Free VILLAGE class (newborns to 18 months) at Babies R Us

…at the Stay and Play and Learn Event on Saturday, July 12, 2008

Babies R Us
4441 Lemay Ferry Rd
St Louis MO 63129

10:00-10:30am, 11:30am-12:00pm & 1:00-1:30pm

Newborns to 18 months (siblings are welcome).

Visit Kindermusik with Lori Burkhardt for details and reservations.

Gene Gene, the Dancing Machine - Gong Show

Gene Gene, the Dancing Machine - Gong Show

Now…this was some crazy TV!!  I remember this clip…

Muppet Show ~ Sax & Violence

Muppet Show ~ Sax & Violence

As a Sax player….I love this! :o)  Especially the ‘Charlie Parker’ line.

Kindermusik ~ newborns to 7 years….

A glimpse of Kindermusik! newborns to 7 years, ever wonder what happens in the other classes?

Village to Our Time to Imagine That to Young Child!

Kindermusik Maestro 2008, 2nd Year in a Row!

What a surprise to find this in my inbox (and my mail) from Kindermusik International:

Congratulations! You have earned the honor of Kindermusik Maestro Producer, Mezzanine Level (top 5% of educators). You are one of 180 educators to reach this honor (from over 5000 educators world-wide).

The Maestro Program, started in 2000 by Kindermusik International, recognizes licensed Kindermusik educators who master one of three levels in early childhood development: program growth, outstanding community service and teaching excellence.

Needless to say, I was happily surprised!

This means that through the support of all of my families attending Kindermusik with Lori Burkhardt, my Studio is in the top 5% of all Kindermusik programs internationally for 2008-2009.

Thank you, families, for helping with this honor. It would not be possible without you.

Stray Rescue of St Louis

Amazing rescue group, Stray Rescue of St Louis.

And winner of a $1 million shelter make-over.

Extended rescue video of mom and 11 puppies.

Thank you, Randy Grim and everyone involved with this group for caring.

University Summer Concert Band 2008

Come Join Us for Our 12th Season

University Summer Concert Band 2008

Lori plays Alto Sax in this band.

All concerts begin at 7pm
Market in the Loop, 6655 Delmar

Some seating available or bring your own lawn chairs

Tom Poshak, Conductor

Tuesday, 06/24/2008

Tuesday, 07/01/2008

Tuesday, 07/08/2008

Tuesday, 07/15/2008

Tuesday, 07/22/2008

Tuesday, 07/29/2008

This 90-member (give or take) plays show tunes, marches, and old favorites.

Bring a lawn chair, available seating is limited. And bring your children!!!

For our last piece each concert, we play “On the Mall.” Children are invited to come up to the front and conduct the band and receive their very own UCity Summer Band pencil!

Even though it is Summer, we are in the shade between two buildings. There is no glaring sun!! :o)

All concerts start at 7pm and last about 60 minutes with a short intermission. You may come and go as you please.

Making the Most of Kindermusik At-Home Materials

Making the Most of Kindermusik At-Home Materials
by Theresa Case, Kindermusik Educator

Just like a Kindermusik class, At Home Materials provide stepping stones for growth, building on the learning from one class to the next. Everything in Kindermusik’s At Home Materials helps the parent and child receive the full developmental benefits of music and movement.

But it’s not about developing little Mozarts. It’s about developing life-enhancing skills in the whole child - cognitive, physical, social, emotional, language, and musical. And it’s also about giving you the time, the tools, and the inspiration to create the treasured, musical moments you can linger in for a lifetime.
Kindermusik Village At Home Materials use the power of music to guide your understanding of how your little one develops and nurtures the intimate bond between you and your baby.

* Home CDs - a rich musical environment allows brain cells and neuropathways in the mind to strengthen, helping to develop memory skills

* Literature Books - images and sounds encourage your baby’s ability to distinguish a wide range of speech contrasts

* Art Banners - two banners feature four panels of artwork from the literature book and help baby’s distance vision

* Instruments - even the littlest musicians need a creative, musical outlet, and Kindermusik’s appealing, baby-safe instruments provide just that.

