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Dear Musikgarten Colleagues,
This past summer we offered something new for our summer program. We have offered Nature’s Music for 2’s and 3’s, and Summer (from The Cycle of Seasons) for the past couple of years, and many of our families had repeated these programs. We wanted a little variety for this summer, plus I am celebrating the start of my tenth year in early childhood, so we created a “potpourri” of classes, drawing on all of the Musikgarten programs, plus many other songs and activities. Originally I got this idea from Carol Spencer (Mistletoe Musikgarten - Ft. Worth, TX), who wrote on the Gartenloop that she offered a summer special for her families to thank them and to promote new enrollment. She also had a different theme for each week of her summer program.
So, for the summer of 2004, The Music Factory offered six weeks of classes, giving families the option of taking only four (minimum) if they had vacation or other conflicts. Each of our weeks had a theme; so, there was not as much repetition from week to week. Also, all of our classes for the toddler/preschool ages were family classes, meaning they were for babies through age 4. We did offer a couple of separate Family Music for Babies, Cycles, and Music Makers classes. Cycles and Music Makers included art and a snack time (2-hour total) but they followed the same themes as the family classes, with one exception.
We came up with six themes. Week 1 was Bugs and Birds, and we used lots of music from Nature’s Music for 2’s and 3’s. Week 2 followed the theme of Nursery Rhymes, and “Humpty Dumpty” was a hit, as always! Another favorite was singing and reading about the Three Little Pigs, with masks (which I had hired a friend to make) for the children Lesson 3 was called “Carnival of the Animals”, and we ended each class by showing a 6-minute clip from a video by the same name, interspersed with poetry by Ogden Nash that was narrated by Gary Burghoff (of “M*A*S*H” fame). The video featured live music by the Mormon Youth Symphony and live animals. Quite well done and the children loved it! However, I’ve never used a video before and do not plan on doing it again; this was just something unusual for summer classes.
The fourth week was “A Teddy Bear Picnic,” with the children bringing their own teddy (or other favorite stuffed animal) to class. We did lots of fun songs with our bears, including “Trampin’”, “When Bears Get Up in the Morning” and dancing to “Bear Necessities” from Jungle Book. We “traveled” to the beach for week 5… (how do you get to the beach? “Riding in a Buggy” worked great!) Other favorites were the “Waves at the Beach” (tune: “Wheels on the Bus”); “Sea Shell” where each child got to hold and “listen” to a shell, and the “Fiddler Crab Quadrille.” For our final class, week 6, we went to “The Circus/Fair”. We ended by singing the “Merry-Go-Round” and adding the parachute.
The first two weeks were the exception for the Music Makers classes, when our theme was “The Adventures of “Sol-Mi,” using a book series by the same name. Otherwise these classes followed the same theme, and we adjusted or changed a few of the activities.
We kept several songs consistently throughout the six weeks, including the greeting song and steady beat activities with the sticks, and “Toumba” with the jingles. We did the same simple fingerplay as part of our greeting each class and sang a variation of “Twinkle, Twinkle” for our goodbye ritual. Both of these are from Dr. Becky Hailey’s “Conscious Discipline” series.
Putting this together required more time and effort on my part in finding supplemental material, but we had very positive responses from the parents. It was a FUN and SUCCESSFUL six week summer!
Ed. Note: Lianne Brewer’s “The Music Factory”, Springfield, IL, is operating at full capacity this fall, offering all levels of Musikgarten and an enrollment of nearly 300. Congratulations, Lianne!
Choose Seashore or My Neighborhood Community packets for the families to purchase. Each one has a wonderful CD; work some of the songs into your themes. Plan Now for a Summer to Remember! Watch the Website for the newest product and marketing information. Write feedback@musikgarten.org
MARKETING YOUR SUMMER PROGRAM —
Plan today for success this summer! After reading about and listening to us espouse the benefits of offering summer programs, you are ready to give it a shot! Nature’s Music, Cycles Summer, and Nature Trail are on your agenda to study and prepare, and you have a local outdoor area planned for your classes.
Parents will first scout out programs that will occupy their school-age children. Eager to have their children “out from underfoot,” parents will look for the programs that either have the most physical activity or seem most interesting to themselves. Sandy Johnson, director of a burgeoning Child Development Center in Greensboro, agrees.
