Theater Experience for Young Kids

I took my 3 year old nephew to our local theater to see Elmo Makes Music Live! What a great opportunity to introduce the theater and live musicals to kids!

I didn't tell him where we were going because we were buying tickets at the door and wasn't guaranteed that we would get tickets. I just told him that we were going to do something fun and it was a surprise. We got to the box office and he asked what we were doing. I told him we were buying 'tickets' to go to the 'theater'. These were new words for him. We got our tickets and went inside to the lobby. After buying some popcorn and running off some steam (a good idea since he was going to have to sit for about an hour) I found some big, black and white photos of the theater. I showed him the photos and explained, "This is a theater where you see a show. We are going to sit in the seats and watch the show."

About 15 minutes before showtime we made a stop at the bathroom (another good idea before a long show). Then as we were about to go in I explained that there was something important to tell him. I explained that when we go in that we were going to have to sit nicely in our seats and use a quiet voice, and that we would watch a special show.

The great thing about this type of event is that since its all kids attending you don't have to worry if your kid is talking too loud or jumping around in his seat!

When the show began his face lot up! It was priceless! He seemed mesmerized and excited to see Sesame Street characters singing and dancing right in front of him! We were encouraged to sing along, clap along, and even shout out the letter and number of the day!

This show was particularly interesting for me because it was about a music teacher who moves to Sesame Street but here moving truck hasn't arrived with all of her instruments. So, her new friends have to find things to use as instruments to make music. The kids learn about a scale which corresponds to the number of the day - can you guess it? They learn about how music is all around you and everybody can make music. Another special element was that the Sesame Street friends kept their plan a secret in order to surprise the music teacher. I was able to point out to my nephew that this was going to be a surprise, just like us going to the show was a surprise!

I was a little surprised that the show had an intermission. I expected it to be a forty minute to an hour show, but it was 40 minutes with a 15 minute intermission, followed by another 30 minutes. Still, the kids did well sitting through it.

This was truly a wonderful experience and I would highly encourage parents to take their kids to introduce them to the world of theater. It's important to teach our kids about different things, to expose them to different types of art and culture, and to teach them how to act in various situations. If they experience it at a young age they may be more inclined to understand it and appreciate it later on. And they'll know how to behave too!

Now Available: Xylophone Fun Volume 2

Volume 2: Introducing New Songs

Does your child love music? Have you thought about introducing your child to piano? Here is a simple method to introduce your child to basic music reading skills that can be later transferred to learning piano.

Research shows that music engages both sides of the brain and is very beneficial in enhancing learning. Xylophone Fun targets motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and cognitive skills such as letter recognition, matching, and patterns.

Xylophone Fun Volume 2 Ebook:

• Six simple songs to build on what was learned in Volume 1

• To be used with Basic Beat Resonator Bells or Desk Bells

• Use with Ipad, Tablet, Computer, Smartboard, or Print and Laminate

Included in your ebook (pdf file) is a xylophone layout, xylophone visuals, and six songs, as well as hints on how to use the resource.

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Visit rhythmsforliving.com to purchase your copy today! Or click here to purchase now.

Embracing the Benefits of Music - Part 1

                                                                     Image by Joyce Hesselberth

As I've been preparing for an upcoming workshop, I've been reading many articles about the benefits of music. Its refreshing to reiterate for myself the importance of the work I am involved in. My reading has re-energized me, motivated me to continue what I'm doing, and rekindle my own personal music making.

I've been an advocate for music education for as long as I can remember so this is not "new" for me. I began piano lessons at age 5 and continued through college where I completed a degree in Music Education and Piano. Were there times that I didn't like it and wanted to quit? Sure, many. But my dear mother wouldn't let me quit, and I'm eternally grateful for that. I admire the role parents play in their children's lives when it comes to extra-curricular activities. I find with children today that our society emphasizes the quick results, get it now type of attitude which often leaves people giving up on their current interest to quickly move on to something new. You know the phrase, "when the going gets tough, the tough gets going". Unfortunately many of us in today's society have this attitude in work, marriage, relationships, and even leisure activities.

I applaud parents who help guide their kids to find an interest and then motivate them to keep exploring and learning in that area. Learning to stick with something, even when it is difficult, is a great skill to have.

Music education, or the learning of music, whether it be taking a music lesson or learning about the history and appreciation of music, has many benefits to children. Research is continually telling us that studying music has benefits not only when children are in school but for the rest of their lives. Researchers have been able to study the brain and compare brains of non-musicians to musicians and the results are encouraging.

Children who study music have improved attention and memory skills which help them do better in school, do better in math and reading, and score higher on SATs.

Older adults who begin experiencing hearing loss are often able to pick out speech in a noisy environment better if they had studied music. Through music study we strengthen our central auditory processing skills in the brain that aid us in hearing speech more clearly even after we begin losing our peripheral hearing.

Most importantly, music is fun and enjoyable! We can't forget that even though there are many wonderful benefits of music for us academically and physically, music touches us emotionally in a very powerful way. Music can be a social experience connecting us with others, but it can also be very personal, evoking the strongest emotion from a place deep inside.

To read more about the study with older adults and hearing loss mentioned above, please click here.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Embracing the Benefits of Music