And You Thought They Were Just Learning Music?

Have your #child(ren) been asking for Piano lessons, Violin lessons, Guitar lessons, or maybe Saxophone lessons?

If you’re hesitating about the commitment, here are some great benefits for #kids who learn to #play #musical #instruments and this may inform your decisions in the future.

Research has shown that early music lessons for children help to build language skills. As they learn their instrument, children become accustomed to different sounds that they would not have recognized before. This practice trains their ears for the nuances and subtle sounds of language.

It makes them stronger academically. Researchers have found connections between music lessons and nearly every measure of academic achievement: SAT scores, high school GPA, reading comprehension, and math skills. Music also improves their powers of recall for powerful learning in all subjects.

It increases their IQ. Numerous studies have proven that children’s IQs increase because of even a few weeks of music lessons. Brain scan technology reveals that brain activity increases following musical training, and some parts of the brain even grow larger!

It teaches them discipline. Your child may be expecting to become a viral sensation overnight, but in fact, he may have to spend hours even just learning the proper way to hold that violin or trumpet before he can even make a sound. Music lessons require hours of concentration and patience. Children must persevere even when things aren’t going well…an invaluable skill for all areas of life.

It supports muscle development and motor skills. Children must use their whole bodies to keep the rhythm going when they play. They also must coordinate different motions with their hands at the same time. In doing so, they develop strength and coordination.

It improves social skills. If children play in a group, they have to learn to work together to achieve a common goal, exercising tolerance, patience, and encouragement towards their peers.

It makes kids feel good about themselves. There’s nothing quite like the sense of pride that comes from working on building a new skill for an extended period of time…especially when the result is beautiful music.

It helps kids understand culture. By learning music from various parts of the globe, students come to understand these cultures, whether it’s African drumming or Argentine tango music.

It brings joy. And finally, we come to the most important reason of all. When children can play music, it makes them happy…and everyone else too.

WONDERKIDZ MUSIC ACADEMY empowering children for the FUTURE. 

And you thought they were just learning how to play an instrument! Little did you know that your children will accomplish so many other wonderful things too.

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Learn Some Popular Methods Of Teaching Music to Children.

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There are various approaches used by educators when it comes to teaching music. Some of the best ways of teaching children music are to build upon a child's innate curiosity and teach children in a way that they learn best, similar to how a child learns their native language. 

Each teaching method has a system, an underlying philosophy with clearly defined objectives and goals. These methods have been in use for a long time, so they are time-tested and proven to have success. One thing that all these methods have in common is that they teach children to not just be listeners, but encourage children to be the creators and producers of music. These methods engage the child in active participation. 

These methods and variations of them are used by music teachers in private lessons and throughout schools worldwide. Here are four of the most popular music education methods: Orff, Kodaly, Suzuki, and Dalcroze.

The Orff Approach

 Glockenspiel Photo by flamurai. Public Domain Image from Wikimedia Commons

The Orff Schulwerk Method is a way of teaching children about music that engages their mind and body through a mixture of singing, dancing, acting, and the use of percussion instruments, such as xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels, which are known as the Orff Instrumentarium.

Lessons are presented with an element of play helping the children to learn at their own level of understanding while emphasizing arts integrations with stories, poetry, movement, and drama.

The least methodical of the four approaches, the Orff method teaches music in four stages: imitation, exploration, improvisation, and composition.

There is a natural progression to the method before getting to instruments. The voice comes first through singing songs and creating poems, then comes body percussion, like clapping, stomping, and snaps. Last comes ​an instrument, which is viewed as an activity that extends the body. 

The Kodaly Method

 In the Kodaly Method, singing is stressed as the foundation for musicianship. Getty Images

The Kodaly Method's philosophy is that music education is most effective when started early and that everyone is capable of musical literacy through the use of folk and composed music of high artistic value.

Zoltan Kodaly was a Hungarian composer. His method follows a sequence with each lesson building on the last. Singing is stressed as the foundation for musicianship.

He begins with sight-reading, mastering basic rhythms, and learning pitch with a "hand-sign" method. The hand signs help children visualize the spatial relationship between notes. Hand-signs combined with solfege singing (do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do) aids in singing that is on-pitch. Kodaly is also known for a system of rhythmic syllables to ​teach steady beat, tempo, and meter.

Through these combined lessons, a student naturally progresses into a mastery of sight reading and ear training. 

The Suzuki Method

 Violin. Public Domain Image from Wikimedia Commons

The Suzuki Method is an approach to music education that was introduced in Japan and later reached the United States during the 1960s. Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki modeled his method after a child's innate ability to learn their native language. He applied the basic principles of language acquisition to music learning and called his method the mother-tongue approach.

