 EARLY
CHILDHOOD CONNECTIONS BEGINS ITS TENTH YEAR
With its Winter 2004 issue, Early Childhood Connections
begins Volume 10 — a milestone by any measure. Publisher
Lorna Heyge and Editor Martha Hallquist thank the many individual
as well as academic and institutional supporters for their ongoing
readership and look forward to exciting issues ahead. From the
outset, this journal has been guided by the vision of Lorna Heyge,
who serves not only as Publisher of this journal but is also Founder
and President of Musikgarten. In their 10 years of collaboration,
Lorna Heyge and Martha Hallquist have worked to offer a broad-based
journal which will help bring together the overall field of early
childhood music education. Joyce Jordan-DeCarbo, ECC’s Research
Review Editor, has also been instrumental in increasing the stature
of this journal within the field of music education. As Chair
of Music Education at the University of Miami and as an author
known for her research, Joyce is also one of Musikgarten’s
many expert Teacher Trainers, as is Editor Martha Hallquist.
The Winter 2004 celebratory issue focuses on the
value of music in children’s lives. We all need to know
more about how to advocate for music and for children, and this
issue features seasoned writers who are also experienced advocates
for music in the lives of children. Writers include Allen Oh,
who through Musikgarten has begun the first early childhood music
education program in Korea. June Boyce-Tillman, a stalwart advocate
for the role of music in building community, provides historical,
cultural, and personal lessons informed by her knowledge of world
music and her years of research and teaching in the UK. Grace
Nash and Joyce Jordan-DeCarbo — two writers from ECC’s
very first issue — are saluted in this issue, which also
includes an overview of Joyce’s nine years of research reviews,
written by Mark Turner. As with every issue, ECC’s Leadership
Bulletin offers readers an advocacy tool that is ready for
distribution to interested parents and colleagues.
Musikgarten congratulates Early Childhood Connections
as it begins its tenth year of publication, even while realizing
that we all need to learn more about the musical and overall development
of young children. We invite you to become more deeply involved
in our exciting new field by subscribing to this outstanding journal
— the only professional journal in the field of early childhood
music education. You will not be disappointed! For information
about how to subscribe, simply contact Scott at the Musikgarten
office.
Musikgarten
Family Packet Prices effective June 1, 2004 – Remain THE
SAME.
MMM…SUMMER!
As the snow starts to melt in North Carolina, our staff
is planning summer training sessions for you and your colleagues
to provide you continuing education opportunities for your studio.
Workshops are not the only summertime activities
that Musikgarten provides! We also have special summer camps and
programs that are available for you to offer to your families
… start now! As always, our teacher and family materials
and instruments are available right now – and we have a
warehouse full of summer camp materials that we would like you
to make use of!
Offering summer camps and classes is a great way
to continue families’ musical journeys outside of their
usually jam-packed regular schedule. Summer is a special time
for parents, a break from the hustle and bustle of the school
year – and a time that kids look forward to all year. Give
them something more to look forward to in your Musikgarten!
You may well ask, “How will summer camps
help my business?” There are three main advantages –
Maximizing, Marketing, and Momentum.
Maximizing teaching time. Many
teachers rent space to teach. Summer classes can help your budget
during these times when the regular tuition isn’t coming
in.
Marketing your program. What better
way to get new families into your program than to offer a short,
“bite-size” semester? Enrolling in a Musikgarten summer
program allows families to try you out without making a long-term
commitment.
Momentum. Remember coming back
to school from summer vacation and not remembering anything that
you learned about history, science or math? If you offer a summer
program, you keep music and movement fresh for children, instead
of something that they only do part of the year. You will be able
to maintain your own teaching momentum, too!
Are you saying “MMM,
Summer!” yet? Perhaps we can show you a
glimpse of what you can be offering…
Baby’s Musical World –
8 30-minute lesson plans that immerse baby and caregiver in folk
songs and dances from around the world. Bounce along with “The
Bear Went Over the Mountain”. Dance the ‘Kolomeyka’
and the ‘Bandltanz’ and rock baby to the Spanish lullaby
“A la rurro nino”.