Kindermusik Our Time Your toddler is learning to cope with and control his world, his body, and his actions. Our Time At Home Materials help your busy toddler musically explore this intense period, and provide you both with treasured together time.

* Two Home CDs - at home, music can help your often emotional toddler refocus and regulate his emotions.

* Two Literature Books - reading together helps your child internalize language and literacy skills.

* Home Activity Book - lots of playful, musical fun for home: taking turns, family circle dances, field trips, and songs to use throughout the day.

* Instruments - playing with a steady beat helps your child develop a sense of rhythm as well as the ability to organize and coordinate movements within time. One instrument for you and one for your child provide you with endless opportunities for music-making together.

* Carry Box/Bag - the carry box is both practical storage and a prop for creative play.

Kindermusik Imagine That! Your child is running, jumping, bounding, and astounding you with an increased vocabulary and a growing love of music. Imagine That! At Home Materials help you challenge your child’s active learning, sense of humor, imagination, and increasing capacity to grasp more specific musical concepts.

* Two Home CDs - singing songs develops your child’s voice while also helping your preschooler develop a sense of inner hearing, a skill similar to thinking a story or making a plan without speaking out loud.

* Literature Books - engaging her sense of adventure can help your child establish sequence of events and predict what happens next.

* Family Activity Book - preschool-aged children thrive on expressive learning and parental involvement, and they love sharing the musical concepts they discover each week in class.

* Play Set/Game - pretend play inspires creative thinking strategies that develop language, sensory, motor, and cognitive skills.

* Instrument - an instrument of their very own inspires creative, musical application of the concepts and skills being presented in class. It’s also true that developing a sense of rhythm can help children better understand patterns, a necessary skill for mathematics.

Kindermusik for the Young Child At Home Materials gently introduce your child to musical terms, specific musical concepts like reading, writing, and composing music of their home, and the habit of setting a little time aside each day to improve a skill.

* Home CD and Family Songbook - feature all the songs and activities introduced in class.

* Folder - includes attendance and name stickers, and helps organize Activity Pages and Picture Pages for at home as well as in the classroom.

* Music At Home cards - summarize the weekly lesson highlights, providing opportunity for review and enjoyment at home throughout the week.

* Games Bag - holds various manipulatives and cards that correlate with the weekly Music At Home cards and Activity Pages.

* Instrument - throughout Young Child, your child is exposed to three basic instruments, so he can decide what he likes best: keyboard (glockenspiel - Sem. 1-4), strings (dulcimer - Sem. 3), or wind (recorder - Sem. 4)

Kindermusik Family Time At-Home materials are a multi-layered learning with Cds, puppets, instruments, literature books, activity book, and a game.

* Two Home CDs - music to play at home, in the car, everywhere!

* Puppets - a hand-puppet (has a zipper for hide-and-seek items) and finger-puppet for pretend play.

* Literature Books - adventures of the Jelly Bean Band are included in each book themed with each unit.

* Family Activity Book - ideas to engage every family member during everyday activities and make everyday a musical day.

* Game - matching games, listening games, musical games!!

* Instrument - two instruments to continue steady beat, music making and play at home.

Everything in Kindermusik’s At Home Materials has a learning purpose for your child. That’s because more than 25 years of early childhood development research applies to every instrument, CD, book, activity, song, and game.
Kindermusik believes that you are your child’s first and most important teacher. We also know that children learn best through repetition, and that often they learn best where they’re most comfortable - at home. Your At Home Materials empower you to take Kindermusik from class to home where the games, songs, dances, books, and quiet times make it easy for you to infuse music, joy, learning, and togetherness into your daily routine.

“Musical Motivation” for children and their grown-ups

“Musical Motivation” for children and their grown-ups
By Amy Brewer ~ Kindermusik and early childhood educator

How can we help our children keep building their interest and love of
music? Here are a few ideas you can use at home—much will depend on
the ages of your children, and some will apply better to certain
ages. Basically, just as elementary school teachers
suggest “littering your house with books” to encourage young
children’s reading and enjoyment of reading, I would say, “litter
your house with music”! That is, put it all around your house and
family, so it becomes an important part of your everyday life.

