Coolest. Music Program. Ever.

I have been wondering for several years exactly how I would approach beginning music lessons for my kids. I took intense classical piano lessons all growing up, got my B.A. in Music Education, and have taught private piano and voice lessons myself, but I have been unsure of which method to “commit to” for my kids. Too much focus on ear training and they may not learn well enough how to read music… too much focus on reading the notes and they may never learn to play freely, and with feeling… I always see both sides and wonder how we can find a method that is balanced, but that also won’t necessarily require them to give their lives to becoming musicians unless it’s something they really want to pursue. I don’t want to force my kiddos to do music just because I love it, so how many years am I going to “make” them take, and how is it all going to work? If they don’t take lessons their whole lives, what things would I want to make sure they learn during the time that they do?

When I discovered Let’s Play Music, I felt all of those concerns start to resolve. The curriculum for this program is balanced, and focuses on ear training, note reading, AND freedom of expression, harmony, chord progressions, singing, and piano skills. In three years, young kids get armed with a musical foundation that can propel them into future success on any instrument, and they are able to play intermediate piano pieces, sightread melodies on the piano, transpose, improvise, and compose. And what’s more, they don’t think it’s hard, they think it’s fun, because it’s all taught through play!

The more I read and learned about the program, the more excited I got about it, and over the course of our move to Colorado, was able to find a teacher and get Ethan started on it! Ethan goes to class and has a blast singing about red balloons going up and down the lines, going on a lion hunt, and doing a puppet show to classical music, and I am happy as a clam that in that process he is learning, in cleverly calculated ways, about notes, rhythms, patterns, and instrument sounds. I don’t think Mary Poppins herself could top the execution of the lessons. But she would be proud to see how the “medicine” of complex musical concepts goes down “in the most delightful way.”

So, Ethan has been going for 8 weeks, and we are both loving it. Parents attend class every other week so I have really gotten a feel for the flavor of the whole thing and I’m so glad we found a program that is such a fit for us!

Having said all that, Let’s Play Music is also a triumphant solution to dilemma #2, which is: I love teaching music! Few things give me greater joy than to help someone learn things, through music, that boost confidence, provide insight into other aspects of life, and feed their souls! And yet, as a mother of young children, how can I be the mom I want to be if I spend every day after school with other people's kids and not my own? Well, Let’s Play Music is taught in group classes of up to 8 kids—so participants get to dance and sing with kids their age, all while building a strong musical foundation for life. As a teacher, that means that I can have the pleasure of giving the gift of musical knowledge to let’s say 24 kids, in the time it would normally take to teach 3 or 4. And the result for the kids is MORE learning, and BETTER learning! So, I’m currently in the process of certifying to become a teacher of Let’s Play Music, and I’m thrilled about the possibilities. If things go the way I hope, I plan to begin teaching in the fall of 2011. If you live in Colorado, let me know if your kiddos would like to be in one of my classes! If you live somewhere else, see if there is a teacher in your area!

Check out their website for more info!

www.letsplaymusicsite.com

Bedtime at our house tonight...

Sometimes our kids go to bed really well. These days, that has not been happening on the same days that Jake takes a nap, however small it may be. When Jake's not tired, Ethan is suddenly not tired either, and the party begins. I'm considering getting some straight jackets and somehow connecting them to the beds... :)

So tonight, after a few reminders to get back in bed, I heard noises and finally went into their room to see what the ruckus was. We don't have any toys in their room--it's just for sleeping and dressing. So they got creative with their few resources and here is what I found!

These are our helmets to protect us from the bad guys, mom!

and here's a view from the side and the back...

My favorite part was when Ethan took his off and showed me how it was really a diaper and not actually a helmet.
"See mom? This is where Jake's leg would go in, but I was wearing it like this! But really it's a diaper. "


Wow. I had NO idea.


Part of me didn't want to take pictures because I want them actually listen when I say it's time to go to bed! But a much larger part of me was filled with joy that I get to have two creative hooligans running around making me laugh, and that my boys are such good friends.

These are the moments...


PS--We had an incredible lesson in a special young marrieds sunday school class a few weeks ago about having a sense of humor in marriage and raising children. The teacher quoted a man who said that "God's power is a gentle sense of humor" and we talked about why that is so. It was a powerful exploration for me to think about my weaknesses as a mother and realize that most of the times I lose my cool or get frustrated or feel annoyed to be a mom, it's because I'm just taking things a little bit too seriously. In these times, God's power can really be a gentle sense of humor that keeps things in perspective and helps me to see my children as the precious, innocent, fun little spirits that they are, and laugh and take joy in whatever it is they are doing. I know it's important to set limits and we do, but we have been enjoying more laughs lately (even in times of mischief) and it's been great!!

Tons of Pictures of Gorgeous Colorado!

Okay, there are a few pictures, that although they are rotated just fine when I view them in Picasa, appear sideways on the blog. To save me the time and hassle tonight, I invite you to please turn your head when you get to those pictures. Thanks!


Here's a hike we took in Vail with my Dad this summer:









Yep, that's right. Turn it. Like you're about to eat a taco. I love Colorado Mountains!!!

We hiked up to this waterfall. In the wintertime, this waterfall freezes and we love to hike up to the "ice cave." I have such fun memories of hiking in snow up to our waists! It seemed shorter in the summertime, without trudging through all the snow! (but as you can see, my legs are no tanner in this picture than they would be under snowpants in December...)




This was down in Colorado Springs, at a State Park (National Park?) called "The Garden of the Gods." Here's a little trivia for you non Coloradans: The Spanish named the state "Colorado," which means 'colored,' because of the red rocks and other colorful landforms they found. That makes sense when you go to a place like this!



Please cock your head again...





My three favorite boys and Colorado Mountains. Who could ask for anything more?

I would like to point out that Kyle took those last 2 with a timer, and no tripod. I love how he can scramble like the dickens to get into the picture in time and yet look like he was leisurely sitting there all the time. I have a very talented husband, don't you think? ;)






We loved having Kyle's mom and sister, Susan, come to visit us!




Grandma treated us to a train ride all the way up to the top of Pike's Peak!


















We took so many pictures and kept telling the boys to say, "Pikes Peeeeeeeeeak!" They are still saying that, weeks later, when we ask them to smile for pictures. :)







All tuckered out. Thanks Grandma, for such a fun day!



We are grateful to live among such beautiful places!

"...and I think to myself,
What a wonderful world!"