Virtual Kindermusik Gets Parents Sharing

When you wake your child up, and tell them it’s Music Day, their eyes will LIGHT UP, they’ll conjure up images of their favorite instruments and activities and they’ll be wondering “What will we do in music class today?” They may even ask about their friends or teacher by name. Oh yes, it is a day that many families anticipate with joy. It’s TIME to just be together, making music, and making connections with friends.

We know connecting through music has an incredible power to promote calm, strengthen bonds, and help little ones grow and learn while getting the wiggles out. Ms Debbie, of Music Connections, is committed to helping parents discover an abundance of ways that music can be infused into daily life that can connect us… within ourselves, with our family, with friends, and with life.

This year’s pandemic has mixed things up a bit, taking us out of our beloved classroom and into our homes in order to stay safe and healthy. AND, it has opened up the opportunity to connect with each other in a whole new way. Much to our surprise and delight, we found that as we continued to meet weekly, our children and their families that stuck with it through the adjustment period discovered that the process of music continues to exist in the magical interactions between each other, as guided by Ms Debbie, even through a screen.

Even when we are able to meet together in person, we must adhere to critical precautions to ensure safety in a socially distant setting, creating limitations on movements and interactions. We have to set boundaries our children are not used to, and consistently reinforce them, which can be a challenge. These boundaries for our interactions are important for them to learn in this time of COVID 19, and Kindermusik can be a joyful way for them to begin the process of learning these new ways of interacting. So we have a limited number of OUTDOOR classes and events that are offered for those ready to gently and lovingly proceed with this learning process of increased inhibitory control.

When we enjoy Kindermusik Virtually in the comfort of your own home, your children are free to move and groove any which way they want, moving all around the room as we dance, march and swing. Children can choose to stay in their PJs or wear favorite costumes to show off to their friends online. They can have a snack during storytime if desired. Some families had the potty chair in the same room (out of sight) to take advantage of the ability to potty train in the moment. Children still wake up EXCITED that it’s music day, They know they will sing and dance and play instruments. They will see Ms Debbie and their friends.

Another BONUS: You don’t have to prepare and pack everything in the car and travel to get to music class!

One morning in March, one young 2 year old boy named Gabriel was so excited to wake up and find out it was music day. He cooperated so joyfully in the morning routines, and… in a split second of distracted attention, discovered a way to get out of the house by himself and into the car… waiting for his parents to come out too. They had NO idea where he was until they found him safely in the car, repeating over and over “Ms debbie… Kindermusik… Ms Debbie… Kindermusik?”

Prior to the March home bound lock down, his mom, Sclena shared what Kindermusik has meant to their son and their family.

“Kindermusik has changed our lives. I am a working mom. Honestly, I am a workaholic but Kindermusik has been my time to bond with my son. I started him in it at 2 months old. He has grown so much. He was always referred to as the reserved child that enjoyed observing. Now at 2 year old he is a little class clown and loves his Kindermusik family. Music has allowed us to connect in ways that I didn’t know was possible. I love how confident music has made my son, and how much closer it has brought us. Ms. Debbie is amazing and never pushed my son to do things he didn’t want but always found a way to help get him engaged. Now my son will run to Ms. Debbie to do many activities. We love Kindermusik and all it has done for our family.”

Sclena

Gabriel quickly adjusted to the idea that he would be seeing Ms Debbie on the screen and engaging fully with mommy at home with all the joyful music making he was familiar with. He named one of his stuffed animals Ms Debbie so he could hug it as frequently as he wanted to hug me. The three of them enjoyed participating online together on their Music Day!

Other families appreciated participating as many times a week as they could make it, taking advantage of the unlimited class times, and making it a consistently special part of their days together. Alexis shares her story,

“I’m so thankful that my son is able to continue to enjoy Kindermusik even in the midst of COVID-19 and the social distancing guidelines that come along with it. While we do miss seeing everyone in person, I have to be honest – I REALLY like the online classes via Zoom! It’s SO convenient to be able to take our time in the morning and just walk to the living room when it’s time for class to start! It also allows for frequent potty breaks for this very pregnant mama 😂 we are in the middle of packing to move to our new home and honestly, if it wasn’t for Zoom meetings, we would have missed the majority of our classes. I also LOVE that we are able to attend and and all lessons throughout the week! If we get sidetracked on a Tuesday morning, we can join on Wednesday or Thursday! The flexibility that the Zoom classes brings is MUCH appreciated! Thank you!!”

Alexis

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“Oh man, Kindermusik is some of my favorite uninterrupted time spent with my daughter especially during this COVID crisis. She is 12 months and loves watching Ms. Debbie and the other babies in our group during our Zoom sessions. The format is the same, so parents are able to interact with their babes guided by Ms. Debbie’s songs and different ideas for movement with the help of common household items. My daughter is a big fan of peek-a-boo with scarves. At a time when it’s not possible to be together physically, it helps me to feel connected and like we still have meaningful activities planned on days that can feel like they’re dragging on. There are also some great resources available digitally through the program.”