Through listening, repetition, memorization, building vocabulary—like language, music becomes part of the child. In this method, parental involvement is helpful to a child's success through motivation, encouragement, and support. This mirrors the same type of parental involvement that helps a child learn the fundamentals of their native language.

Parents often learn the instrument along with the child, acting as musical role models, and maintaining a positive learning atmosphere for the child to succeed.

Although this method was originally developed for the violin, it is now applicable to other instruments including the piano, flute, and guitar.

The Dalcroze Method

The Dalcroze Method connects music, movement, mind, and body. Copyright 2008 Steve West (Digital Vision Collection)

The Dalcroze method, also known as Dalcroze Eurhythmics, is another approach used by educators to teach musical concepts. Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, a Swiss educator, developed the method to teach rhythm, structure, and musical expression through music and movement.

Eurhythmics begins with ear training, or solfege, to develop the inner musical ear. This differs from Kodaly’s use of solfege in that it is always combined with movement.

Another component of the method concerns improvisation, which helps students sharpen their spontaneous reactions and physical responses to music.

At the heart of the Dalcroze philosophy is that people learn best when learning through multiple senses. Dalcroze believed that music should be taught through the tactile, kinesthetic, aural, and visual senses.

By 

Espie Estrella 2018.

For children music lessons, sales of musical instruments and lots more.

Visit: Wonderkidz Music Academy 2020

THE GUITAR INSTRUMENT.

The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that usually has six strings.[1] It is typically played with both hands by strumming or plucking the strings with either a guitar pick or the fingers/fingernails of one hand, while simultaneously fretting (pressing the strings against the frets) with the fingers of the other hand. The sound of the vibrating strings is projected either acoustically, by means of the hollow chamber of the guitar (for an acoustic guitar), or through an electrical amplifier and a speaker.

The guitar is a type of chordophone, traditionally constructed from wood and strung with either gut, nylon or steel strings and distinguished from other chordophones by its construction and tuning. The modern guitar was preceded by the gittern, the vihuela, the four-course Renaissance guitar, and the five-course baroque guitar, all of which contributed to the development of the modern six-string instrument.

There are three main types of modern acoustic guitar: the classical guitar (Spanish guitar/nylon-string guitar), the steel-string acoustic guitar and the archtop guitar, which is sometimes called a "jazz guitar". The tone of an acoustic guitar is produced by the strings' vibration, amplified by the hollow body of the guitar, which acts as a resonating chamber. The classical guitar is often played as a solo instrument using a comprehensive finger-picking technique where each string is plucked individually by the player's fingers, as opposed to being strummed. The term "finger-picking" can also refer to a specific tradition of folk, blues, bluegrass, and country guitar playing in the United States. The acoustic bass guitar is a low-pitched instrument that is one octave below a regular guitar.

Electric guitars, introduced in the 1930s, use an amplifier and a loudspeaker that both makes the sound of the instrument loud enough for the performers and audience to hear, and, given that it produces an electric signal when played, that can electronically manipulate and shape the tone using an equalizer (e.g., bass and treble tone controls) and a huge variety of electronic effects units, the most commonly used ones being distortion (or "overdrive") and reverb. Early amplified guitars employed a hollow body, but solid wood guitars began to dominate during the 1960s and 1970s, as they are less prone to unwanted acoustic feedback "howls". As with acoustic guitars, there are a number of types of electric guitars, including hollowbody guitars, archtop guitars (used in jazz guitar, blues and rockabilly) and solid-body guitars, which are widely used in rock music.

The loud, amplified sound and sonic power of the electric guitar played through a guitar amp has played a key role in the development of blues and rock music, both as an accompaniment instrument (playing riffs and chords) and performing guitar solos, and in many rock subgenres, notably heavy metal music and punk rock. The electric guitar has had a major influence on popular culture. The guitar is used in a wide variety of musical genres worldwide. It is recognized as a primary instrument in genres such as blues, bluegrass, country, flamenco, folk, jazz, jota, mariachi, metal, punk, reggae, rock, soul, and pop.

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Monday Motivation.

@wonderkidzmusicacademy

We are highly #motivated this #mondaymorning 

To dream of Monday represents feelings about a period of time being focused mostly around having to stop pleasure or stop taking time off. ... 

Feelings about yourself being the only person that wants to work hard. Feeling annoyed that everyone else around you is lazy while you want to use an opportunity to work hard....lol

Anyone can feel #motivated from time to time.

 But #highly #motivated people build routines into their lives that generate motivation consistently. In other words, instead of waiting around to hit the motivation jackpot, they design their life around energy-giving activities. 

This is why @wonderkidzmusicacademy is highly motivated and passionately committed to teaching music, and systematically approaching musical instruments with ease thereby unravelling the difficulties attached to learning musical instruments. To the end, imparting the lives of the next generation through thorough and result oriented music lessons.

Join us, support us and get along with us because we still have so much more to offer.