“Many working parents will try to fill the whole summer with activities for children so that they won’t have to deal with the issue of child care.” Johnson elaborates that a school-age child’s interests will also be considered, but they can sometimes become secondary when parents are planning summer activities. Interestingly, the prioritizing seems to reverse itself in regards to children under 5.
“With preschool-age children, parents seem to focus on the child’s interests more,” says Johnson. “They (the parents) begin focusing their attention on supplemental, enriching activities rather than just finding something to keep kids busy.”
It is common for parents to scour newspapers for all of the announcements of summer classes and activities, but parent magazines allow the parent to scan for programs that seem appealing. Many parent magazines will have a ‘summer camp’ issue in the early spring which will list programs and their descriptions, and families begin receiving direct mail from local activities about the same time.
Amy Clapp, mother of Alana, 9, Heath, 6, and Gwyneth, 3, is one of many parents who ensures that her children are kept busy all summer. Since Amy works mornings and early afternoons, her transportation schedule is a concern when planning activities.
“I generally keep my kids in all-day summer camps and activities for six of the eleven summer weeks,” says Amy, a working mom. When they’re not at the YMCA Outdoor Center, I have Alana in art and pottery camp and Heath in basketball or science camp. I’m still learning about Gwyneth’s interests.” Amy begins stockpiling the many mailers she receives in March and April, and takes a quiet moment in her day — “when I can find one,” she quips — to sit down with the activity schedules and her own family calendar.
As a teacher and businessperson, you must compete with art, basketball, and lots of other activities for children. How do you go about attracting people to your camp instead of one of those activities? It would be challenging, to say the least, to work around the schedules of popular programs. Even progressive moms like Amy may not find the time in their schedule to fit in your summer camp offerings. You will have to make sure that your summer class or camp is appealing and unique, while your advertisement must invoke thoughts of outdoors, informality, recreation, and relaxation. Browse your local parent magazine and see what ads or programs catch your eyes first. It is likely that you will be drawn to listings with two key elements:
Theme/Headline/Tagline. No matter what size your ad or brochure, you need to make sure you are succinctly conveying your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). What is the single most important factor that distinguishes what you do for children and how you do it? What makes your camp different and therefore special? A tagline to your program can be good advertising both as a written theme and as a conversational and memorable catch phrase, such as “Nature’s Music Camp – exploring the world outdoors with music.” Taglines can also suggest a valuable, lasting benefit: “Your children will see the world with new eyes”. Or, they can be simply repetitive, and therefore memorable: “Discovering their world. Discovering their song.” If you offer different summer programs for different age levels, a common word can be used to promote continuity: “Exploring With Mom and Dad,” “Exploring with our Animal Friends,” etc. Or, you can use a quote or phrase that is more of an invitation: “We have a place for your child”.
Strong Action Words. The use of action words does not need to be limited to action-packed programs. Do not forget that your program integrates MOVEMENT with music! When reading your promotional materials for summer, parents will probably need to see some sort of keywords related to movement and nature in order to keep your program at the top of the list of summer activities. However, the terms “movement” and “nature” themselves are not likely to be strong enough competitors to “soccer” and “tournament”, so you will need to beef them up. Instead of “moving,” use “running,” “jumping,” “exploring,” or other strong action words. “Nature” is vivid enough, but you will want to paint a more detailed picture for parents. Add “outdoors,” “rocks,” “trees,” or whatever topographical delights you have in store for your families. Describing some of the more physical and creative activities won’t hurt either… The craft activities in Nature Trail are delightful and parents will want to take part!
Paint a picture with your description. Because the term “music” does not generally encourage thoughts of outdoor activities, you will want to give the nature activities more weight. The respect and care for the earth that abounds in a Musikgarten nature immersion experience is one that will make it stand out from other outdoor activities. “Outdoor learning center” is a good phrase to use when describing your program, where children can learn to “value the natural world”.
Do try to avoid superlatives when writing your promotional material. Boasting the “best” program may provoke a negative, defensive response, even suggesting that the reader demand that you prove it! Besides, superlatives are often overused in advertising and therefore lose their intended impact.
As always, if you would like us to look over your promotional material and offer suggestions, let us know!