–Use your home materials; use your family activity book in Our Time
for activities to do at home; do the “bring to class” projects in
Imagine That and the at-home activities in Young Child; practice with
your child so he can feel successful playing in class. Let your
child teach you how to play a song she is learning to play.
Sometimes it’s rewarding for your child when you let her start from
the beginning, remind you how to hold your mallets, point out the
notes you miss, and so on. This also helps her to learn they don’t
need to be perfect when even grown-ups forget things and make
mistakes.

–Sing, dance, and play music at home–often–Kindermusik CDs, other
good children’s music, your own favorite “family appropriate” singers
and musicians. Make it a fun part of your family’s day as often as
possible. Remind children that the music we make by singing and
playing instruments is also “real music”—not just what comes out of
the CD player!

–Listen to a wide variety of music–classical, folk, country, jazz,
a bit of rock and pop, music from other countries. Borrow some CDs
from the library with out-of-the-ordinary music to find out what you
and your family like.

–Create a “music basket” for your family, and put in your egg
shakers, zig zag blocks, fiddlesticks, resonator bars, slide
whistles, drums, tambourines, and any other music-making objects you
can find. Even make a few of your own! Put it in the same room with
a CD player so it’s easy to put on some music and march, dance, and
play–often. Try to avoid the temptation to ask your children
to “not make so much noise” Of course, some instruments, like
slide whistles and loud drums, make great basement and
outdoor “parade” instruments!

–When you get to Imagine That and Young Child, keep your child’s
current instrument and bag very handy for them to get out. Yes,
sometimes that means you’ll get to class without your slide whistle,
drum, book, folder, or glockenspiel–but it’s so much better to
actually use them during the week–and your child can share with a
friend or use a spare from his teacher in class.

–If you–Mom or Dad–play an instrument, play it for and with your
child. It doesn’t matter if you last played it in junior high and
it’s been in the attic since then. Children enjoy hearing it
because: A–it’s a real instrument, not just the sound of one on CD,
and B–it’s Mom or Dad playing it. Ask other family members to share
whatever they may play–maybe Grandpa plays a bit of piano, Grandma
plays the accordion, or Uncle Joe plays the balalaika (or whatever :-
) ). It’s a great way to share your family’s culture and history as
well as music, and often others will not think anyone would want to
hear them unless they’re asked.

–If you have older children, or older cousins, have a family music
night where everybody plays something–whatever instrument they’re
learning to play, or sing a song. Have everybody join in for a sing-
a-long and/or “family jam” with all those instruments from the music
basket.

–If you have relatives and friends with older children, go to some
middle school and high school concerts. They’re cheap, usually free,
and children can hear others who are still learning to play and
sing. High school musicians are often very accomplished already.
Find out what your local high school is performing for a spring play
or musical. Look for local productions of ballet, like The
Nutcracker at Christmastime.

–Look for family concerts and events in your area. I know this is
harder in smaller communities, but maybe you can sometimes make it a
special event on a trip to a larger city. Orchestras, bands, choirs,
parades, theater, ballet, puppet shows, children’s performers, summer
concerts in the park…the list is almost endless.

–If you’re not ready to invest in a piano, look for an electronic
keyboard–one that is more than a kids’ toy without being a huge
investment. Put it in a place where your child can easily play it
(not “play with it”) and explore it–simply expect them to treat it
kindly and gently–playing with fingers, not fists or feet, not
putting food or drinks near it, and so on. You could even consider
looking for a used child-size violin or guitar–not to start lessons
on it, just to explore and play.

–Try to avoid the temptation to rush into formal lessons—there is
plenty of time for this when children are ready. This is a wonderful
reason to continue in Imagine That and Young Child classes even when
children are in school. We continue to keep the focus on process,
not on performance, while we build our singing skills, instrument
playing, ensemble playing, and even music reading and composing. We
also weave in lots of movement, story-telling, and imagination to
keep it age- and developmentally appropriate.

Happy music-making—and may your home be littered with music!

Help! (spay and neuter your cats and dogs!)

Music video created by Alliance for Humane Action