This is a really interesting story. It is also where I went to grad school! I can’t tell you how many times I walked in those doors.

So what do you think?

A Music Together teacher is a person who has made a serious commitment to delivering the Music Together curriculum to local children and their caregivers.  He or she does not merely watch a video and say, “Aha – I’m ready!”  In order to become a registered teacher, one must undergo the rigorous 25-hour in-person teacher training, pass the final presentation, and be invited to teach in a licensed center.

A Music Together Teacher Engaging the Children

My training class had participants from India and Japan, as well as Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida.  We learned about the research that generated the Center for Music and Young Children over 20 years ago, which spawned the beloved Music Together curriculum.  We observed three Parent-Child Mixed Age classes and had to be able to identify various stages of tonal and rhythmic development among the children.  We also learned to create lesson plans that would include a variety of tonalities, rhythms, languages, and uses of instruments and props like balls or stretchy bands.

In order to pass our training, each of us had to choose a song that was not part of the Music Together curriculum and present it in front of our class.  Our peers and our instructors gave us coaching and recorded our strengths and challenges to help us grow.  Even though I was already a seasoned performer (singer with guitar and piano) out in the world, I was still a little nervous about having to engage the group in this fashion.  After all, it wasn’t about performing, but just having fun making music and enrolling your families to do the same.

After passing the training, in order to become a registered Music Together teacher, each person must go to teach for a licensed center director in an approved location.  This is one of many quality control checks conducted along the way to ensure that each family and each teacher receives great service and support from the program.  A teacher goes through several stages along the way to becoming thoroughly fluent in this curriculum, and it sometimes takes up to three years for this to happen!

After a registered teacher has taught for several semesters, he or she may undergo more training and examination to become a certified Music Together teacher.  Barbara Burdick completed this certification, and it is readily apparent in her smooth transitions and creative presentations.  The teachers in the Music Together program enjoy helping each other with ideas, coaching, and inspiring ways to engage families in the music-making process.

Being able to draw on my “silly quotient” and play with movement and music is what makes this program so engaging for me on an ongoing basis.  I hope our readers will consider what their teachers do to prepare for class and recognize that we all do this because we love the children that we serve and the adults who care for them!

Hurlbutt PTO presents Family Fun Dance Night (for Hurlbutt students)

A fun-filled night for the entire family to enjoy!

Dance to your favorite music while a DJ shows you the latest dance moves! (Parental supervision is required)

When? Wednesday, December 2, 2009 from 6:30 – 8:00 pm at the South House Cafeteria

Admission is 1 Box Top or $1/person

There will be music, prizes, dancing, snacks, and games!

Momma says: Sounds like a fun night!!!

Piano Lessons or Kindermusik Classes
Looking for the perfect present this holiday season? Know someone who would be interested in giving a gift that truly “keeps on giving”?  As you know, the benefits of music not only last a few months or a few years – they last a lifetime.
 
This year, Grandma, Grandpa, aunts, uncles, friends, or anyone, can give the gift of music. I have gift certificates available for Kindermusik or Piano Lessons in any denomination. Gift givers can get in touch with me by phone or email and I will provide simple instructions for purchasing a gift certificate to be applied toward music lessons at our studio here in Oxford. Gift certificates purchased before December 10 are sure to arrive in the mail in plenty of time to find their way under the Christmas tree, into stockings, or get hand delivered with a hug.
Are you wondering if grandparents love giving Kindermusik as a gift? Just check out this video of a Kindermusik grandma who has pledged to sponsor Kindermusik for any of her 17 grandchildren who want it!

 
If you have any questions about purchasing gift certificates, I’ll be happy to answer them for you.

Online Kindermusik registration is up and running! You may also print the registration form and send it in. Did you realize we have Gift Certificates available? Family members can contribute towards Kindermusik classes or Piano Lessons. How often do I hear parents moaning about the huge amount of toy clutter that comes into their homes this time of year? The gift of music lasts a lifetime!