2005
LET THE SUNSHINE ON YOUR SUMMER GARTEN
 Though you may not know it yet, the Musikgarten Series is not just a music education program for fall and spring classes – we have lots of fun camps and classes for you to use in the summer, too!
Why teach in the summer? There are several good reasons:
Musikgarten summer programs provide you with an opportunity for extra income that you would otherwise miss. Many parents are eager to enroll their children in summer programs – sometimes several different ones! (See MARKETING YOUR SUMMER PROGRAM also in this issue) Several of the programs that we offer are already built in to existing ones such as Cycles Summer, so there is a very low set-up cost for you.
Of course, there will be many new customers to be found amongst the camp-scouting parents. If your summer program is the first experience children will have with you and Musikgarten, they will look forward to the next year’s offering while holding on to fond memories of the first one!
Also, offering a summer program gives continuity to your community’s music education that will aid in customer retention. Keeping students from spring to fall, especially preschoolers, is a challenge for most teachers. A summer program offering, even a short “camp” will keep Musikgarten in your parents’ minds, and give their children something new and exciting to look forward to together with their new friends! Musikgarten Summer Camps for
Children ages 4 and older: Nature Trail – 5 wonderful days of exploration for children ages 4 and older.
- A Special Theme for each day: Tree Friends; Learning about Bugs, Weather of all Kinds, Watery Places and a Nature Celebration for all to end the week.
- 3 hour session, activities indoors and out.
- Make a Nature Gift each day to take home – tree rubbings, garland treats for birds, wind hoops, walnut sailboats and castanets, and even a special painting to make outside if it rains! MINIMAL cost of materials for the teacher.
- Immersion Activities to help each family “fall in love” with taking care of our earth.
- Outstanding Musikgarten CD for the family at home! Plus Parent Activity Book, 8 animal cards, and 3 nature exploration tools, in a beautiful Guatemalan zippered bag. ONLY $ 23.95 (per child).
- Detailed Lesson Plans for the teacher!
Seashore – an opportunity to explore the magical place where the ocean meets the land;
- Encounter creatures of the sea: whales, pelicans, and turtles, how do they move, can I do that? What sounds do they make? Discover shells and boats; Dance and leap with the waves.
- 8 one-hour sessions OR 5 two-hour sessions; add a snack and simple nature craft to make it 5 half-day sessions. Ask for our special instruction book when you order your home packets.
- Full color 11 x 17” sea picture for each child, with cut-out animals to move around in the environment.
- Introduction to instruments: flute, viola, harp with sounds and pictures
- Outstanding Musikgarten CD, Parent Book, together with the items mentioned above in the family packet. ONLY $21.95
My Neighborhood Community – Introduce children to the idea of Home Place for people, plants and animals in the nearby neighborhood. Investigate your Home Place.
- Investigate my home, your home, how people and animals live in different special habitats very close together. Learn about horses and rabbits, robins and worms; discover the majesty and wonder of the sunflower and find the perfect apple!
- 8 one-hour sessions OR 5 two-hour sessions; add a snack and simple nature craft to make it 5 half-day sessions. Ask for our special instruction book when you order your home packets.
- Full color 11 x 17” neighborhood picture for each child, with cut-out animals to move around in the environment
- Outstanding Musikgarten CD, Parent Book, together with the items mentioned above in the family packet. ONLY $21.95
Need more ideas for older children? Have you been wanting to try teaching 5-7 year olds? Consider using one of the Around the World Units this summer! Teach any one of the 4 cultures available (British Isles, Amerindians, African-American Heritage, Germany); leave out the sequential material (writing and reading music), and have more time to spend on the songs, customs and stories from each country.
Musikgarten Summer for Children ages 1 – 4, Mixed Ages or by age group
Nature’s Music – 8 wonderful lessons for children
ages 1 – 4.
- The perfect curriculum for a mixed-age class, or your wiggly 2’s.
- Move with your animal friends - Creepers and Crawlers, Jumpers and Hoppers, Buzzers and Singers, and Swimmers and Leapers.
- 45 minute sessions, easily lengthened with a instrument-discovery time and/or a snack
- Outstanding Musikgarten CD for the whole family! Plus Parent Activity Book and a pair of natural wood Sand Blocks. What fun it is to play the Sand Blocks for Wiiiiigggggly Woo. ONLY $17.95.
- Detailed Lesson Plans for the teacher!
