Posted on Sun, Jul 25, 2010 @ 06:00 AM
By Kindermusik Educator Michele Collins 
It has been many years since I sat in a college classroom, listening to lectures, highlighting textbooks and learning new concepts. With Kindermusik classes on summer hiatus, it seemed a good time to dust off the cobwebs in my brain and broaden my musical horizons. Having sung in choirs since middle school, I’ve always wanted to try conducting. Easy enough, right? Wave your hands around, smile at the singers and tell them when to start and stop. Nope. Not easy at all.
I enrolled in a week-long "Beginning Choral Conducting” class at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. I knew I was in trouble when the professors informed us that “there are no bad choirs – only bad conductors.” All my pre-conceived notions were dashed as I learned to keep time with my hand, listen attentively to my singers and let them know with every subtle movement of my face and body what sounds they should be making. We were asked to sit on large rubber exercise balls while practicing, in order to perfect our sense of balance. We learned that if the body is not properly aligned, the signals to the choir will not be clear. I must say, a room full of adults on big bouncy balls was something to see! Try as I might, it was nearly impossible to listen, to balance, to align my body and to conduct, all at the same time. On a brighter “note” (no pun intended), our practice sessions were pure joy. We spent hours singing beautiful melodies so our classmates could hone their conducting skills and we could learn from the professor’s critiques. We started each day singing vocal warm-ups with an expert choral conductor who taught us how to breathe better, move more and sing with tones that go straight to heaven. She demonstrated how a conductor’s deliberate direction could change the quality of a choir’s sound. Apparently, raising one’s eyebrows makes a choir’s pitch go higher. Who knew? It was great fun to sing with a group who could pick up a melody after one hearing and turn it into a beautiful round. It was like singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
So now it’s back to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” for real. I look forward to seeing my young Kindermusik students in September with their lovely, natural voices and their innate ability to move, and dance and learn. Even though I am back from college, Ms. Michele’s musical education continues…
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Posted on Sat, Jun 12, 2010 @ 06:40 AM
Are you a parent or grandparent of a little baby? Are you curious what your Cutie
is thinking? Do you feel frustrated when he cries and you can't figure out what is bothering him? You wish they could speak, articulate their thoughts and feelings, tell you about their needs. But you know to be patient because their time will come! Meanwhile, you try to connect with your baby on an emotional level, read her body language, listen to her voice, watch the expression in her eyes--all of which you learn to interpret as signs of communication.
Time to take the guesswork out of it! You will be thrilled to hear that there finally is a class to teach you how to communicate with your hearing baby, using American Sign Language: Kindermusik Sign & Sing. One of the most innovative classes of the Kindermusik curriculum, Sign & Sing is finally coming to our area, where it will be offered at our award-winning Hunterdon Academy of the Arts! Starting July 22, you will be able to enroll in 5-week Kindermusik Sign & Sing classes at extremely affordable rates.
Kindermusik Sign & Sing is intended for hearing children from 6 months to 3 years of age. Even if your child speaks already, we strongly recommend signing her up for this class; American Sign Languag may be a potentially useful skill for her to acquire early in life!
Kindermusik Sign & Sing will be taught by one of our long-time faculty members at Hunterdon Academy of the Arts--
Jeanine Roberts. For those of you who don't know her already, Jeanine has been with us since 1998. Because of her extensive musical background, she has served in several different capacities at HAA, teaching Kindermusik as well as piano and clarinet. Additionally, she has been the piano accompanist of our Hunterdon Youth Choir.
Jeanine, who also has a degree in music therapy, absolutely LOVES babies! Just watch the big smile on her face when she'll meet yours! We believe that Jeanine's patience, many musical talents, and loving personality make her the perfect teacher for Kindermusik Sign & Sing. Visit our website or call us at (908) 782-4943 to find out more.
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Posted on Tue, May 25, 2010 @ 02:16 PM
On Friday, May 14 we picked up an order of 1,000 freshly baked cookies from a local bakery. The cashier's eyes grew bigger and bigger as he was trying to estimate the number of cookies in all those boxes. Shoppers all around us were looking at us with big smiles, and as we were leaving the store, somebody declared, "I'm going wherever you're going!"
Why 1,000 cookies? Well, we had an excited crowd of young musicians waiting to show off their musical skills the very next day. Somehow we knew that 1,000 cookies would add the perfect touch to what promised to be a series of extraordinary events on May 15: the 2010 Kindermusik Graduation/Continuation ceremonies and year-end recitals at Hunterdon Academy of the Arts.
