Pierre-Jolys. I will be providing two different classes. One is for toddlers from 1.5 - 3 years & a second is from
3 - 5 years. I will also have plenty of time to spend one-on-one with parents &  kids to answer any questions and provide promotional materials to take home. My early spring classes will be starting in mid- March.

Details are:
      Location: St. Pierre Public Library @ 505 Hebert Ave N
                 (Octagonal structure right of the main drag. You can't miss it!)                  
           Times: February 11 (Thursday) from 6:30pm-8:00pm
                      February 13 (Saturday) from 10:30am-12:00pm