My Musical World – 8 wonderful lessons for infants and toddlers
- Sing, bounce, rock and dance to songs from around the world: delightful Alouette from France, a swinging/swaying Bandltanz from Germany, haunting rocking songs from Korea and Scotland, and many more.
- Bounce to The Bear Went over the Mountain, and dance to a jazzy clarinet with Baby Is My Darling.
- 45 minute sessions
- One of our favorite CDs. (Previously named Baby’s Musical World). If you ask our employees, this is the Musikgarten CD they keep in their cars!
Summer Cycles
- Down by the Creek (fishing, frogs and worms, flies and kingfishers); A Picnic with eating, and dancing and playing instruments; Visiting the Meadow with Little Rabbit, chipmunks, green frogs and mockingbirds, making sound games to take home. Bugs and Bees: zooming, fiddling, buzzing, and dancing to The Flight of the Bumblebee; Birds and Trees, butterflies and millipedes, bird talk and bird sounds.
- Weather is Full of the Nicest Sounds!
- A CD chock full of outstanding music for movement, singing and listening. Enough activity to keep pre-schoolers busy for many hours, in your class and moving around when they get home.
- 45 to 60 minute sessions. Add a snack, and a sensory game for a 90 minute session.
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Home Packet: a fine Musikgarten CD, 8 animal full-color cards and a delightful parent book in a hand-sewn pouch. ONLY $17.95.
Special offers for Licensees: Let us know by January 15 that you are interested in Highlighting YOUR Summer 2005. We’ll send you a package of new Marketing Brochures and special price offers to support your program! Enroll for the Summer Promotion Package; write to feedback@musikgarten.org. |
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CONVENTIONS 2004/2005
Musikgarten Teacher Trainers are featured around the country and the world.
Join us at one of these events:
Florida Music Teachers Association
Nov. 11-14, 2004
Tallahassee, FL
Mary Louise Wilson
Discover the Joy of Teaching Beginners with Music Makers: At the Keyboard
Visit the Musikgarten Exhibit New Jersey Educators Association
Nov. 5, 2004
Atlantic City, NJ
Jill Hannagan
Music and Movement: Keys to the Future
For Pre-K to Grade 3, classroom and music teachers Virginia Music Educators Association
Nov. 17-21, 2004 Norfolk, VA
Lorna Heyge
Literacy Learning Through Music: Create the Environment
Visit the Musikgarten Exhibit Florida Music Educators Association
Jan. 6-8, 2005
Tampa, FL
Joyce Jordan-DeCarbo,
Joy Galliford Primary
Elementary Elements for the Learner (K – 2)
Visit the Musikgarten Exhibit – Meet Musikgarten Author Mary Louise Wilson Alabama Music Educators Association
Jan. 20-21, 2005
Tuscaloosa, AL
Leilani Miranda
Recorded Movement Stories
Visit the Musikgarten Exhibit
Illinois Music Educators Association
Jan. 26-29, 2004
Peoria, IL
Lorna Heyge
The Cycle of Seasons: Music, Movement and Nature (Fri.)
Literacy Learning through Music (Sat.)
Visit the Musikgarten Exhibit: Booth 336
Minnesota Music Educators Association
Feb. 17-19, 2005
Minneapolis, MN
Karen McIver
Music and Movement (Fri.)
The Cycle of Seasons: Music, Movement and Nature (Sat.)
Visit the Musikgarten Exhibit MENC Eastern Division Conference
Mar. 4-5, 2005
Baltimore, MC
Jill Hannagan
Excellence from the Start: Joint Session with Wicomico County Music Supervisor
(with demonstration class)
Visit the Musikgarten Exhibit MTNA National Conference
Apr. 2-6, 2005
Seattle, WA
Karen Haughey
Teaching Harmony to Young Students: Music Learning From the Inside Out
(Track for Group Teaching)
Visit the Musikgarten Exhibit World Association of Early Childhood Educators
Apr. 5-7, 2005
Morelia, Mexico
Lorna Heyge
The Role of Music and Play in Early Education Pennsylvania Music Educators Association
Apr. 21–23,2005
Hershey, PA
Martha Hallquist
Preparing the Path to Music Literacy (Fri. am)
Exploring My Neighborhood Through Story & Song (Fri. pm)
Visit the Musikgarten Exhibit |
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