Our circle dances are not complete without you!

Music Therapy in Early Childhood

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN’T LOOKING

A message every adult should read because children
are watching you and doing as you do, no t as you say.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you hang my
first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately
wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you feed a
stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind
to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you make my
favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little
things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I heard you say a
prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always
talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you make a
meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I
learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you take care
of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have
to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw how you
handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t
feel good, and I learned that I would have to be
responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw tears come
from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things
hurt, but it’s all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw that you
cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I learned most of
life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and
productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I looked at you and
wanted to say, ‘Thanks for all the things I saw when
you thought I wasn’t looking.’

Each of us (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, friend)
influences the life of a child.

How will you touch the life of someone today? Just by
sending this to someone else, you will probably make
them at least think about their influence on others.
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God.

We can tell you over and over again about the educational benefits your children will receive by participating in a Kindermusik class. We can emphasis how those benefits are enhanced by re-enrolling for consecutive semesters. I can post data, and studies, and expert testimonials. But, you know what I think is most telling? The children themselves – I love the countless number of times I have heard from parents since Christmas that their children are disappointed that classes haven’t started yet, the ones who ask every day when they are going to see Miss Christa, Miss Liesbeth, Miss Martha or Miss Emily again, the ones I run into at the store who I then hear continuing to talk about “music class” and “Miss Christa” from the aisles over as mom and dad continue their shopping.

Children LOVE Kindermusik – and on some level that I’m sure they can’t articulate – they know it is good for them as well. They get the freedom to pretend, explore, be active, use their voice, meet friends in an environment designed to meet their needs and accommodate their levels of activity.

Kindermusik is not only valuable right now -time for you and your child to spend together and for your child to use their whole being (physical, mental and emotional) to explore music and learning, but it is also an investment in the future. Who doesn’t want to give their child the tools to learn and process better as they grow and develop? Our classes work out to being less than $12.00 per week. You can’t take a family of four to a fast food restaurant for that! I guarantee we are a much healthier choice!

Registration is happening now – please contact me as soon as possible to insure that your spot is secure in the class of your choice.

Wish List Items that We Will Happily Repurpose For You:
Broken, old crayons – need before February 1 for a Valentine’s item for our Open House.
Empty plastic coffee cans (Folger’s Maxwell House) with lids – these make great storage and drums.
Empty plastic ice cream tubs (the big ones are best but any size) again great storage and drums.
Paper bags – tons of things to do with these.
Stickers – we are always looking for stickers to give away in class and to use for craft items.
Wine/Champagne Corks – we don’t use these in class but Miss Christa has been crafting with them for her Aunts and mother and could use more. They do not have to be “real” cork.

Remember – today is the last day to enroll for Play Dates happening next week. I’m in the office and would love to hear from you. Taking enrollments is much more fun than working on paperwork for the IRS.

Dear Parents, Happy New Year!

Do you realize how much your child learns in a Kindermusik class? And she thinks she’s just having fun! That is really the best way to learn, isn’t it?
Let’s take a look at all the learning possibilities in Kindermusik.

While singing the hello song she learns to use her singing voice, she learns about the social rituals in our society and she learns she is a valuable member of the group. Lap bounces help him experience a steady beat, which lays a foundation for being able to do many activities ranging from making music, to reading and writing, to playing sports! Rhymes and chants are extremely valuable for your child’s language development. And, of course we’re always moving to the music! This helps develop his gross motor skills, builds muscles, improves balance and teaches different ways to express himself. Waiting for her turn to try out that interesting new musical instrument, dancing in the circle, helping to put the instruments or props away; all these activities teach her that she is part of a community, a social group, and show her how to behave accordingly. And we are doing lots of pretend play in all our classes. Pretend play helps your child to make sense of the world around him; and in the older age groups it sparks his imagination and helps him shape the world around him.

So much fun and so much valuable learning in each Kindermusik class. But it doesn’t stop at the studio door! Using your home materials brings the learning home, and to the car, and to the store, and to grandma and grandpa, and to…
There is no limit to where you can do the activities and songs from class with your child. When my daughter Emma was in Our Time, we did Fiddle Dee Dee. In that curriculum, there is a song that goes as follows: “Bowowow, Who’s Dog Art Thou, I am Emma’s Dog, Bowowow.”
We would sing it all the time and everywhere, substituting Emma’s name with anything that would come to mind. “I am Mommy’s Dog”; “I am the Tree’s Dog”; “I am the Car’s Dog”; etc., etc. She would be the one coming up with the words; it made her take in her environment and verbalize what she saw (trees, cars, rocks, and so on). We loved it, and Emma learned a lot!

I am very excited about starting our new semester, and hope to see many of you soon!