Don’t miss out on the annual community-based, family-oriented, alcohol and drug-free New Year’s Eve celebration, jointly sponsored by Wesport and Weston from 3 – 9 pm on December 31st.

Features:

• Downtown Westport Venues
• Fabulous Fireworks
• All ages Entertainment
• Teens at Toquet til 11:30 pm

Button Price only $10; children 2 and under free!

Momma says: Buttons will be sold at the Weston Town Center prior to the date of the event.

Check www.firstnightww.com for updates.

• November 27th (6 pm), Ridgefield Town Hall on Main Street
• November 29th (4:30-6 pm), Grove Street Plaza at 14 Grove Street in Darien, 203-655-3600
• December 2nd (6:45-7:40), Norwalk City Hall, Click here for program
• December 2nd (4:30 – 5:30 pm), Stew Leonard’s in Danbury (99 Federal Road)
• December 4th (5:30-6:00 pm), Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk (100 Westport Ave)
• December 4th (6:15 pm), Fairfield Town Hall Green
• December 4th (4:30 pm), Trumbull Town Hall Green after Trumbull HS Concert Choir performance at the Trumbull Public Library
• December 5th (5 – 7 pm), Bridgeport’s McLevy Green on 999 Broad Street, 203-576-7201, www.infobridgeport.com
• December 6th (4:30 pm), Landmark Square in Stamford, 203-348-5285, www.stamford-downtown.com
• December 8th (3:45 – 4:30 pm), Greenwich Town Hall
• December 9th (3:20 – 4:40 pm), Redding Town Green, 203-938-2551, parking along one side of Rte 107, extending to RES, Town Office parking lots, Christ Church parking lot, schedule of events

Other holiday events can be found at www.visitconnecticut.com.

Happy Holidays!

Would network television be willing to broadcast this man performing this song alongside these standard-looking children these days?

Or would he simply be arrested?

Can’t make it to Manhattan’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade? Why not head out to the UBS Parade Spectacular on Sunday, November 22nd? Parade starts at noon, but streets will be closed at 10 am for traffic. Get there early and leave your bulky items at home.

Watch the balloons inflate on Saturday, Nov. 21 from 3 – 6 pm on Summer and Hoyt Streets

Download the details, including parking, general information, and other maps at www.stamford-downtown.com.

As “Sesame Street” celebrates its 40^th anniversary this week, The Daily Record examines five of the show’s greatest musical moments.

Johnny Cash – “Nasty Dan”

Twenty years after “Cry Cry Cry” appeared in jukeboxes, Johnny Cash was singing with Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street. “Nasty Dan” appears on the classic 1975 record “The Johnny Cash Children’s Album,” but Oscar is the perfect foil for the number. Cash enjoyed his fifth season spin on the Street so much, he returned to Jim Henson’s world of Muppets. In 1980, Cash hosted an episode of The Muppet Show. Cash was also the inspiration behind the 1990s Sesame Street character Ronnie Trash, who sang about the environment in Cash’s classic boom-chicka style.

The Fugees – “Just Happy To Be Me”

The Fugees immortal sophomore album “The Score” was one of the best-selling albums of the 1990s, but it wasn’t exactly kid-friendly material. Somehow, though, the divisive Elmo took a shine to the group and invited the trio to appear in his 1998 TV special. Although “Ready or Not” could have been adapted to a song about playing hide-and-seek, the Lauryn Hill, Pras Michel and Wyclef Jean opted to cover a newer song in the Sesame Street canon, “Just Happy To Be Me.” Jean has returned to the Street several times since, but Hill and Michel are perpetually M.I.A. This once prompted Snuffleupagus to hollar “Where Fugees at?”

Stevie Wonder – “1,2,3 Sesame Street”

Stevie Wonder between albums and at arguably at the peak of his career when he appeared on the Sesame Street in 1973. In a rare Sesame Street-Soul Train crossover moment, Wonder and his full band performed his recent hit “Superstition.” He then returned with the original number “1,2,3 Sesame Street,” starting a new talk box fad at kindergarteners across the country.