#HappyMonday morning

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How Well Do You Rest?

IF I ASK YOU, "HOW OFTEN DO YOU REST? " "HOW WELL DO YOU REST? " "WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF REST? "

How often do I rest??

Is rest really important?

You surely know the answers to the above questions.

Rest

Exercise 

Diet

Rest makes up about 10% of what makes us healthy...

Exercise makes up about 20% of our well being while Diet makes up about 70% of our well being.

It implies that we cannot substitute one for the other. They are all important! Just like different instruments in an orchestra. Each has its own place and uniqueness.

Diet is not limited to the food we eat alone. It encompasses our lifestyle, what we eat, how we eat, the proportion in which we eat, the time we eat and how hygienic our meal is.

Exercise is a physical activity that enables the muscles and other organs of the body to function well.

For this talk. I choose to focus on REST!

WE MIGHT HAVE TO SCHEDULE ORHER TIME FOR DIET AND EXERCISE BECAUSE OF TIME.

Let me say it this way... Rest is simply learning to relax! You don't have to close your eyes before you relax. You see you can relax even in traffic. It is a choice...

Let's look at different forms of rest or different ways we can rest.

Resting does not necessarily mean you have to go to bed and sleep. There are so many way we can relax : massage, deep exercises, meditation, biofeedback, autogenic training.

Anything you can do to relax is a form of rest.

How much rest is needed for an adult?

An adult requires about 6 to 8 hours of rest daily.

It doesn't have to be at a stretch.... 30 minutes or an hour rest in the day is also good...

You can choose to be angry and frustrated for the next 2hours or you can choose to relax, meditate, do some breathing exercises to calm your nerves or you can think about your favorite things.

When you relax you're free from pressure, free from burdens, free of care, like Jesus in that boat. You can smile at the storm.

LET'S LOOK AT THE IMPORTANCE OF REST

1. Better Productivity and Concentration:

Studies have shown that good rest improves your productivity, concentration and helps you to learn (cognition).   

2. Lower Weight Gain Risk.

Poor rest pattern has been linked to weight gain and obesity.

3. Better Calories Regulations.

A good night sleep will help you to consume less calories during the day.

4. Greater Athletic Performance.

Your body heals itself while you sleep. This enhances better performance intensity, more energy, better coordination, more speed and better mental functioning.

5. Lower Risk of Heart Diseases, meaning when you rest well you are not at the risk of being obese. Good night rest allows the body's blood pressure to regulate itself.

6. More Social and Emotional Intelligence. A person deprived of sleep cannot recognize other people's emotions and expressions.

Lack of sleep is linked to depression which can lead to suicidal thoughts and eventually suicide.

8. Lower Inflammation.

Adequate sleep and rest can help in reducing inflammation in the body.

9. Stronger Immune System.

Better sleep and rest can help your body to fight infections.

We can all see that a musician that rests well can be more productive abd healthy.

🎼🎺

Early to bed

Early to rise

Makes a man

Healthy, wealthy and wise.

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HOW TO DECIDE WHAT INSTRUMENT YOU WANT TO PLAY

How to Choose an Instrument

Music is one of the first things we learn to relate to as children – and it’s something that we continue to be impacted by as we grow into adults. It’s that level of significance that makes learning music such an important part of many of our lives! It all starts with choosing the right instrument…

START WITH SOMETHING ACCESSIBLE

Yamaha pianos are a great place to start your musical journey. Pianos can be clearly labelled, helping early learners to recognize the notes. Each key produces a unique sound – which also makes it easy for students to learn how to read and play simple music. 

Pianos aren’t your only option though! There are a multitude of other instrument types to try.

DECIDE WHETHER YOU PREFER WOODWIND, BRASS, OR STRINGS

Wind instruments are another familiar option for music lovers.

Many woodwinds are played using a reed that produces vibrations that reverberate through the instrument. Although, not all woodwinds use reeds, they’re still grouped together based on sound and composition. These include:

• Saxophones
• Clarinets
• Oboes
• Flutes
• Piccolo
• Bassoon

Brass instruments require the musician to hold their mouth in a puckered position to produce the correct vibrations to produce the music. These are extremely recognizable, and include:

• Trumpets
• Trombones
• French horns
• Tubas

For those who prefer the sultry sounds of the guitar, or the classical sound of the violin, strings are also an option! And keep in mind, you aren’t confined to just one instrument. Don’t be afraid to experiment and find what piques your interest.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS – EVERYONE LOVES A DRUMMER!

Do you find yourself tapping your foot and keeping time every time you hear your favorite songs? If so, percussion maybe right for you!

Percussion includes drums, bells, cymbals, triangles, and any other instruments that produces sound when it’s hit with your hand or a stick of some kind. Percussion instruments don’t always have the same sound range as other instruments, but they act as the heartbeat of the band.