Halloween Week at NoteAble Difference!

Musical and Magical Kindermusik Moments!

Wow! We just finished week 6 of our Fall '09 semester. Time flies when we're having fun. Here are just a few pics that show just how much a fun our Kindermusik classes have been! To view more pictures from our current semester, double click on the slideshow on the right. Enjoy :)

Personal Reflection From Ms. Ashley

Hello All!

I cannot believe that we are already into our second week of Fall 09 semester classes! Time sure flies by. It seems like summer just ended and temperature wise it sure feels like it hasn't ended yet. I thought this week that I would share my thoughts and reflections on the new semester and where NoteAble Difference, LLC has come from and where we're going.

The first two weeks of classes have been so much fun! I can't believe how much some of our kiddos have grown over the summer. I was looking at pictures from Fall '08 and our little ones in Village that are now second semester Our Timers were so tiny in those pics!! They grow up too fast.

Seeing our new Village class this semester is exciting because we have lap babies, crawlers, and walkers and I know by the end of the 8 weeks some of those lap babies will be crawling and our crawlers will be walking and our walkers will be running! What a big and energetic class we have at Kangazoom too!

We are steadily growing and have been since I started all of this back in January '08. I can't believe that it's almost been two years! Over the two years KangaZoom has been a steady teaching location for us and a great partnership! Other locations have come and gone and of course most recently we are now at Pump It Up with our newest addition, Ms. Amanda Huyser teaching Kindermusik there for us.

In addition to all of the fun Kindermusik that myself and Ms. Amanda teach each week, we go to preschools throughout the area teaching early childhood music education, teaching instrumental lessons such as piano or flute, and I spend a lot of time using music to help others as a Music Therapist. We stay pretty busy at NoteAble Difference and we love every minute of it!

We are looking forward to a FUN FILLED and MUSICAL fall 09 semester at NoteAble Difference!!

Musically,

Ms. Ashley Swanson, MT-BC, NMT
NoteAble Difference, LLC

Kindermusik is the RIGHT thing for EVERYBODY RIGHT NOW!

Can't decide whether to enroll in Kindermusik classes? This YouTube video will help you out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzZYdgVVr9c

Healthy and Happy Classroom!

NoteAble Difference, LLC has joined in Kindermusik International’s Healthy & Happy initiative which is created to help protect you and your children from the spread of viruses like the H1N1 flu (also known as the “Swine Flu”).

By collecting facts, checklists, and prevention tips from the Centers for Disease Control, Kindermusik is making sure I am more prepared than ever to provide an environment much less likely to allow viruses to spread.
· I am disinfecting toys and instruments at CDC standards to prevent transmission.
· I have added hand sanitizer distribution to each child at the start and end of each class (under parent supervision with younger children).
· I receive updated information on virus prevention and trends from the CDC.

Your child’s health and happiness is important to us! For more information about us and our fall class schedule please see our website at http://www.noteabledifference.com/.

Kindermusik Fall Preview Classes are HERE!!

Heard about Kindermusik, but have not experienced it for yourself? Now is a perfect opportunity to visit a Kindermusik class before the Fall Session begins.

We are excited to offer FREE Fall Preview classes at both of our studio locations in Smyrna and North Marietta. Please reserve a spot in advance if you can as space is limited! Simply email or call Ashley at (404) 234-5441 or ashley@noteabledifference.com to let us know that you'll join us!

Demo Dates:

KangaZoom (Smyrna Location)

Wednesday, August 5th

10:00 AM (Ages 0-17mths)

11:00 AM (Ages 18mths-7yrs)

Pump It Up (N. Marietta/East Cobb Location)

Monday, August 10th

9:30 AM (Ages 0-17mths)

10:30 AM (Ages 18mths-7yrs)

Oh the musical magic of a Kindermusik Class!!

Kindermusik Spring Graduates

It's hard to believe that our spring semester ended in May and now we're already halfway through our summer semester! Time flies when you're having fun. I wanted to make sure that I feature our precious spring graduates before the summer is over. Don't forget to double click on the slide show to see all the remaining spring semester pictures. I'll post summer pictures soon


2009 Kindermusik Spring Semester Graduates


Village-Rhythm of My Day (0-17mths)



Our Time-Fiddle Dee Dee (East Cobb, 18mths-3yrs)

Our Time-Fiddle Dee Dee (Tuesday-Smyrna, 18mths-3yrs)

Our Time-Fiddle Dee Dee (Wednesday-Smyrna, 18mths-3yrs)

Imagine That-Cities! Busy Places~Friendy Faces (3-5yrs)

Spring In The City!