The day began with two moving events at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Flemington for our Little Ones: Kindermusik Continuation and Kindermusik Graduation. These ceremonies are not part of the official Kindermusik curriculum but represent a unique feature of Kindermusik at Hunterdon Academy of the Arts. Every year, Kindermusik Graduation at HAA is the day parents and students in the Kindermusik For the Young Child classes (age 5 to 7) are looking forward to with great anticipation. Many of these children have been in the Kindermusik program for up to 7 years, having first entered the progressive sequence of age-appropriate classes as babies.
So, what was happening on the morning of May 15? Glockenspiels were playing "Go to Sleepy" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" in unison, while the sight and sound of these adorable 5- and 6-year-old little musicians made many audience members tear up (including the author of this article). Now, don't think that we turned this happy day into a cry-baby contest; our Kindermusik students worked very hard to prepare for their big performance and we (the adults) would not want to ruin it for them. After several years of weekly classes in which the children have systematically developed their motor and language skills, cognitive skills, and musical abilities, Kindermusik Graduation is an incredibly important milestone.
Year 1 students had a lot of fun, demonstrating their movement activities through "Rig-a-Jig-Jig," and Year 2 students used their "superfast" feet in Mrs. E's favorite--"Heel and Toe Polka"--and Mrs. P's favorite--"The Mexican Hat Dance," complete with sombreros! There was singing on note names and other important elements our Kindermusik students have a chance to learn in the Young Child curriculum.
As a "school within a school," the Kindermusik program at HAA has been taught by a series of master teachers since 1981, when it was first introduced to Hunterdon County by Donna Cooper. We are proud to say that our Kindermusik graduates benefit so much from studying with these wonderful teachers that most of them continue playing various instruments and some have later even become music majors in college! One of the most important aspects of our Young Child classes is the "layering of information", which makes learning about music interesting and fun, while also addressing various learning styles in children. What appears to be a simple skill to learn for us as adults (holding the mallets with three fingers only, as opposed to the entire fist; covering the holes of a recorder; reading music notes, etc.), in fact takes many weeks to develop in children ages 5-7.
As in previous years, the musical presentation of Kindermusik Graduation ended with "Music Alone Shall Live," jointly performed in three-part canon by the children and their families. For the Kindermusik Graduates, however, the absolute highpoint of the ceremony was the awarding of our glitzy Kindermusik Trophies, which they proudly showed off to flashing cameras and camcorders around the room. Our featured guest performer this year was Victoria Ou, an advanced piano student our piano teacher Ms. Rose McCathran. Victoria played a Clementi Sonata especially for our Kindermusik Graduates, who listened in great awe.
Even though it looks like the end of a 7-year long journey, Kindermusik Graduation is only the beginning. In a sense, Kindermusik training has laid the foundation for the children's continued involvement in, and appreciation for, music. Most of the Kindermusik Graduates, we are happy to say, do in fact move right into our music lesson program, Hunterdon Youth Choir, keyboard classes (now "Pianissimo 101 and 102"), or guitar and violin classes, where their prior Kindermusik experience is giving them the "edge" to prosper.
In "1,000 Cookies: HAA Celebrates Its 2010 Graduation (Part 2)," to be published shortly, we will report on the second half of May 15--three year-end recitals of our lesson students!
Valentina Jotovic
Executive Director
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Posted on Fri, May 07, 2010 @ 07:18 AM
2010-2011 will be a BIG year for us: it marks the 30th Anniversary of Hunterdon Academy of the Arts, formerly known as Cooper Music Studio, which over the past three decades has won numerous awards particularly for its Kindermusik classes. This wonderful age-appropriate music program for children newborn to age 7 will therefore take a prominent place in next year's celebrations.
In anticipation of 
upcoming Festivities, we are expanding our Kindermusik program, by adding new faculty and innovative curricula. We will keep you posted on the specific details in the months ahead.
Today we are excited to announce that we have appointed Neha Gohil to join our faculty of Kindermusik Educators. Neha holds a Master's Degree in Special Education from Kean University. Prior to her graduate work, she completed a Bachelor of Science Degree in Therapeutic Recreation at Temple University, where she graduated with honors.
Neha is a respected early-childhood specialist who is already known to many parents in this community through her outstanding work with children at the Flemington Jewish Community Center. A nurturing, patient, and knowledgeable educator with a love for music and children, she will be a strong addition to our Kindermusik faculty, and we are thrilled to welcome her to HAA!
