Kindermusik for the holidays

Black Friday Door Buster

win a kindermusik play date

When you leave your name and comment about Kindermusik below this blogpost  AND share this post on your facebook page.  

You will be automatically entered into a drawing for a kindermusik play date for 10 children. 

The play date winner will be randomly selected Friday November 30 at 8pm and will be announced on www.facebook.com/kindermusikwithannczeponis

Thanksgiving Schedule

Kindermusik Closed Monday & Tuesday

Kindermusik will be closed on Monday due to the impending storm.

Bring a Friend Week

Invite a little friend and grown-up to join Kindermusik with you the week of Oct 22-26. 

*Be sure to reserve your friends' space with Miss Ann*

Your child and his/her friend
will receive a SPECIAL GIFT after class.

Countdown to Kindermusik Opening

COUNTDOWN WEBSITEIt 

It is not too late to enroll.  Use our handy online registration and enjoy our flexible scheduling and payment options.

Are You Ready?

The Studio opens October 1st. We will open with a sha-bang - a new studio and a BOOK FAIR!

Opening Day is now OCTOBER 1

This is an exciting time as we move into our new studio.  We had hoped to move through August and be well settled after the Labor Day weekend.  However, knowing that there is always a snafu I gave myself some wiggle room with our Sept 17 start date.  Apparently Miss Ann has a big wiggle - and will be needing more wiggle room.

Despite the best efforts of all parties involved (library, kindermusik, etc) We were only able to gain access to our new space as of last Friday.  It is not possible to have the space ready for you and your little ones by next Monday (9/17).  In order to have the Studio up to the standards that we have all become accustomed we will delay the opening of the  Kindermusik term.  Kindermusik Classes will begin October 1.  You will still get all the classes you paid for.  The revised schedule has been updated to the right.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Kindermusik for Early Childhood Classrooms

You may have noticed that in the scrolling calendar to the right there are classes listed "OLOL PreK" and "OLOL Kdg"  These refer to the classes that are taught at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School.  I am beyond impressed that Lourdes is committed to providing Kindermusik instruction to PreK - 2 classes each week.  The Kindergarten will receive Kindermusik instruction 1 class per week and standard music instruction (taught by the phenomenal Bonnie Klinger) once a week.  

I invite you to spend a minute clicking through the presentation below to fully understand how important these opportunities are for early childhood classrooms.

Kindermusik in the Early Childhood Classroom on Prezi

Easy, Convenient and NEW!!!!!!

Did you hear that the Kindermusik Studio is relocating?  We will be in the same building as the Mt Carmel Library  It's not very far from where we are - see for yourself

We have our own entrance to the left of the main doors of the library.  There are still steps, but fewer of them.   

 

I've been thinking a lot about how I can make Kindermusik easier and more convenient for you and I've come up with a few things and kept some of those that we have been doing:

• Continuous session 32 weeks no re-enrollment rig-a-ma-roll  
• Enroll at any time during the session
• No-hassle unenrollment - just let me know in writing before the first of the month.
• Family friendly payment plans (monthly payments $33; 3 payments $99; 2 payments $148.50; pay in full, $275 BIG SAVINGS; Automatic payments available)
• 15% Sibling Savings
• ONLINE ENROLLMENT (click here)
• Kindermusik Blog with all the latest updates, calendar, developmental news, special offers, studio policies
• Flexible attendance - come to the classes that suit your schedule
• More Bang for Your Buck - you pay for one class each week, but are encouraged to come as many times each week as you'd like

CLASS SCHEDULE ---- CLICK HERE TO ENROLL NOW

*there are a few changes

1-3 YR OLDS

MONDAY 4:30

TUESDAY 9:30

WEDNESDAY 10:30

THURSDAY 6:00

THURSDAY 5:00 (pending based on interest)

3-5 YR OLDS

MONDAY 5:30

THURSDAY 9:30

5-7 YR OLDS

MONDAY 6:30

Back to School To-Do List - Meet the Teacher Night

Did you know that before I gained fame and fortune as a Kindermusik teacher I was a 6th grade teacher?  I spent quite a few Meet the Teacher Nights on the other side of that big desk. Now I have 4 of my own children in school (grades 8, 6, 4 and 1) So I know a little something about both perspectives here. This is what I know; parents want their child to start off on the best footing and so does his or her teacher.

The intention of Meet the Teacher Night is to be the first contact that establishes a partnership between home, school and classroom.  It is the dial tone of the school year - an open line of communication.  Meet the Teacher Nights vary by name, and exact setup, but typically, there is a school-wide meeting where the principal welcomes you to the new school year and sets the tone for the school-wide initiatives and culture. Then parents break-out to student classrooms where teachers get specific about classroom expectations, policies and procedures, style of instruction and supply lists. This is when parents inevitably create their first impression about 'how this school year is going to go.' On paper it is the most fantastic premise, but it does not always work so seamlessly.

In a case like mine, there is the predicament of having to be in four classrooms at the same time. There is a possibility that you may not be able to send a parent representative to Meet the Teacher Night at all and there is a possibility that you may leave without the information that is most important to you.