Nature’s Music – 8
suggested 30-45 minute lesson plans for the squirmy toddler to
creep like a caterpillar…..buzz like a bumblebee…hop
like a frog… crawl like a turtle…. and sing like a
robin! Use them in a week-long camp (teaching just the first 5),
or in a more spread-out format such as twice-a-week for 4 weeks.
Cycles: Summer – You may
already have our 10-lesson program for preschool-age children
in your hands! Children will discover, imagine and create as they
explore the world along with their friends in the animal world.
Kick off your shoes, grab a fishpole…and don’t forget
the worms! Use these 45-minute lessons in a 5-day camp, combining
them to 90 minute sessions accompanied with a snack; or twice-a-week
for 4 weeks, the popular and successful 1-month format for summer.
Nature Trail – a great way
to use the wonderful Cycles Summer music in a camp for 4-7 year
olds! This nature immersion camp juxtaposes the interactive fun
of music-making with the excitement of making tree and bug friends,
creating and using wind hoops and watching clouds, discovering
watery places, and even making their own sailboats (that really
work!)
Need another summer class offering for the older
children? Besides Cycles: Summer, we have two units from Music
Makers that would serve your needs – My
Neighborhood Community and Seashore.
In the Music Makers Supplement 2000, you will find these two delightful
units bursting with fun activities for you and your students:
from flowing scarf activities like the Sunflower Dance (a Musikgarten
favorite!) and Smetana’s The Moldau, to Pelican Chants and
cat-and-mouse games! There are even craft activities included
that you can use to expand your class offering easily to a 2-hour
per day format for 5 days, or eight 1-hour lessons twice-a-week
for 4 weeks.
If you are concerned about your own family’s
summer schedule, consider devoting just one month to your summer
session. Many families reserve either June or July for family
vacations and travel…the other one is open for activities
for their kids! Music, movement and nature are the perfect summer
combination; try them this summer in your community for your families.
It’s a great way to advertise and secure income at the same
time.
MMM…Summer!
Want to learn more about how to teach a summer class? Come to
our Festival in Chicago – April 30-May 2. You’ll be
glad you did!
PARENT COMMUNIQUES
AVAILABLE
You all asked for them, and they are here…the Parent Communiques!
These educational and encouraging letters have been specially
created by Musikgarten for parents in your Family Music: Toddler
and Cycles classes.
You might be telling yourself that your parents
are happy with the class, and with you. Be that as it may, they
will still be open to other options! This is true especially before
ages 4 and 5, when children may still just be taking it all in
– not ‘providing the tangible results’ of a
musical performance on an instrument. We must constantly strengthen
parents’ support of what you are doing by answering their
unspoken WHY? and HOW? questions and then giving them a glimpse
of what happens next in their Musikgarten journey.
Written specifically to be distributed at three
points throughout the year, there are three letters per program
that licensed teachers can request for download. Once received,
they can be altered to fit your studio needs —perhaps you
have your own ideas that you would like to add.
If you are currently offering our Toddler or Cycles
class, you may write to info@musikgarten.org to request the ZIP
file, which will be sent via email. Don’t forget to UNZIP
(decompress) the document right after download!
LICENSE APPLICATION
REVISION
If your license has been renewed in the past month or so, you
will have noticed our new application form and procedure. We now
request you to complete the license renewal form which previously
we had been able to accept over the phone, even sometimes with
an order. Though this was a convenience to some, it has also caused
a few problems!
In order for us to protect the Musikgarten trademark,
we need your signature on the renewal application. On this new
application, you will find a summary of the license contract’s
main points. We hope that this will clear up misunderstandings
and make things easier, especially for new teachers who can already
be overwhelmed with details from their recent teacher training!
Your signature on the application form indicates to us that you
understand the license requirements and agree to uphold them for
the term of the license (1 year).
Though this process will take a little more staff
time, you will not be inconvenienced. We can e-mail and fax applications
as soon as they are requested! And, as always, you will receive
an application in the mail when it is time to renew.
This small gesture will fortify the integrity of the Musikgarten
name tremendously and we thank you for your support of our mission
to bring family music back into the lives of families everywhere!
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