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Posted on Sun, May 02, 2010 @ 08:31 AM
Every year we ask our families to participate in a brief survey. Though we maintain
close contact with our teachers, students, and families throughout the year, this survey provides an additional forum for participants to let us know how we are doing as an institution. In our ongoing efforts to improve our programs and meet the needs of our students, we want to find out in which areas changes need to be made, and of course, we also enjoy receiving "pats on the back" and knowing where we have exceeded expectations.
The results of this year's survey are in and as in previous years, have been extremely positive. Judging by the responses, Hunterdon Academy of the Arts is on the right track in so many ways. We are extremely delighted to hear that we have provided our students and families with a music program that many respondents characterized as "far better than other music schools." This is wonderful news indeed! Below are only a few of the glowing testimonials our families shared with us:
"Being a member of HAA has opened many opportunities for us as a family to enjoy music!! Thank you for always finding innovative ways of communicating with families with all current HAA musical events and news."
"Can't think of a way to improve the school!"
"Our class is a big highlight of our week. :-) Thank you."
Kindermusik Educator Ann Engberg ("Mrs. E") is a "wonderful teacher, my child LOVES her. She has a wonderful gift and shares it so expressively!"
Kindermusik Educator Francesca Panfilo-Milza, "Mrs P, is a fabulous teacher! She is energetic and fun and it is evident that the children respond positively to her teaching methods."
Kindermusik Educator Michele Collins is "approachable....Friendly....upbeat....prepared....structured....informative"
"[Our daughter] has learned more with [violin teacher] Dr. Hoffman than with any other teacher."
"Mrs. Peare has been a pleasure throughout our Keyboard Group class years"
"We're very satisfied with Mrs. Schmidt's [piano] teaching methods. She has been flexible when needed, recommending the appropriate grade level for taking the Trinity exam, providing sufficient material for practice and continuing to make lesson and practice time enjoyable. "
"I love the Bel Cantos Program and Mrs. Nagy is an amazing director."
"Not only is [guitar teacher] Laura [Oltman] very talented, but she builds a wonderful rapport with her students. She's warm, patient, supportive, and knows when and how to push without discouraging her students. She's wonderful!"
Of course, there is always room for improvement, so there were a few honest concerns expressed by some of our parents. To find out how we are addressing them, read "'Ins and Outs' of Music Practice: Spring 2010 Survey Results (Part 2)."
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Posted on Sun, Mar 07, 2010 @ 07:00 AM
After two years, I still get a little nervous before each Kindermusik class I teach. Will the children have a good time? Will the parents think the activities are silly? Will I remember the melody to the goodbye song? But once the class is over, and parents linger to chat and children beg for a hand stamp on their tummy or say "thank you for class, Ms. Michele" I am reminded why I love this job.
Kindermusik class is where I hear giggles, see smiles and watch parents at their most playful. Imaginations flourish when Mom and child decide to swing each other with a hoop, or fly around the room like a butterfly. Vocabulary grows, manners are practiced, sharing is attempted (and sometimes succeeds) and all kinds of learning takes place. I am so impressed by these parents who have taken precious time from their busy lives to tickle until they can't stop laughing, or dance until they are out of breath. It makes my day when daddies step out of their comfort zones to share a cuddle, a bounce or a favorite story. And when I hear that the music from class is being listened to in the car or at home, I know that the Kindermusik magic has left the building and is continuing the learning and fun all week long.
What more could a teacher ask for?
Michele Collins, Kindermusik Educator at HAA
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Posted on Sun, Feb 28, 2010 @ 08:05 AM
Kindermusik--the leading program in early-childhood music education--has been
offered to families in New Jersey's Hunterdon County since 1981, when it was introduced to the local community by Donna Cooper. Teaching at first out of her home, Donna grew her Kindermusik studio from just a few students to one of the world's largest Kindermusik programs. As operations outgrew facilities time and again, her "Cooper Music Studio" was to move a total of four times until in 2007 it became part of Hunterdon Academy of the Arts at 4 Minneakoning Road in Flemington.
A visionary with a great passion for children's education, Donna was among the first educators in the U.S. to teach Kindermusik, a program that as it name suggests, originated in Germany, before spreading around the globe.
We were deeply touched when one day we noticed that we actually had children in our Kindermusik program whose parents themselves had once been Kindermusik students of Donna Cooper's! What's more, when in 2008 we appointed Kimberly Hill to conduct our long-standing Hunterdon Youth Choir, she revealed that she, too, began her musical training as a child in Donna's Kindermusik classes, and that conducting this choir had been a life-long dream of hers!
Although we are great believers in the scientifically documented benefits of Kindermusik training, there is no stronger testimony to the awesome power of Kindermusik than seeing it manifest across generations.
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