Itzhak Pearlman – Easy and Hard

This isn’t as much a song as a lesson with the greatest classical violinist of his generation. Itzhak Pearlman was no stranger to Sesame Street when he appeared in this 1981 clip. Polio is all but forgotten today, but the message on disabilities and talent still rings true.

Cab Calloway – “Mr. Hi De Ho Man”

Cab Calloway earned the nickname “The Hi De Ho Man” after his signature song, “Minnie the Moocher” became a hit in 1931. Half a century later, Calloway converted his handle to a greeting and performed on Sesame Street with the perpetually contradictive Two-Headed Monster. Calloway’s guest spot occurred during a late career resurgence. After spending almost a decade as a has-been, Calloway was back in the spotlight, thanks to his role in “The Blues Brothers” film. The movie was directed and co-written by John Landis, who was good friends with Muppeteer Frank Oz. Oz, who voiced Grover, Bert and Cookie Monster on Sesame Street and Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Yoda, appears as the guard who returns Joliet Jake’s belongings at the beginning of “The Blues Brothers.”

Ray Charles – “The Alphabet”

This bonus clip is from Ray Charles’ second stop on the Street in 1977. Although he’s just singing the alphabet, there are few artists who could make 26 letters swing so hard.

The Norfield Children’s Center’s Family Fun Fair in Weston was worth trekking out to on a rainy day! With local performer, Amy Rogell, kicking off the festivities, tasty homemade baked goods for quarters, fun crafts, and games with prizes, it was a no-brainer for a Saturday activity. If you’ve ever been to Miss Joy’s Story Hours then you’ve heard Amy’s music. Some favorites include “7 Days a Week,” “Now Freeze,” and “Goo Goo Gaa Gaa.” I bought all three of her CD’s for $20. You can, too, through her web site. No, you won’t find her on iTunes or YouTube. Here we go, marching, twisting, wiggling, shouting hooray, freezing, stomping our feet, and sleeping to her music.

Call for Comments: Which performer(s) do your kids like?

I sometimes hear parents express concern that they can’t carry a tune in a bucket, so how can they possibly be good musical role models for their children!  Carrying a tune is not the only thing that will help shape their children’s future musical development, so let’s look at this issue.

Early childhood research shows that children will imitate what they see modeled by their parents. If children see that parents are polite, kind, courteous, thoughtful, and joyful, children will adopt those traits.  If parents read books instead of watching television, children will be predisposed to do the same.  If parents make music by singing and dancing in everyday life, children will do the same.  It is this environment of music-making that gives children “permission” to explore and play and do musical things without the pressure of performance or having to do it the “right” way.  This environment is especially precious when it is filled with parents’ voices – regardless of what they sound like.  People in the world do not refuse to talk to their children because they don’t have the right vocabulary or language skills – they just talk!  The same goes for music.

Parent and child singing together

The critical period of music development (from birth to five years) will not be effectively utilized if parents merely listen to CDs without actually making music themselves.  The children will imitate that, and development in a host of areas is less likely to be optimized.  It’s like “watching” TV; “listening” to music is not music making.  You don’t hear people going around talking about creating a TV show or making a screenplay or generating concepts for television.  In the same way, our culture has gotten away from singing and dancing for pure pleasure.  The media glorify the perfect skin, perfect body, perfect voice, perfect dance steps, etc., but there is much to enjoy with our own perfection as we’ve been created – not made up or airbrushed or nipped and tucked!

Begin now to sing to your children at bedtime or to make other moments more fun.  Use your Music Together CDs to learn songs and then make up silly words to familiar tunes.  In the Fiddle collection, use “Sweet Potato” to give children something to look forward to, such as “Soon as we wash up all the dishes, we’ll go out and play!”  Or “soon as we put on our pajamas, daddy reads to us!”  Or “soon as we get done eating dinner, we’ll go brush our teeth!”

