Sing into Summer

As schoolwork is finishing up for the year, and children begin sleeping in and shedding shoes, moms are left figuring out how to keep children occupied and productive. While camps, outdoor games, sprinklers and swimming pools get bodies moving, and summer reading keeps the mind engaged, how about some extra family music time for the body, mind and soul?

Echo Patterns

In one of my teaching venues, I’m able to work with children in a preschool environment. This differs from our usual mixed-age, family classes. About half of the children in this preschool class have been in my Making Music Praying Twice program since they started as babies on their mommies’ laps. I do enjoy seeing the fruits in the children, but it is also fun to move on in some age specific activities with these 3 to 5 year-olds.

One specific activity is growth in executing echo patterns. These patterns are

The Blessings of Feedback

This is a busy time for our family and business, because our weekends are spent at Catholic Homeschool Conventions. So the kids are having lots of “sleep-overs” at grandma’s (God bless her) and John and I are getting some weekends away together. As we teach more families about the value of faith-inclusive early childhood music education, we are encouraged by meeting these families of faith who work so hard to be true to what they believe is best for their children.

Prayer Time

Today, at the end of class we were singing the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. For most of prayer time, I try not to focus on the kids, but block them out a little, focus on the crucifix on the wall and really think about what I’m singing. For a few minutes, I’m someplace else and there is a strange sense of clarity and purpose and a sense of confirmation in what I do.

Then I remember that I’m teaching a class. So I discretely peek around the room and check out the children. I notice something really interesting. For the most part, the energy in the room is still. The parents are praying. The children are either singing along and looking at the crucifix, or walking quietly around the room studying the praying adults.

I especially notice Mia, a delightful, bright-eyed, 2 year old who has been