7 Tips to Make Your Virtual Kindermusik Class a Success!

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During the Covid-19 Shelter-in-Place, MLC is offering our same exceptional music classes and lessons virtually. Create joy in your day by giving your child the gift of music!

We are proud to offer both our group Kindermusik Classes and our Private Lessons (piano, voice, and ukulele) via Zoom. Give your little one the brain boosting benefits of music while sheltering at home. Our classes are live, interactive and engaging musical experiences designed to bring joy to the whole family!

Here are 7 tips to make your Virtual Kindermusik Class a Success:

  1. Build excitement for your Kindermusik Class. Remember when the highlight of your day was coming to music class? We can still build that anticipation and excitement for our little ones by reminding them in the morning that it’s music class day! Help them get excited and ready for class.
  2. Go on an instrument/supply hunt before class. We send out an email on Monday morning with all the supplies that you’ll need for class. Make this fun by going on an instrument hunt! Have your child help gather supplies or come up with ideas for at-home instruments. Did you know that a box of macaroni and cheese can substitute for a shaker? An empty box or pan for a drum? Get creative and use what you have around your house.
  3. Have a designated room for music class. Kids LOVE routine! If possible, have your virtual music class in the same room every week. Make sure your room is free of distractions like toys, books, etc. Our wee ones are very easily distracted. This is normal and age appropriate. If your child gets distracted, simply allow them a few minutes and then redirect them back to their virtual class.
  4. Encourage your little one to engage. We are conditioned to sit still when we are watching the screen. This is true even for our youngsters. If you notice that your  budding musician is not engaging, give some encouragement. Show them how it is done by actively doing the activities yourself.
  5. Remove the screen if it’s a distraction. Our virtual class is meant to be a guided musical experience between you and your child. This should be a time for you to connect and bond. If the screen is getting in the way of this, move the screen to a location that only YOU can see and continue on with the activities. This is also a great idea for those families who limit or avoid screen time.
  6. Get the whole family involved. Mom, dad, sister, brother, nannies, pets, etc. Your Kindermusik Virtual Classroom comes with free access for your immediate family. Make the class a family affair!
  7. Use the Kindermusik App. Did you know that Kindermusik has a wonderful free app? Using the Kindermusik App outside of your class is a great way for your little one to become familiar with the music and songs that we use everyday in class. The more familiar your child is, the more likely they will engage with the activities.

Written by Amelia Vitarelli, owner and educator of My Little Conservatory in San Jose, CA. Amelia has been enriching the lives of children in Silicon Valley for over 20 years.

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Music and Literacy

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Smiling, laughing, bouncing, jumping in the air…it’s adorable to see the joy when a little one’s favorite song comes on. It turns out kids are actually hard-wired to enjoy music, and music classes like those at My Little Conservatory are a great way to have fun. But, did you know that they help develop literacy as well?  Read more

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What instruments will my child get to play in class?

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We often get the question, “What instruments will my child get to play in Kindermusik?” Because of this we did a Facebook live showing and discussing all the wonderful instruments and props your little one will get to use and explore during their time in Kindermusik. Check out this video to see first hand!

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Kindermusik for Little Musicians: Level 3

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Check out a video snapshot of our Kindermusik for Little Musicians program (Level 3 for 3-4 year olds).

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Kindermusik with Grandfriends

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Every month we share the wonders of Kindermusik with the residents of the Belmont Village Senior Living Center. Our Kindermusik for Grandfriends events bring the young and young at heart together to experience the joy and cognitive benefits of music! This is truly a magical experience for all that attend. The toddlers love engaging with the elders and the seniors in turn are invigorated by the little ones’ youthful spirit. These events are free to current MLC families as a perk to your enrollment.

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Piano lessons – 3 reasons why they’re a better gift

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Piano lessons as a gift? Well, the short answer is – yes, of course! And here’s why.

piano lessons and music classes for childrenIf you’re like me you might feel tempted to want to give a gift that gets you instant excitement when they open it. Yet, I also have quite a few photos that show my kids playing with the box it came in rather than the gift itself. That instant excitement when a gift is opened can be a fairly fleeting moment.

Thinking back to when I was little, the memories that I have are more of things that I did rather than things that I received. These years with them, in the long run, are so few. We want them to remember them fondly. That’s why experience gifts are becoming more popular. And giving them an experience gift will have a longer “shelf life”.

But I know, you want to give them something that will make them super excited and instantly happy. So how does giving piano lessons make them happy when they might not even know they want to play the piano? Well here are three reasons why it’s better to give piano lessons rather than the latest hot toy as a gift.

