New Blog

I started a new blog for a new season of work.

You can find it here http://tandyj.com

See you there!

Groovy dance moves

"[My boy] is now 5.5 yrs old and attending 1st grade - he is thriving in academics and sports, and just learned to whistle yesterday. He also has an expansive repertoire of groovy dance moves and puts on concerts for us regularly - a charming side effect of being in your Kindermusik classes as a toddler. :)"

Listening

During my break, I have also been reflecting on listening. We have listening activities in every class. We listen to all different kinds of sounds like dogs barking or a doorbell ringing. It is important for children (and adults for that matter) to cultivate a listening spirit. Deep enjoyment of music comes from really knowing how to listen. As parents, don't you want your child to listen to you? And believe it or not, it is a child's natural inclination to want to listen to their parents and do what is pleasing in their sight. If we help a child to cultivate a listening spirit, we are helping them to be able to enjoy music more deeply now and for years to come. We are also helping them as social creatures so that they will be able to really listen to other people when they get older. By listening to other people, they can learn to be empathetic and caring. Listening is a skill that must be learned. Hearing is not listening. We hear with our ears but we listen with our spirit. So, let's all cultivate a listening spirit so we can have an ever deepening enjoyment of the art of music and our fellow human beings! By listening, we can be as much an artist as the composer of the piece we are listening to! After all, that's why the Composer spent the time to create the piece!!!

Keeping the Singing Circle

During my Christmas break, I have been reading a book in which the author tells about the various meanings of different shapes. She says that the circle represents love. As I reflected on this (I definitely like circles as my shape of choice). I was thinking about my classes.

I sing a song about making a circle, keep singing it until we have formed a circle, and insist that we keep the circle at various times in the class. Why do I do that? I won't stand for anything less than a singing circle. Neat rows of children and parents just won't do! It has to be a circle! Why?

I have noticed in my classes, that when we keep the singing circle we all socialize much easier. We can see each other's faces as we play together. We form a small community. It simply just feels better all around. It helps us to connect with each other and celebrate being human! We can see each child and parent bonding in love. This is very inspiring to be a part of!

Think about it. When you get together for a birthday party or other family gathering, don't you all stand around the birthday child in a circle as if to encircle him/her in the love of those present? Imagine if you all sat in nice rows to sing happy birthday. It would feel completely different.

So, in Kindermusik class, we are going to sing the "Let's make a circle" song and keep the singing circle at the appropriate times. I would like to think that I am contributing in a small way to your family life in helping to create an environment in which you are free to play in love with your child. Also, I would like to think that I am making a small contribution to society at large by helping to form children who will grow up to understand something about what community means.

So, LET'S MAKE A CIRCLE, CIRCLE, CIRCLE. LET'S MAKE A CIRCLE. A CIRCLE OF FRIENDS!!!!

Laughter

For our listening activity tonight we listened to a recording of children laughing. It was definitely contagious! Maybe everyone who has caught the bug that's going around ought to try laughing! We found it to be good medicine tonight!

Sharing

Tonight I witnessed one boy having a joy filled moment playing instruments. He looked around to see who he could share it with. He spotted another child and gave her an instrument. They shared the joy together. This was a 2 year old boy. His mom didn't have to ask him to share and there was absolutely no forcing involved. He just wanted to experience the moment with someone. How fabulously human!

Getting up after a fall

I was very inspired tonight by my students. I often think about the simplicity of the childlike spirit and admire them for showing me what is important in life sometimes. Tonight during ball play, these little ones ran and kicked and played and had so much fun! Never mind that they kept falling more than usual. That wouldn't stop them. Not while there was so much fun to be had playing ball games! Of course, I am not talking about serious injuries here. That would be a different matter entirely. But I am talking about the little bumps in the road. They fell with a smile and got up with one too! If only we all could be this childlike! Think of how much easier our lives would be! I wish they could understand how grateful I am to them sometimes. They inspire me to be the very best person I can be! We've all heard the expression "out of the mouths of babes." Personally, I am more interested in seeing things through their eyes!

Cooperation

During ball play this morning I was reminded of a powerful truth we adults must remember when working with very small children. I usually offer to play catch with children who come to me during ball play. If they want to, I lead the game to show them how it is done. Very small children don't have much experience cooperating with other people so we must be very patient with them. It is the process of learning that is the most important although, as adults, we do have the goal in mind: showing them how the game is played. Another goal is to enrich their life by leading them in a cooperative experience and our lives are also enriched as a result. So in a game of catch, we both benefit! Cooperation with other people enriches the life of every human person and children are no exception. Children, in fact, have a very natural and good desire to cooperate. One little one I was playing with today needed extra patience. At first, she had a hard time understanding what the expectation was and threw the ball all over the place instead of right in my arms. It felt like chaos for a bit but she finally caught on and we had a marvelous time! So, let's make having cooperative experiences with children a priority in our dealings with them! Our lives will be enriched for it for years to come!