The Our Time, Fiddle Dee Dee song describes this picture perfectly: "Oh the pretty butterflies, how they flutter, how they flutter. Oh the pretty butterflies, how they flutter all around"

These are some pictures from my trip to Callaway Gardens! Oh what fun we had exploring all of the beautiful Azaleas, butterflies, and we even came across a cute turtle a long the way too! Are you looking for some fun spring adventures yourself? I found a great idea for a nature walk perfect for you and your little ones!

(taken from http://www.drspock.com/ )
Spring Crafts for Toddlers and Preschoolers

by Susan E. Davisreviewed by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P.

Two of the greatest joys of living with toddlers and preschoolers are their curiosity about the natural world and their enthusiasm for arts-and-crafts projects. Here are some simple ideas that harness both these passions. Have fun with found objects.

Young children love to collect things and stash them away. Put that passion to good use by taking your child on a nature walk and encouraging him to pick up as many objects as he can find. He'll have a world of choices: pine cones, rocks, feathers, leaves, acorns, berries, and shells, among others. Remember that young children usually can't tell a fern leaf from poison ivy or a raspberry from a poisonous fruit, so keep a close eye on your little one's explorations.

When you get home, spread the objects out on some newspaper. Then let your child's imagination take over. To make a collage, simply glue the objects onto cardboard or heavy construction paper.You also can glue the objects into a shoe box to make a 3-D display, also known as a shadow box. If your child likes the idea, help him to line the inside of the box with colored construction paper and paint the outside for an extra artistic touch. When it dries, have him arrange his chosen objects inside, affixing them with glue. Place the box on a shelf or tabletop where all can appreciate its wonders.Note: Think your urban neighborhood has nothing to offer from the world of nature? Look again. Even city streets contain leaves, twigs, and feathers. Or visit a local park, where the variety will be even greater.

Kindermusik "Village" Cutie, Haley Plumley Turns 1 year old!!

Check out little Haley's mad musical skills!

Awww that sweet duckie said "quack quack" and gave our birthday girl a big duck kiss!

The book "Five Little Ducks" was a hit!

Shakin' those egg shakers is always a Kindermusik favorite!

Of course we can't have a musical birthday without our guitar serenade:)

"...Happy birthday dear Haley, happy birthday to you"!!

Oh the fun of a musical and magical Kindermusik birthday party!! I must say that I was an oh so proud Kindermusik Educator on little Haley's first birthday! Haley has been in my Kindermusik Village class for almost an entire year and it's been such a treat to see this precious little girl grow and blossom over the year. It was such an honor to get to be a part of her BIG DAY. As you can see from the pictures, Haley was the star of the day in her cute duckie dress, showing off her incredible musical skills by playing the clacker balls and egg shakers to the steady beat making Ms. Ashley soo proud! We had such a fun time with our sweet duck theme, Haley's favorite animal! I just had to share these wonderful pictures with you!

You too can give your child the BEST... a musical and magical Kindermusik birthday party! See our website at http://noteabledifference.kindermusik.net/BirthdayParties.html for all of our party packages!

Musicans Exhibit Enhanced Perception of Emotion in Speech!

Check out this article from European Journal of Neuroscience 29:661-668 (2009)!

Musical experience and neural efficiency: effects of training on subcortical processing of vocal expressions of emotion -- by D. L. Strait, E. Skoe, N. Kraus, & R. Ashley (Auditory Neuroscience and Music Cognition Laboratories of Northwestern University)

Musicians exhibit enhanced perception of emotion in speech, although the biological foundations for this advantage remain unconfirmed. In order to gain a better understanding for the influences of musical experience on neural processing of emotionally salient sounds, we recorded brainstem potentials to affective human vocal sounds. Musicians showed enhanced time-domain response magnitude to the most spectrally complex portions of the stimulus and decreased magnitude to more periodic, less complex portions. Enhanced phase-locking to stimulus periodicity was likewise seen in musicians' responses to highly complex portions. These results suggest that auditory expertise engenders both enhancement and efficiency of subcortical neural responses that are intricately connected with acoustic features important for the communication of emotional states. Our findings provide the first biological evidence for behavioral observations indicating that musical training enhances the perception of vocally expressed emotion in addition to establishing a subcortical role in the auditory processing of emotional cues.

Musical Fun for a Rainy Day!