1. Piano lessons changes kids’ brains for the better

It can be rather hard to find toys that are both fun and good for your child. Piano lessons, however, can be both. Research shows that playing the piano develops the brain to work in a more complex, yet efficient way. Both sides of their brain can work together. Plus their language and math skills are being developed.
Additionally, they’re building executive function skills that help with school and life.

2. Piano lessons are a unique gift (i.e. your kids will be happier)

Piano lessons are an unexpected, surprise gift. Unless they’ve been asking for them for a while. Experience gifts are hard to compare with a gift someone else got. And it’s hard for your child to compare their piano lessons to another sibling’s or friend’s lessons, especially if they started at different times. The experience is unique to each person. And research has shown that the uniqueness of the gift and the experience makes people happier. We tend to look back at experiences with rose-tinted glasses. Even if they had a bad day, overall they’ll look back and remember the overall good feeling of their lessons. So they are certain to have happy or rewarding memories attached to an experience present like piano lessons.

3. Piano lessons last a lifetime

piano lessons for kids 6-9 yearsThe hot toy of this year will be forgotten next year. When they’re so little their wants are fleeting and change so often. We all know that physical gifts can make you happy for only so long. But it’s also backed up by research into happiness. Ultimately you need to get more stuff to keep that happy feeling going.

But when you give experiences, like piano lessons, the feeling the gift gives will live longer. And the positive changes that piano lessons make to their brains and the skills that they develop will never be lost. Plus the memories of the fun they had will forever be a part of them and they’ll consider being a piano player as part of their identity.

How to wrap it?

For smaller children, it might help them to understand what they’re getting if you give them a little something to go along with their piano lessons gift. There are so many wonderful picture books out there that have a piano in them or are about a composer. Here are a few special ones that I’ve found:

Most little kids can start to take piano as soon as they firmly know their ABC’s and can count to 10. Check out this article if you’re wondering, “Is my child ready for piano lessons?”

If you’d like to gift the gift of piano lessons to your child aged 4 to 9 years old, please contact My Little Conservatory directly, and we’ll work with you to schedule lessons.

 

Written by Amelia Vitarelli, owner and educator of My Little Conservatory in San Jose, CA. Amelia has been enriching the lives of children in Silicon Valley for over 20 years.

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What’s more important than a strong academic foundation for school?

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Many parents put in a lot of thought into what preschool activities their child will do thinking that what their child learns there will have a huge influence in how they do in elementary school and beyond.It’s true, however not in the way you may think. I hear “my 3 year old can already read,” or “my 4 year old already knows how to multiply.” That truly is great! I love kids that love to learn. But it should not be the main focus for a preschooler. Studies have shown that focusing on academic knowledge early on is not what’s going to ensure that your child does well in school. Read more

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But I don’t want to do that! Use music to create solid routines and ease transitions

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We’ve all been there. Your child is behaving like an angel and suddenly turns into a little devil when you tell them that they have to do something else. It’s understandable. They’re not really little devils! They’re learning how to behave properly and what your expectations are of them. And who wants to stop something fun? Young children need routine and schedules to help them predict what their day will be like. When you plan transitions into your day it helps give them a heads-up of what’s next. And there are some great ways to ease them into the transitions of the day – with music! Read more

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It’s Butterfly Time at My Little Conservatory! Share these butterfly songs with your toddler

Spring is here! As the flowers start to bloom, the butterflies come back. Their bright colors quickly catch the eye of children, who go chasing after them. Embrace that curiosity and use song to teach them more about these delicate and beautiful pollinators.

One of the best way to teach kids new concepts is through song. Below are some songs you can sing and dance to with your children. For babies, you can sing along for them and clap their hands together with the beat. But these songs are probably best for toddlers. Ask them to come up with movements that go with the lyrics, or use the ones suggested with each song. Use props like scarves and streamers as your wings. Or you could even make your own butterfly wings together to help them really get into their imagination.
Read more

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How does all this banging and shaking help? Toddlers and percussion

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Have you ever left your child alone for a brief moment only to find she’s pulled out the pots and pans to bang away on them? Or perhaps your child literally dances to the beat of his own drum that he’s made out of a box? Mine have! But there are great reasons for it and benefits from doing it. Toddlers have an innate drumming ability. And it’s one of the easiest instrument types for them to explore at such a young age. Rhythmic music and drumming have been the foundation of music since before written history. It’s a universal language! You see pictures of it on the walls of caves and still see it as fundamental to popular music. We are born with an appreciation for percussion. And listening to and performing percussion actually helps your child’s brain and body development. Read more

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