If you’re visiting this site and have not yet been to a Music Together class, visit the international web site at http://www.musictogether.com and get a copy of their Family Favorites CD.  It comes with a little booklet inside the CD cover that is filled with ideas for parents to use in creating musical memories with their little ones.  It’s also great for grandparents, babysitters, and other caregivers.  Children clamor for their favorite songs, and these requested tunes have been known to quiet fidgety or fussy toddlers.  Go “Ridin’ in the Car” and make up activities you do in the car, such as “Eatin’ in the car…slurp, slurp or yum, yum” or “Readin’ in the car…turn the page, turn the page” or “Mooin’ in the car, see the cows, see the cows.”  You don’t have to rhyme or make sense – just have fun and show your children that it’s okay to not have a perfect voice or a body with well-controlled arms, legs, and feet.  You may even rediscover your own inner musician!

Saturday, November 14
2:30 pm
McManus Room

Calling all rascally rogues to join Captain Papillion’s band of pirates. Celebrate positive pirating with musical storytelling of pirating and the sea, with adventure for all.

Note: Free tickets available in the Children’s Library (Westport) beginning at 9:00 am on the day of the performance—space is limited.

nancy stewart had dedicated her website
“to providing FREE songs, resources and information for teachers, parents, librarians, and homeschooling families.”

every month she gives away a free song
including lyrics, sheet music with guitar chords, an accompanying activity and relevant links.
you can also download archived songs of the month: over 72 songs and running.

Daughter of Arlo and grandaughter of Woody….enjoy the great talent Sarah Lee Guthrie. Read our review of her new CD, Go Waggaloo–winner of an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum DVD Award.

Hello everybody!  Get ready to continue your child’s musical development in the New Year!  We are offering two classes in Canton and three in Potsdam!

Even very young children respond to music and movement!

Canton classes are at the Presbyterian Church at 9:30 and 10:30 AM on Tuesdays.  They run from January 5 through March 9 and are taught by Barbara Burdick.

Potsdam classes are at the Presbyterian Church at 9:30 and 10:30 AM on Saturdays.  They run from January 9 through March 13 and are taught by Viki Christensen.

NEW! – We have just added a third class in Potsdam at the Presbyterian Church on Tuesdays at 6:00 PM, running from January 5 through March 9!  Come join us at this family-friendly hour for some mid-week family fun!  These classes are co-taught by Song-Yi Lee and Viki Christensen.

We have also booked three demonstration classes in Potsdam, for those who wish to get a “taste” of the joy in a Music Together class.  For more details on Parent Child Mixed Age Classes or the demo classes, click on the links at the left.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to email Viki Christensen at ncmusictogether<at>yahoo.com, or give her a call at 315-384-3957.

Mark your calendars for Sunday, January 31, 2010 from 2-4 pm! If you missed Princess Katie and Racer Steve at the Levitt Pavilion this summer, you can catch them at Weston’s Kidstock at the Intermediate School. Tickets are $12 (advanced) and $15 (at the door). Moms, your kids will love them. Actually, I think you will start bopping around, too! At the kidstock concert this year, one cool mom did “the robot” on stage and at Levitt Pavilion, Princess Katie led a parade of excited, hopping kids all around the picnic area (very interactive show!). At the end of the show, the kids even got to meet the dynamic duo and the rest of the band. My daughter’s Halloween costumes (princess rock star) this year were heavily influenced by Princess Katie. Don’t miss this show!!!

Visit their website and follow them on twitter @KidsRockMusic.

Imagination Movers

As a parent, I very often sit through some of my childrens’ favorite television shows.  Some are more bearable than others.  But one show that I really, really, and I mean really can not stand is the Wiggles.  Four grown men acting … well … a little strange.  And they sing the most god-awful, mind-numbing songs I have ever heard.   They sing about bricklayers.  And baking bread.  And worst of all is the fruit salad song.  Speaking of fruit, Anthony is the worst of them all.  He loves his fruit. 