We've had our fair share of rain this past week so I thought that I would post some fun hands on musical activities for you and your little ones to explore indoors when it's too rainy to get outside. You can make these instruments and explore all of those concepts we've been working on in class such as loud and soft or up and down and lots more!! The gathering drum pictured above was a hit in class this week so have fun making your own drum with directions listed below. ENJOY :)

Paper Plate Shaker

(taken from Suite101.com "Musical Instrument Crafts for Preschoolers: Easy Craft and Activity Ideas for a Music Theme")

Materials:
paper plates
lentils (use fruit loops or cheerios for younger children)
markers, crayons, pencil crayons and stampers
hot glue
coloured electrical tape

Give each child a paper plate to use as the shell of the shaker. Let him put a ¼ cup of lentils into the middle of the paper plate.
Help the children fold the paper plate in half like a taco, keeping the lentils in the middle. Hot glue around the edges to keep the shaker closed. Seal the edge of the shaker with coloured electrical tape to ensure the lentils stay inside.
Let the children draw on and decorate both sides of their shakers.
For varying sounds, show the children how to shake the instrument vigorously and also with a gentle side to side movement. If lentils are not available, try unpopped popcorn, bird seed or beads to fill the shaker.

To help the kids experience the rhythm of a shaker, sing this song with them.
Shake it, shake it, shake it,
Shake it everywhere,
Shake it, shake it, shake it,
Shake it under there!

Read more: "Musical Instrument Crafts for Preschoolers: Easy Craft and Activity Ideas for a Music Theme" - http://educational-kids-crafts.suite101.com/article.cfm/musical_instrument_crafts_for_preschoolers_and_t#ixzz09qvYj5Oi

Yogurt Tub Drums

Materials:
650g yogurt containers
construction paper
masking tape
markers, pencil crayons, stamps

Trace the lid of the yogurt tub onto construction paper, and also draw a long rectangular shape the size of the yogurt tub itself. Cut out both shapes and tape them onto the container, covering the drum with construction paper.
Let the kids decorate their drums with markers, pencil crayons and stampers.
Put on some music that has a heavy beat such as African Playground by Putamayo Kids and let the kids drum along with the music.

Atlanta Blizzard '09??

So this week I decided that I had to feature this blizzard that we had last weekend in Atlanta! I know calling the snow that we had, a blizzard, might seem CRAZY to those of you from the north. But for those of us from the south like me, we definitely thought our snow on Sunday was a blizzard indeed! Snow around here never lasts for an entire afternoon or ever accumulates! Some schools were even closed on Monday so we definitely had a blizzard!

I hope you all had a chance to go out and play in the snow. For some of the little ones this might have been the first snowflakes that they have seen! Well my husband and I took a little time to play in the snow ourselves because it's a novelty for us too. I thought that I would share some of our fun snow pictures this week.

Do you have any cute snow pictures of your little ones from last week? If so please feel free to upload them to the blog and share!! Also, enjoy new pictures added to the slideshow from classes over the last two weeks!

Baby Brain Map

http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_util_babybrainflash

Check it out!! See how early music learning can impact the total development of your child at his or her own developmental stage. The Baby Brain Map reveals the secrets of how early care enriches development. The Brain Map was adapted in 2006 by ZERO TO THREE from BrainWonders, a collaborative project (1998-2001) between Boston University School of Medicine, Erikson Institute and ZERO TO THREE. Have fun exploring this really useful tool!!

Valentine's Fun!

This week of classes was filled with Valentine's party excitement! It was such a treat to get to see little one's faces light up as they brought in their cards and candy for Kindermusik friends. Oh what fun our little ones had at home making valentines, helping Mom make valentine's cookies, and more for our Kindermusik Valentine's parties. This is a perfect example of extending classroom learning at home! Way to go Moms!! If you're still looking for some Valentine's activities to engage your little ones in at home check out Zero to Three list of at-home play activities for February at http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_key_play_year&AddInterest=1154#february

On a personal note, I absolutely love my job and it's such a blessing to get to teach all of these sweet adorable children each week! Thank you all for your sweet Valentine's cards and treats!! I have already eaten many of them :)

See pictures and videos below from class this week. Enjoy!

Bubbles were a hit during "Village" quiet time this week! Mommies got to take special valentine's bubbles home to re-create the bubble magic.

Kindermusik Class Pictures from Week 2!

Rocking in "Our Time" is soo much fun and it also is great for waking up our vestibular systems, which regulates coordination and balance!

Aren't these little ones precious!! Our "Village" babies, Anna Grace and Levi, have fun tapping each others toes and clapping each others hands during a circle dance to "Come Along and Dance With Me".

Little Isabella and Brooke share smiles as they clap "hello"!

Scaffolding with one bell jingles!!

One bell jingles are always a hit. Who knew that scaffolding could be soo much fun! Check out our toddlers in our Tuesday and Wednesday "Our Time" classes demonstrating "Scaffolding" oh so well with mommies and nannies! Scaffolding is a process of interaction between adult and child in which the adult gently guides and supports the child's learning by responding to the child's level of participation. This involves varying the level of the activity depending upon the child's responses such as moving from playing bells at mid line to "up high" and "down low". This learning can take place at home as well with any activity not just music making!