There are some things you can do to get the most out of your Meet the Teacher Night and set your child up for quite possibly the best school year ever.  I put it together in this little presentation below.  Enjoy...

View it larger on Prezi

Back to School To-Do List - Sleep!

It never fails, July 4th comes and my efforts turn to squeezing every last bit of fun from summer, while still trying to balance the enthusiasm that comes with preparing for the start of a new school year and Kindermusik semester. 


My next few blog posts will provide insights for parents that will allow children the best opportunity to transition to the school year or Kindermusik semester. Stores have begun to set up aisles and aisles of back to school shopping, so I'll let Madison Avenue take care of that arena; my Back to School To-Do List has nothing to do with shopping...


Start your day when you will start your day..
Proper sleep will set your child off on the right foot.  Dr. Lawrence J. Epstein of Harvard, Harvard Medical School's Division of Sleep Medicine tells us that sleep deprivation is closely connected to mood, anxiety, depression, memory loss and judgement and cognition. The Mayo Clinic reports a link to weight gain, as well.  

If your child is excited to be returning to school, the excitement may carry him or her, but it is likely the other shoe will drop at some point and this information will be important.  On the other hand, if your child is meeting the idea of returning (or going for the first time) to school with trepidation this is BIG stuff.

You read it right --- 11ish hours!

Dr. Kevin Smith, a sleep specialist with Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, warns parents not to wait until the night before school starts to adjust their child's bedtime. "The longer the child has to do this, the easier it is. I recommend starting a couple weeks before school.."

Here are some tips to begin the adjustment:

• Start now!
• Move dinner time to the time it will be during school.
• Begin by adjusting the wake up time, then adjust the times in small increments - 15 minutes earlier to bed and wake 15 minutes earlier.
• Reducing your child's exposure to light. Dr. Smith says, "Light affects our body and our sleep-wake cycles. Exposure to light late in the evening can delay our body's ability to fall asleep." Smith urges parents to have their kids come inside earlier and decrease their exposure to bright lights and light from the screens of electronics such as television, cell phone or computer 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.  

I'd love to stand on my soapbox and tell you my children do not have TVs in their rooms and that everyone reads themselves to bed every night, but that would be a BIG, FAT LIE.  Falling asleep sans TV takes a great deal of effort on behalf of parents and kids.  But I'm committed to giving it a try - How about you?  

Frindle by Andrew Clements

Turning off the screens gives us a great opportunity to read together. My girls share a room so it's three birds with one stone here.  Their ages are 11, 9, & 6.  Our nightly read aloud is going to be Frindle by Andrew Clements. 

Winning by Gary Brackett

My son is 13 and can read us all under the table - it's his favorite pastime. Bip, Larry and I will begin reading Gary Brackett's Winning: From Walk-On to Captain in Football and Life together.

It's your turn to chime in.  What will you read to your kiddos to skip the TV before bed? List the Book Title and the age of your child in a comment below.

Everyone who responds will be entered into a drawing to win $25 worth of free book picks at the next Scholastic Book Fair Oct 1-12. Winner will be drawn Sept 3.

KINDERMUSIK SUMMER CLASSES

I'm so pleased to announce our Summer Schedule.  I've developed fun, creative offerings for 1 year olds to school age children (who will benefit from a fun way to master their times tables).

All this will be available in Air Conditioned comfort at our summer studio:

the NCCA Art Gallery at 2 East Arch Street, Shamokin.

Pick and Choose classes that are based around these themes. 

1-3 yr olds: Creatures in my Backyard &  Zoo Train

3-5 yr olds: On the Road & Confetti Days

5-7 yr olds: Move & Groove

School Age: DESTINATION MULTIPLICATION - Your child can master times tables.  This unique researched based program makes mastering multiplication FUN

                                               

Take a look at the schedule, pick and choose the classes that you'd like to attend.  The first 4 classes are $60 (there is a four class minimum) and each class after that is $10.  

DESTINATION MULTIPLICATION is run as a 5 class session ($60) If you must miss a class I've included Makeup Classes.

REGISTER NOW space is limited.

Knoebels Picnic

Kindermusik Family Picnic

Knoebels Grove Amusement Park

Wednesday, May 16

Pavilion K (for Kindermusik)

9:30 am Miss Ann will be ready and waiting at the Pavilion

10 am Brunch & Door Prizes

10:45 am head over to the handstamp stand

11am - Handstamp and ride from 11-1:30 $7.50

Families please bring a covered dish and tableware 

Miss Ann will bring cake and water for the whole crew.

We will go unless it is pouring or thundering.  Let's hope Mother Nature is kind to us. I know that many of you use precious personal days from work for this, so if it is pouring or thundering we will go to the studio and have our party there - Bounce House, Ball Pit, Thomas Table, Bubble machine, etc.

Music Education

I cannot let the events of this past week go without remarking on them.  The Shamokin School Board has had to make some very difficult decisions in order to deal with a budget that is woefully short of being balanced.  


Shamokin Area is not the only school district in the area, or the state for that matter, that finds itself in this predicament.  I do not wish to turn this post into a political diatribe, so instead I will encourage you to investigate the decisions governor Tom Corbett and the Pennsylvania Department of Education are making regarding funding, high stakes testing and curriculum. Then you can form your own opinions - EDUCATED opinions.