I remember on my kids’ first birthday party, they got as a gift a Wiggles video from a so-called friend.  That video started it all.  Three years of “fruit salad”, “wiggly parties”, and “chirpy-cheep-cheep” songs, among other truly unbearable songs.  Their music redefines the phrase “head banging music.”  It really makes me want to bang my head on a wall.

Then they got over the Wiggles and moved onto other shows.  Thank goodness.

And then they discovered the ”Imagination Movers.”  They’re four grown men who sing songs.  They’re very often compared to the Wiggles.  The lead singer even somewhat resembles the lead singer of the Wiggles.  When I saw my kids watching this for the first time, I felt like crying …

But as it turns out, these guys aren’t so bad.  They’re songs are pretty good as far as children’s music goes.  They’re a talented bunch.  They don’t act “strange” like those other guys.  I actually enjoy watching some of these episodes with them.  And they don’t “wiggle”.  Grown men shouldn’t “wiggle”.  Especially not in a children’s show.

I definitely recommend the Imagination Movers show if you have little ones.

This past summer we went to Six Flags Great Adventure with two other families.  A section of the amusement park was “Wiggles World.”  In addition to some silly rides, they had a Wiggles show followed by a photo op with some of the characters.  The other two dads and I talked about ganging up on Henry the Octopus.  We were joking of course.  But the thought sure was tempting.

From Wade Denning & Kay Lande’s Halloween Games, Songs and Stories (Golden Records, LP-242, 1969)

I put this up on the blog a couple of years ago and it has been one of the most popular posts for 2 years now!!

A generation of children learned rules of grammar, multiplication, and science, and history through Schoolhouse Rock, Saturday morning cartoon vignettes set to music. Through DVDs and school drama productions, new generations are discovering the joy and brilliance of the music. Many of the original creators of the series reconvened to produce a new CD recently to address educating children on environmental issues, Schoolhouse Rock earth.
Link to Disney Schoolhouse Rock DVD
I interviewed Bob Dorough, the music director of the series and noted jazz artist last year.
Link to Bob Dorough interview

Here are some fun songs and fingerplays. Thanks to my fellow Kindermusik teacher, Merri Williams in GA.

Pumpkins on the Ground (To the Tune of: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground
(crouch down)
How’d you get so big and round?
(stretch arms out wide to sides and then make a circle)
Once you were a seed so small,
(pretend to hold a seed)
Now you are a great big ball!
(make huge circle with hands)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground
(crouch down)
How’d you get so big and round?
(stretch arms out wide to sides and then make a circle)

Jack-O-Lantern
I am a pumpkin, big and round
(make huge circle with arms)
Once upon the time I grew on the ground
(point to ground)
Now I have a mouth, two eyes, and a nose.
(point to each)
What are they for, do you suppose?
(scratch head)
When I have a candle inside shining bright
(hold up right index finger)
I’ll be a Jack-O-Lantern on Halloween Night
(bragging gesture)

Halloween Witches (to the tune “Ten Little Indians”)

One Little, two little, three little witches
(fold up hand and count three)
Fly over haystacks
(fly hand up and down)
Fly over ditches
Slide down moonbeams without any hitches
(glide hand downwards)
Heigh-ho! Halloweens’ here!

One Dark and Stormy Night
Late one dark and stormy night,
(use spooky voice)
Three little witches were stirring a pot,
(pretend to stir a pot)
Two little ghosts say, How d’ye do?
(lower voice)
Go tiptoe, tiptoe, tiptoe
(say in a whisper)
Boooooooooo!
(very loud)

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

I was studying abroad in China in the late 1990’s when I first heard witnessed a breathtaking live performance of an erhu, an ancient Chinese bowed two-string instrument whose origins date back more than a thousand years.

It was breathtakingly beautiful and haunting.   You can watch a stirring erhu performance by Yu Hongmei.

Because I am half-Chinese (with some Japanese thrown in for good measure), I want our son to grow up with an appreciation for his cultural heritage through language, music, customs, and holidays.