Kristen

Kylea works full time and typically Grandpa would bring her to class at the studio. Virtual classes around her lunchtime gave her a unique opportunity.

“This has been the best thing for my girl since she started it at 6 months old, and we are so grateful to be able to keep the routine going even throughout these COVID times. The Zoom classes actually are making it possible for me, personally, to experience the weekly classes with her and still work full time! It’s been something that I get to look forward to until Grandpa gets to start taking her in person again.”

Kylea

One of our shy guys, who had been in Kindermusik from 4 months old to his current 6 year old status has made a lot of progress in his confidence in interacting with others, but had still been reserved through in-person classes, choosing which activities to participate in. Of course, in Kindermusik here, these feelings are respected and he is given space to engage in the ways that work best for him, as it does make him happy and gain a lot just from watching others. Mom, Sarah, shares,

“This online platform has actually helped my son feel a lot less social anxiety about being around others. He loves seeing his friends on the screen and is participating more fully and confidently in ALL of the activities. His increasing love for music and the knowledge and skills he is gaining as a young musician in the Level 5 program is exciting to watch blossom in his heart and mind. He is excited to be able to play so many songs on his glockenspiel without having so many people up close and watching. Having his friends a screen away has been helpful in letting him relax and enjoy it even MORE than he already did.”

Sarah

It is so heartwarming for me that these parents choose to continue Kindermusik, even during a pandemic, and have found that the connections we create through making music together can transcend the medium in which we meet. I am SO grateful for all of the parents that continued with us, and worked through the learning process to find ways to make it work best at home.

These are some of the tips that parents have shared that they do at home to set their family up to get the best experience from Kindermusik through a Virtual platform.

Choose or create a space that is large enough to move freely for dancing, a place with limited distractions, and keeps them within a defined space.

“We had to move out of the playroom to mom’s bedroom, with a locked door, to limit distractions during classtime. Once I was her best option for play in the room, we began to really connect and engage in the musical play more fully.”

“Our front room was the BEST place with the best screen in the house. BUT, it was so large and open that my toddler kept running away. We used a play yard “fence” to set a reasonable boundary between our couches with a blanket inside the bend, and it was like a little amphitheatre where he felt like he was on a stage and eager to show off.”

Choose the screen that works best for your family.

“My son LOVES seeing Ms Debbie up close on his Fire Kids Tablet. We set it up on the ladder of his slide so he can easily show her what he is playing with and all his creative ideas.”

“We put the lap top on top of a table, just out of reach, placed it on a stack of books so it was a bit higher, and tilted it so the screen could be seen without the ability to touch it. It was no longer an option to touch it, so my girl didn’t pay so much attention to it and was more free to engage with me in the activities he was hearing and seeing. I was glad Ms Debbie shared that we don’t have to be SEEN on the screen, and that what mattered was fully engaging my son in the way and space that works best for him.”

“The small screen did not work for us… nope, nope, nope. What really made a difference was hooking up the laptop to our large TV screen. Seeing Ms Debbie more LIFE-SIZED was very exciting for my son, and he was far more eager to follow the instructions and answer questions. He LOVES sharing his choice for actions when Ms Debbie asks so he can see everyone moving his idea. And he LOVES when it is time for Show and Tell and he gets to tell others about a favorite toy.”

Gather all instruments and props before class starts.

“Ms Debbie would send a list of things to gather to use during class, and we made it into a grand Scavenger Hunt to find all the items on the list during the morning before class. It was so helpful to have it so easy to get each item as Ms Debbie asked for it during class. AND, The laundry basket we used to gather the objects became her favorite place to sit while listening to the story.”

“On the days I didn’t gather the items ahead of time, it was difficult to keep my toddler’s attention as I searched the house for specific items. I felt a lot more connected and engaged with my guy when everything was in one place and easy to grab.”

As you can see, especially for the younger ages, the true magic happens between the child and their favorite adult, simply being guided by the music and Ms Debbie. At every level of Kindermusik, the parent is an important part of the process of learning music. And parents have found that Kindermusik gives them the tools to make life more joyful in their daily interactions, and LOVE watching their child blossom in so many ways in life through music.

The bigger kids, ages 3 and up, are more independently interactive with Ms. Debbie and their friends they can see online. They love being Spotlighted when it is their turn to share an idea, or show and tell about a “homework assignment” they created that goes along with the lesson, or even play a song they have been practicing on their instrument.

These children are the generation that will see the importance and ability to connect with each other in any way possible. Making music together makes it easy to connect, even through a screen.

We know that many families want to limit the screen time for their child… for good reason. There is a lot of research that indicates that a lot of screen time is spent sitting with eyes locked on a prerecorded show that does not necessarily engage their body and mind.

As we make music together in Kindermusik, it is my goal to connect with each child and family personally, engaging minds, bodies and hearts in activities that are part of an ongoing musical process that will benefit the development of the whole child. I believe, and have SEEN that we can do that through this LIVE interactive format, as well as in person.

I look forward to making music with you and your family in whichever way works best for your family.