Fun & Special Moments

Doesn't it make you feel special when your child draws a picture for you? My own children have created many drawings for me over the years. But a couple weeks ago was the first time a student of mine drew a picture for me!

It was a drawing of me and her together. How sweet! She drew it on a page in her student manual, so I don't have a copy of it. (Maybe I should take a picture of it next time she comes.) Thanks Morgan!



She's on the left with our Echo Ed puppet. The kids have a great time echoing Echo Ed and learning about his silly antics.

Another favorite activity is our puppet show.



The students are learning to recognize themes in classical music. They are so good at it already! Last week they did the actions for each character in our Magical Lamp puppet show with their eyes closed!



Everyone loves a turn with the autoharp.



We can't forget our lively Red Balloon song!





Teaching Let's Play Music is so rewarding. I know there will be many more special moments with these great students!





P.S. I now have a Blog Button, which you can find to the right. You can even put the button on your own blog. Remember referring a student gets you a $20 coupon for tuition!

Hand-Clapping Songs Improve Motor and Cognitive Skills

A university in Israel conducted studies of hand-clapping songs which revealed a link between those activities and cognitive skills development in children, young adults, and university students.

Practicing motor skills while singing and staying on beat helps develop auditory processing, visual processing, and attention. Children—particularly those in first through third grade—who participated had neater handwriting, better writing skills, and made fewer spelling errors, too!

One researcher stated, "There's no doubt such activities train the brain and influence development in other areas." Even adults benefit by becoming more focused and less stressed. Who knew the songs weren't just for fun? Read Research Confirms Hand-Clapping Songs Improve Cognitive Skills.