Most people in public service know that you can make some of the people happy all of the time, and all of the people happy some of the time, but you cannot make all of the people happy all of the time (please forgive me, Abraham Lincoln for amending your quote).  I think we can all agree that the Board was faced with a decision with many possible outcomes each of which would have been contentious.  There is no easy answer to the shortfall they face, but that which is valued should be preserved and I wish to speak directly to the value of music in the development of the whole child.


In the Seven Habit of Highly Effective People author Dr. Stephen Covey counts among the habits, "Sharpen the Saw."  This is the effort taken to create a positive effect on the task at hand by doing something that may not be directly related to the processes of the task.  For instance, if the task is to cut down a gargantuan tree; instead of going straight at the trunk wielding your saw, take a second and sharpen the saw.  You have thereby made the actual task of attacking the tree easier.  Music works much the same in children.  You learn music not only for it's sake, but for the sake of all that it enables: the emotional regulation; the priming of the math centers; the effect on long and short term episodic and emotional memory, and so much more.  Music is vital to neurodevelopment, it forges pathways in young brains and primes them for the kind of learning that can be quantified through those tests that are becoming the mainstay of education.  Don Campbell, author of The Mozart Effect explains:

The more participation there is with music early on — through singing and movement — the more it simultaneously activates multiple levels of the brain. If you look at the corpus callosum [of someone who plays music] there are more connections made between right and left sides. A child who is moving, dancing and singing learns coordination between their eye, ear and sound early on. And [the experience of participating in music education] helps integrate the social, the emotional and the real context of what we’re learning. There are studies that show children who play music have higher SAT scores, that learning to control rhythm and tempo not only help them get along with others but plants seeds for similar advantages when we get much older.

Not only does music impact our early development, but it essential to development and renewal throughout the lifespan.  I really hope that you will watch the video below and see how a life encompassed by music can unlock the spirit of an octogenarian mired in the haze of dementia.

.

If your child has been impacted by the decision made by the school board, please make a conscious effort to include music in your family's activities.  It is too important to your child's development to omit.

Tell us what you think...

Previous and current Kindermusik families:
Please take just 3 minutes (seriously - it is just 3 minutes) to answer a few questions about your Kindermusik experience.  We all know that there are plenty of choices out there, but Miss Ann is very committed to making Kindermusik with Ann Czeponis the best possible choice for you and your little one.

Click here to take survey

No Kindermusik Class 3/20

Sorry for the inconvenience everyone, but there will be no Kindermusik Classes today (3/20)  I have 2 little sickie girls who are feeling under the weather. Hubby is on the road and this a job only a mother would want, and frankly, they only want Mom.

We will make this class up Tuesday May 15. This will work out well as May 16 is our Knoebels Picnic and May 17 is another makeup from a snow delay cancellation. The schedules have been updated, please print out or save the new one for your convenience.

Scholastic Book Fair Coming This Week

Sandy Slusser Photography @ Kindermusik

March 24 and 25

Photographer, Sandy Slusser, returns to the Kindermusik Studio with all of her props

First Communion ~ senior grads ~ expectant mothers ~ newborns ~ babies ~ children ~ families ~ pets 

Reserve your time by clicking HERE

or Call Ann 339-5075

Bring a Friend to Kindermusik

Now is your chance to share the love

BRING A FRIEND TO KINDERMUSIK

FEBRUARY 20-23

Kindermusik kids have the opportunity to invite a friend (and that friend’s grown up)

to attend a Kindermusik class with them.

Kindermusik Kids: here's how...

• Check with your friends and match up your schedules.
• Feel free to invite more than one friend
• Give your friend their ticket - the stub will be returned to Miss Ann for a Door Prize
• tickets available at the Studio from Miss Ann
• Confirm the Date and Time of the class you would like to attend with Miss Ann. I try to ensure that we are not flooded in any one particular cast.
• Your child and their guest will each receive a small momento.

Non-Kindermusik Kids: here's how...

• Talk to your friends who go to Kindermusik - don't be shy, just ask for the invite
• Too shy to ask for the invite??????
• Call Miss Ann * 339-5075 * you can be my friend
• Not a good week for you?????
• Call for a free preview class any time * 339-5075 *

Hello everyone, The Kindermusik Spring Semester is upon us and we are ready for you! I have attached the schedule here for you, but please know that the schedule is tweaked occasionally and the most recent version is always posted to the KINDERMUSIK BLOG The semester begins Jan 23 and continues through May 10 - with the rest of May left for makeup days in case of inclement weather.


Class Days and Times

Our Time: (1-3 yr olds) 

 Monday 5:30pm; Tuesday 10am; Wednesday 4:30 & 5:30pm; Thursday 10am

Imagine That: (3-5 yr olds) 

Monday 6;30; Tuesday 11am

Young Child (5-7 yr olds) 

 12 weeks BEGINS FEB 15 

Wednesday 6:45 - 7:30 

If you have not enrolled yet there is still time. READ BELOW to see all the benefits you are giving you choose Kindermusik