One way to share the beauty of music and instruments from Asia is through a stellar release from Putumayo Kids: Asian Dreamland.  Lush, and peaceful lullabyes are performed with women’s (mamas’) voices and the rich orchestration of instruments from Asia.

WIN IT!

One winner will receive a copy of Putumayo Kids’ Asian Dreamland CD.

To enter, leave a comment relevant to this post before Sunday, November 5th at 11:59 p.m. (Don’t forget to follow the contest rules– all generic comments are ineligible.).  At $13.99, Asian Dreamland is perfect accompaniment for infant massage, mom and baby yoga time, or a romantic dinner for two.

For more in-the-know fun on Putumayo World Music new releases, artist interviews, and more you can follow them on Twitter, and become a Putumayo World Music fan on Facebook.

YOUR TURN:

I want to know…What kind of lullabyes do you sing (or listen to) with your child?   

Thank you to Putumayo Kids for providing a sample copy of Asian Dreamland CD for the purpose of this review.

**UPDATE**

Congrats to the winner, #5 AndreaT.

Subscribe // Twitter me: drdolly

I get to look at this precious face every day.  When he crinkles his nose in a smile, I can’t help but let the tensions of the day melt away as my face beams at his.

My son joins me at the office when I work three days a week.  On other days, we play together at the playground, in the back yard, or in the living room.

There is always music.

The soundtrack of our time together is full of laughter, applause, and clogging…well, at least foot-stomping.

As a nod to the year of my son’s birth, we’ve been jamming to Putumayo Kids’ 2007 release of Animal Playground.

Picking our favorite tracks on this album wasn’t easy because there are so many marvelous musical treasures including a rip-roaring Italian version of Old MacDonald, Nella Vecchia Fattoria by Quartetto Cetra.  My heart soars from the ethereal beauty of The Littlest Birds by the Canadian band The Be Good Tanyas.  I enjoy grooving to the Latin and jazz rhythms produced with children’s voices and giggles in L’Otorhinocéros by the French group Les P’tits Loups du Jazz.

Putumayo Kids’ Animal Playground is on repeat in our CD player.  It’s the perfect album for a scenic drive, a birthday party, an afternoon of arts and crafts, or a living room dance floor.

Calvin’s favorite track: #1 Animal Crackers ~ Wee Hairy Beasties

Dr. Dolly’s favorite track: #11 Eagles ~ Terri Hendrix

Calvin’s Dad’s favorite track: #12 If A Dinosaur Was My Friend ~ Phil Melancon

The enhanced CD also includes a video for Asheba’s spirited Caribbean arrangement of the “No More Monkeys!” song.

Animal Playground retails for $14.99 on Amazon.com.  A portion of Putumayo World Music’s proceeds from the sale of this album will be donated to the Wildlife Conservation Society in support of its activities that save wildlife and wild lands.

WIN IT!

One winner will receive a copy of Putumayo Kids’ Animal Playground album.

To enter, leave a comment relevant to this post before Sunday, November 5th at 11:59 p.m. (Don’t forget to follow the contest rules– all generic comments are ineligible.).  At $14.99, Animal Playground is a wonderful gift for a birthday.

For more in-the-know fun on Putumayo World Music new releases, artist interviews, and more you can follow them on Twitter, and become a Putumayo World Music fan on Facebook.

YOUR TURN:

I want to know…what kind of music do you enjoy together as a family?

Thank you to Putumayo Kids for providing a sample copy of Animal Playground CD for the purpose of this review.

**UPDATE**

Congrats to #13, Jill L.

Subscribe // Twitter me: drdolly

Santa arrives on Friday, Dec. 4th between 5:30-8:00 pm with downtown tree lighting, live entertainment, and late closing times for stores.

On Saturday, Dec. 5th from 10 am – 4 pm, take pictures with Santa (for a nominal fee), meet a cast of characters, enjoy live entertainment (carolers), visit a gingerbread house, and get loads of holiday cheer! We went to this last year and are looking forward to it again this year. My toddler may still not like the man in a red suit with a big white beard.

Source: New Canaan Chamber of Commerce