Liesbeth Korink Beasley

Miss Liesbeth and Jonas at our Halloween Open House

Emma coloring with friends at our Halloween Open House

While I am a huge fan of technology (obviously – I write a blog, am on Facebook all the time, use an iPod in class and just got an iPhone), it is important to also have activities that do not include a charger. We enjoy working jigsaw puzzles, I still read books consisting of ink, paper and glue, board games, card games, conversations with our friends. This is very true for everyone! Parents of young children – did you know Kindermusik classes give you an opportunity to have real face time with your child while you sing, dance, play acoustic instruments, read and learn together? What a magical time that 45 minutes a week can be where you really can disconnect from your “tech” tools and plug into being with your child. We are currently enrolling for classes right now that will begin in just a couple weeks. We are offering some short – 4 week- sessions for those who are not ready to commit to a fifteen week semester. We have day and evening classes available for children ages newborn – 7 year olds. 

For the older child, or the adult, how about committing to playing the piano in 2012. By 2013, you could have a repertoire of at least 20 songs in different genres and styles. You will know how to play the blues and to accompany yourself or someone else singing. This is a great way to engage your brain in a new way. Don’t worry if you feel you have failed at piano (or another instrument) in the past. Don’t claim you aren’t musical – everyone is! I would love to show you the joy making music can add to your life. What a sense of accomplishment when you realize you can do it! You are never too old to learn!

If you want more information on any of these programs (Kindermusik, or Simply Music Piano Lessons) leave a comment on this blog post, find me on Facebook (Miss Christa’s Music Studio or Kindermusik with Miss Christa and Friends), give me a call 740 854 4011 or visit my website www.misschristamusic.com. Let me help you resolve to be musical in 2012! 

I heard a song yesterday called, Your Last Childhood Christmas, I realized that this is Sarah’s. Next year, technically, she will only be visiting. Weird how the time seems to fly. Greg and I are celebrating our 20th Christmas together. That is more than I celebrated with my parents at home.

Well, the coffee is brewing, and Hannah is tormenting Sarah to get out of bed – “you can sleep in the car on the way to Grandma’s – get up – seriously – it’s Christmas”. So much for Peace on Earth:)

Merry Christmas – I have enjoyed writing this for the past 25 days. I hope I have new material after the holidays.

Last night I hit my bump in the road. I had worked all day and Greg had been super sweet to volunteer to go to the grocery store while I was busy. I wrote a very detailed list but, alas, did not know that there is dill pickle relish as well as sweet. I wrote pickle relish, he prefers dill flavors so that is what he bought. Normally, not a big deal, but I’m making Grandma Nadine’s Ham Salad and to my knowledge no one ever put dill relish in it. Sensing I was stressed, he graciously agreed to go to the Family Dollar to see if they had a small jar of sweet relish.

While he is gone, I decide to preheat the oven to bake mom’s birthday cake (sour cream chocolate with mocha frosting) that needs to go with us on Christmas Day to her house. Her birthday is not until January 4 but we have started celebrating it at Christmas time because that is when we are all home. ANYWAY, I turn on the oven to preheat and then turn my back to it to continue grinding meat, eggs and onions for said ham salad (have I ever mentioned I’m a chronic multi-tasker? You don’t even want to know how many irons are in the fire while I’m writing this) the smoke alarm in the kitchen starts going off and I ignore it. It goes off all the time – seriously all the time. Well, a few minutes later, my eyes are burning and tearing, and I’m coughing, I turn around and there is smoke rolling and pouring out of the oven. Okay – this time it is not a false alarm.

I quickly turn off the oven, turn on the light to assess that there are no flames (cool thinking in the midst of panic I think) and then- DUMB -open the oven door! Apparently, the grease from the salami had dripped into the bottom of the oven the other day when I was making it. I did not notice it at 200 degrees but it definitely smoked up at 350 degrees. I had Hannah come running to open all the doors and windows downstairs and to close all the bedroom doors upstairs so they didn’t fill with smoke. Turned on all the ceiling fans – all the while praising God for this unseasonably warm December that here-to-fore I have been complaining about. I turned off the heater (can’t afford to heat the whole neighborhood) and rapidly called Greg at Family Dollar asking him to bring oven cleaner home from the Family Dollar because I have attempted to burn the house down – but don’t worry – it’s all taken care of.

Hannah by this point has put on her winter coat because I’m freezing her out. I’m not freezing because I’m standing between a very hot oven – now standing open so I can cool it down enough to clean it and a running dishwasher. I continue through the steps of ham salad making and, duh, remember that I have forgotten to make the white chocolate candy for Monday. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Greg brings the things home from the store, continues to try to calm me and help as much as possible. I ended up being in the kitchen for much longer than anticipated last night – but the oven and stove top are sparkling, all the food (including the cake) are done. And, my in-laws just walked in the door. So I am going to close this and head off to spend some much needed family time with them.

