Special Programs
BALLET CLASSIQUE
BALLET CLASSIQUE is a classical ballet school whose Director/Instructor, Lael Martin
has been teaching ballet in our building for 10 years. Previously she had been the
top assistant to long-time Spokane ballet diva Tessa Williams. She teaches all levels
from Pre-Ballet thru Adult. She is also available for private instruction by appointment
only. Her classes perform several times a year, including entertaining on various
cruise ships.
If you would like to contact Lael for further information call her at 324.1702
KINDERMUSIK WITH MUNCHKINS TO MOZART
Teresa Birch has been teaching music students for over 25 years. Her school has
been located at AMEND MUSIC CENTER since 2002. The following is an article from
the SPOKANE SENTINEL that can describe Teresa’s program better than I can.
ALL THE RIGHT CHORDS by Kara Hauser
Have you ever tried to teach music theory to a five year old?
Teresa Birch does it multiple times a day…and it all started from teaching primary
music at her church. Having seen Birch’s teaching style with children in primary,
one of her piano students casually mentioned that she would be a great Kindermusik
teacher. Birch, who was busy with piano lessons and raising her family, brushed
the suggestion aside. However, when her husband became unable to work due to medical
complications, she suddenly found herself the main breadwinner of the family and
was reminded of her student’s idea. Seven years later, Birch has almost totally
quit giving piano lessons and focuses solely on teaching a total of 26 Kindermusik
classes each week.
A visit to Birch’s class for 5 to 7-year olds is a fun and energetic experience.
Eight children sit on the floor, wiggling and poking each other, while “Ms. Teresa”
sits on the floor in front of them, explaining each activity and reminding them
to use their listening ears and inside voices. They clap basic musical rhythms,
and then work on identifying the musical symbols associated with each rhythm. They
take a short break to release some energy by jumping ten times, and then go back
to working on hearing the differences between high and low sounds. They play games
and sing songs, and even have a short story time where they learn about Mozart and
the music he wrote. One boy immediately raises his hand and asks about Mozart’s
funny hair. Ms. Teresa compliments his good observation and they have a brief, animated
discussion about his wig. Finally they lie down on the floor and listen to Mozart’s
version of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. A restless boy squints one eye open and
gives me a big grin.
Just before the grown-ups arrive, Ms. Teresa announces what is obviously their favorite
game, called Wild Birds. Ms. Teresa reminds them that although the game is called
Wild Birds, that they must be good birds and not fly around too wildly. A chorus
of voices is immediately raised: “But I want to be a hawk!” “I’m a bald eagle.”
“My favorite is a scarlet macaw.” Once they have all decided what bird they want
to be, the flying begins. By the time the grownups arrive, the kids have used up
some energy and are a bit more subdued. The last 15 minutes are spent playing games
with the adults and showing what they have learned. At the end, Ms. Teresa sings
Goodbye to each child, and they in turn get to sing Goodbye into a microphone. Some
sing loud, others a little more shy, but each are encouraged.
After class is over, Birch takes a few minutes to each a quick lunch and, in between
bites, explain a little more about how Kindermusik has become such a big part of
her life. “I was pretty skeptical at first. I wondered why parents couldn’t just
teach their kids at home.” But as she learned more about the program and the child
development experts that created it, she became a believer. “It lays a good musical
foundation, but more than that, it’s about the whole child.” Using music as a vehicle,
classes are focused on every area of child development. Hand-eye coordination, listening
and comprehension, interaction with others, body coordination, imagination, emotional
balance, and language are all developed through various activities. A Kindermusik
teacher goes through extensive training, is licensed, and held to a very high standard.
Caregivers are expected to be a part of each class, and there are materials for
each child to work on at home. The children love showing their parents what they’ve
learned and even more, love having them participate with them in class.
Birch admits this job is not a big income-earner, but as she says, “I feel so lucky
to be able to do something I love.” When asked what exactly she loves about teaching
Kindermusik, she says with a big smile, “It feels like a beautiful, happy bubble
of joy. No matter what’s happening outside in the world, in here its good.” She
also loves that the classes give families extra help and ideas of how to engage
their children in music. Classes are offered for ages infant to 7 years and Birch
says that many students, by the time they leave the program at age 7, can read and
write basic music in treble clef and discern different types of music. Many can
also play simple music on glockenspiel (pre-keyboard), string and wind instruments,
which can help the parents and child focus on what musical instrument suits them
best for future lessons.
What has Birch learned most over the last seven years? “I understand better about
different learning styles. Some children take longer to process. Some are outgoing,
others very shy. I try to encourage each of them and watch for what sparks their
interest. Sometimes I try to give the caregiver some ideas of how to encourage them
at home as well.”
Obviously Birch is doing something right, because her Kindermusik studio has now
earned the rank of “Maestro Conductor’s Circle” which means that they are in the
top 1% of Kindermusik studios in the entire world. This ranking is based on the
number of students, but as Birch points out, the parents wouldn’t bring their children
back or refer others to the program if it wasn’t a success. And even though the
prepared curriculum is very well written, it still takes a lot of work for Birch
to adapt lessons and activities to the different dynamics of each class. Some are
bigger, or more energetic. The baby and toddler classes have caregivers involved
the entire time, whereas older students spend the first half of class without their
parents.
It is obvious Birch loves working with these children. She takes every potty break
in stride, and makes sure everyone has a turn. When one child interrupts her to
point out that “Amsterdam” sounds like “hampster” she simply smiles and says that
maybe it will help him remember the name. And she shows just as much interest in
the child that tells her about his Hatch and Grow Dinosaur, as the girl who wants
to show how she plays her violin. As all the children leave, this “happy bubble
of joy” feels a little empty. But another class is due in an hour, and it will again
be filled with happy songs.
For information about Kindermusik classes you may contact Teresa Birch at 509-456-3559,
or
www.kindermusikfun.net