Kitchen remix

Kindermusik of Holland.

Music training linked to enhanced verbal skills

"Music training, with its pervasive effects on the nervous system’s ability to process sight and sound, may be more important for enhancing verbal communication skills than learning phonics, according to a new Northwestern University study."

Photo: deb takes photos

Faces in places

An entire blog dedicated to the hidden faces around us.

Via swissmiss.

Musicophilia

"Oliver Sacks has an interview in the latest Wired, talking about his new book Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain with Steve Silberman. This sounds like a fantastic book -- a real Sacks-ian exploration of all the wild and illuminating ways the brain has of dealing with music. "

Via boing boing.

Alive and kicking, just not blogging

I've been getting the nicest emails, lately.

"Where are you, Molly?"

"I don't want to bother, or get too personal, but is everything okay?"

"We miss your blogging!"

Well. Thank you.

And yes, I am fit as a fiddle, and a-okay. Sorry to have made you all worry. Of course, I would have likely done the same thing if one of you suddenly stopped blogging. In the last few month's, however, I've been been immersed in learning my new role with ABC Music & Me. It's not really a new role anymore, and finally, I feel like I can come up for air. Plus, my band has really been taking off. We recently won the Battle of the Bands in Ziggy's. And, I've recently welcomed a new distraction into my life. Ain't he cute?

Still, it's great to be missed, and I'll still be probably blogging less. That just means you'll have to pick up the slack. Looking forward to seeing it.

Love: Mollie Greene's words

Last summer I loved to read the way she'd complain about the heat. Now, with a third curly-haired child on the way, she has taken to writing love/hate lists.

Clearly, she's a Kindermusik Educator. Thanks for sharing you, Mollie Greene.

love

vacuuming the house just before bed
new school clothes and the way kids feel when wearing them
jude’s sneaky way of charming sips of coffee from my cup
the amazing way that children! learn! to read!
marvel hero (and villain) postage stamps
the potential for cooler weather
hel looks and the all-too-brief explanations as to what the heck is going on there
finding a good pattern to make the use of and need for kleenex lovely

hate
cereal for dinner
amber on big brother 8
three year old whining instead of the helpful use of words to express needs, dislikes, displeasure
adults posessing self-centeredness but poorly disguising it as busy-ness
uncomfortable inability to not feel enormously pregnant

This elephant is full of peanuts

Thank you swissmiss.

One man orchestra. Literally.

Look closely. They're all Bob Brozman.

Rock, paper, scissors, or a bedtime story?

Freakanomics authors Stephen Dubner and Steven D. Levitt blog for the New York Times. And they'll talk about all manner of things, including one of the Stephen-ven's nightly ritual with his daughters to teach creative thinking skills.

Click the picture to read the blog post and watch the video.

What a wonderful shadow puppet

Another Coontastic find.

Draw on the walls, please

E-glue.

Everybody's going to dance around

Thanks Sean.

Top Toy Trends 2007

I've been (not so) joking about getting a red, radio flyer wagon to cart my guitar amp from my car into bars for gigs. Novelty, and practical, yes. I could use the wagon as an amp stand, too.

Now that I see this new take on a radio flyer, I'm doing a double take. Unfortunately, my amp would crush this little worm, but I'd still like to take him for a spin. Or a bob. Or a wiggle.

Check out all the top toy trends profiled in Parent magazine and take special note: Almost every single one has a music and movement spin.

Mind your own business

Kindermusik Educator Caroyln Hornell was profiled this week in West Vancouver's newspaper--in the business section.

Get rhythm

Composer with the ridiculously long name

The name of the German composer in the Monty Python sketch is:

Johann Gambolputty-de-von-Ausfern-schplenden-schlitter-crass-cren-bon-fried-digger-dingle-dangle-dongle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelter-wasser-kurstlich-himble-eisenbahnwagen-guten-abend-bitte-ein-nürnburger-bratwürstel-gespurten-mitz-weimache-luber-hundsfut-gumeraber-schönendanker-kalbsfleisch-mittleraucher-von-Hautkopft of Ulm.

Via Swiss Miss

General Admission

Here is the Educator responsible, and I've asked her for the full story. More later ....

Gigantic Dulcimers Kick Off Beijing Olympics

Imagine the Olympic size of that home material order. Geez.

Hey Xander, this one doesn't have a heart

Space Invaders Fifth Symphony

First the hoodies, then the symphony, then somebody throws around Beethoven's name.

"If Beethoven were alive today, he would be a video-game composer. ... He was always ahead of the curve. His whole thing in music was to control the emotions of the person listening to it.”'

Video Games Live organizer Tommy Tallarico