Merry Christmas

I attended a candlelight service last year on Christmas Eve and took Hannah with me. It was nice to revisit that experience from my past – though it has changed – now they use battery operated candles and there is no hot wax dripping through the hand guard because I didn’t leave it alone like Mom told me. The peace and serenity of singing ageless hymns of angels, shepherds and a beautiful baby boy tug at me and I’m hopeless to try to not cry.

But – with this peace and serenity comes EXCITEMENT, RAMBUNCTIOUSNESS, AND CRAZY – especially with children. I am teaching classes yet today and I know that I am going to have to bring my A game to the class. The energy levels are going to H-I-G-H HIGH! So, what’s a mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, babysitter, caregiver to do? You have a ton of things you want to get finished, you want peace and serenity and maybe even a few tears, but these children are going WILD! Here are some suggestions:
1. Buy a bag of cotton balls – you can build miniature snow men, glue them on paper for a winter scene, blow them across the dining room table ( or a card table) with straws to play “hockey”, put them on a blanket or sheet and bounce them to music to create a snowfall in the living room.
2. Read a book – seriously, sometimes the wild wackiness comes from the feeling of need for attention. If we, as the adults, stop what we are doing, and focus – seriously focus – on the child for five to ten minutes it can buy us time later.
3. Begin your thank you notes. Write the following on a piece of paper:

Dear______________________
Thank you for the ______________________________. I appreciate you thinking of me.

Sincerely,

Make copies – have your child decorate with crayons, markers, stickers, glitter – whatever, and sign his/her name. Then all you have to do is fill in the blanks – a good activity when the excitement of Christmas has worn off but they are still home on break.

4. Bake cookies for Santa, clean a carrot for Rudolph, make reindeer food (raw oats and sugar sprinkles).
5. QUIET TIME – Yep Miss Christa’s on her soap box again, but everyone needs to STOP for 3-5 minutes, dim the lights, quiet music playing in the background. Take DEEP breaths and relax.
6. Sing through your chores, teach your children the songs of your youth – be silly – yep even if you have to sing “Batman smells” (UGH I hate that verse). Don’t worry if you aren’t American Idol material. Your child loves to hear you sing.
7. Enlist their help – allow them to help dust, sort silverware, fold napkins, lick envelopes, fluff couch cushions etc. It doesn’t matter if the job really needs to be done or not, but children are naturally inclined to help if it makes them feel important. You will have to let go of PERFECTLY PERFECT tendencies and settle for good enough – but hey – if it buys you sanity it is worth it.
8. BREATHE – through it all just breathe deeply. Soon it will pass and these years of young craziness will pass sooner than you think. Someday you will miss it – seriously – I’m not kidding.

I wish you all an enthusiastic peaceful day – yep that’s what I meant. Only two more sleeps to Christmas. Have a great day!

Instead, it made me kind of wonder about the history of Santa Claus, or St. Nicholas and so I decided to do some reading. Rather than quote lots of different sources here, I will share some interesting websites I found, in case, reader, you too are interested.

History of Santa in America<a The Real Saint Nicholas
I obviously have not done an exhaustive study, and have only searched using “St Nicholas History” in Google – it is three days before Christmas and, as fascinating as I find this, I still have preparation to do and am still teaching classes. BUT, what I have gleaned so far is that:
1. St Nicholas, Santa Claus etc – does have roots to some extent in Christianity.
2. There have been controversies over whether or not it is good to use him with children for hundreds of years. (See the Santa in America site)
3. Yes, there is a commercialism to the idea of Santa Claus, but there is also one of charity, philanthropy, hope and love.

As a child, I loved the concept of Santa Claus. I would listen for sleigh bells, gaze longingly into the Christmas Eve sky, and readily believe my dad when he told me an airplane’s lights was Rudolph’s nose. As an adult, I have great appreciation for the length my parents went to give my sister and I wonderful Christmas memories, surprises and treats. Looking back, I now realize that it probably wasn’t easy for them most years. There were many times dad was out of work, or funds were tight. We never thought we were missed by Santa though. As an adult, I love hearing students tell me what they have asked Santa for, and to watch their eyes light up when I play “Ho Ho HO” on the iPod. We do Breakfast with Santa with the band boosters each year, and it is so heartwarming to watch the children wave at him, sit on his lap, hang around to get his attention.

As a parent, I loved the brief time my children were innocent enough to wholeheartedly believe. I like to do special things for people, and tried to make that time extra special for them. I did things such as leaving them notes thanking them for the cookies, and, one year, we wrapped the living room entrance so they had to unwrap it to even see what was under the tree. I went to great lengths to use special wrapping paper for Santa gifts and, even though the gig is up in this house, there is still usually one or two unexpected gifts under the tree from ‘Santa’.

I would love to do a picture study of the ways his image has changed through history. Hmmmmm maybe if I take a day off over the break, I’ll surf around for those. In any case, just like St. Nicholas in the tale of Twas the Night Before Christmas allow me to wish a A Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Santa Claus – or your favorite memory of him.