By John M. Ortiz, PH.D
This book is designed as a hands-on, practical guide that parents can turn to when searching for creative alternatives to nurture their children. The purpose of this book is to provide a guide through which parents and other caregivers can more effectively nurture their children by raising, or cultivating, their sound awareness.
John M. Ortiz is a licensed psychologist who uses sound awareness and music to help his clients and their families.
There are great exercises for raising musical awareness in infants, using music to help toddlers and preschoolers develop their language skills, teaching children to listen, using music to create relaxation and calmness as well as to stimulate our children and get them moving.
The author presents a variety of opportunities for parents to bond with their children. His main purpose is to help families connect with one another, create memories, and maintain happy, relaxed and productive home environments.
Showing posts with label Book Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Reviews. Show all posts
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
"Music has the Power to Change Us."
Book Review: Good Music Brighter Children, by Sharlene Habermeyer
In the book, Good Music Brighter Children, Sharlene Habermeyer explores the scientific research on the effects music has on the brain, how to set the tone with music in your home, being an advocate for music education in our schools and then lists great resources for exposing great music and musical experiences to our children.
Introducing children to good music can:
Did you know: "Scientists have found that music involves both left, right, front, and back portions of the brain, which explains why people can learn and retain information more readily when it is set to music." Children learn better with music. We have seen that with how quickly little children can learn nursery rhymes and their ABC's set to music.
Did you know: "When children expend the consistent effort required to learn a musical instrument, they discover that the discipline of this day-to-day task will affect how they approach their other responsibilities in life, such as the effort they put into their school studies or the degree of diligence they give to the development of other talents."
Did you know: "Listening to classical music can increase memory and concentration, and studying a musical instrument has been shown to increase spatial reasoning."
Did you know: "Additionally, studying a musical instrument helps develop imagination, invention, creative thinking, communication, and teamwork skills - precisely those attributes needed for a twenty-first century global work force."
Music education develops creativity, critical thinking skills and leadership qualitities needed in today's technological society. Hungary, Japan and the Netherlands have come out on top for science proficiency of their students. What do these countries offer in their schools that we don't? For one thing - training in music and the arts!
There are many ways to expose our children to music. Starting before birth, we can play different types of music in our homes. We can enroll our children in music classes even before they are ready to learn an instrument. Then when they are old enough, about 5-7 years old, we can give them instruction on learning a specific instrument. We can also expose them to ballets, operas, orchestras and concerts. There are always free or low cost activities in the community or we can play great CD's and watch DVD's. Habermeyer lists her favorite resources for you to find at the library or music store.
"Music whispers to us dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence and whereto." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
In the book, Good Music Brighter Children, Sharlene Habermeyer explores the scientific research on the effects music has on the brain, how to set the tone with music in your home, being an advocate for music education in our schools and then lists great resources for exposing great music and musical experiences to our children.
Introducing children to good music can:
- Accelerate language development
- Improve math and science skills
- Enhance physical coordination
- Strengthen memeory and reading retention
- Benefit children with learning diabilities
Did you know: "Scientists have found that music involves both left, right, front, and back portions of the brain, which explains why people can learn and retain information more readily when it is set to music." Children learn better with music. We have seen that with how quickly little children can learn nursery rhymes and their ABC's set to music.
Did you know: "When children expend the consistent effort required to learn a musical instrument, they discover that the discipline of this day-to-day task will affect how they approach their other responsibilities in life, such as the effort they put into their school studies or the degree of diligence they give to the development of other talents."
Did you know: "Listening to classical music can increase memory and concentration, and studying a musical instrument has been shown to increase spatial reasoning."
Did you know: "Additionally, studying a musical instrument helps develop imagination, invention, creative thinking, communication, and teamwork skills - precisely those attributes needed for a twenty-first century global work force."
Music education develops creativity, critical thinking skills and leadership qualitities needed in today's technological society. Hungary, Japan and the Netherlands have come out on top for science proficiency of their students. What do these countries offer in their schools that we don't? For one thing - training in music and the arts!
There are many ways to expose our children to music. Starting before birth, we can play different types of music in our homes. We can enroll our children in music classes even before they are ready to learn an instrument. Then when they are old enough, about 5-7 years old, we can give them instruction on learning a specific instrument. We can also expose them to ballets, operas, orchestras and concerts. There are always free or low cost activities in the community or we can play great CD's and watch DVD's. Habermeyer lists her favorite resources for you to find at the library or music store.
"Music whispers to us dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence and whereto." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Book Review: Nurtured by Love a New Approach to Education by Shinichi Suzuki
"Talent is not inherited or inborn but trained and educated. Genius is an honorific name given to those who are brought up and trained to high ability."
Nurtured by Love is part biography and part education philosophy. It tells of how Suzuki developed his education philosophy from his birth in Japan, growing up in his father's violin factory, teaching himself to play the violin at 17 years of age, studying the violin in Berlin for 8 years and being mentored by great men such as Einstein and finally returning to Japan to begin his own teaching career and stumbling upon his method of teaching little children to play the violin. He believes all children are born with music ability just as they are born with the ability to learn their native language. Children should learn everything, including music, in the same way-naturally, step by step.
The goal of the Suzuki's Talent Education method is to prepare children to be noble men and women who have good and loving hearts. He states, "A true artist is a person with beautiful and fine feelings, thoughts and actions."
"Talent is no accident of birth.
In today's society a good many people seem to have the idea that if one is born without talent, there is nothing one can do about it, and they simply resign themselves to what they consider to be their fate. Consequently they go through life without living it to the full or ever knowing life's true joy. That is man's greatest tragedy."
Learning a musical instrument is hard work and requires discipline and time. But everyone can learn and develop their musical potential. Suzuki believed everyone learns at a different pace and one child might need to practice 5,000 times before he can play a certain piece. The next child might need to practice 15,000 times before he can play the same piece. But all children can learn and achieve.
One thing that is evident reading Nurtured by Love is that Suzuki had a great love for children and his love inspired children to grow and be the best they could be. As parents and teachers, we can inspire our children to grow and reach their potential by believing in them, encouraging them and loving them.
Nurtured by Love is part biography and part education philosophy. It tells of how Suzuki developed his education philosophy from his birth in Japan, growing up in his father's violin factory, teaching himself to play the violin at 17 years of age, studying the violin in Berlin for 8 years and being mentored by great men such as Einstein and finally returning to Japan to begin his own teaching career and stumbling upon his method of teaching little children to play the violin. He believes all children are born with music ability just as they are born with the ability to learn their native language. Children should learn everything, including music, in the same way-naturally, step by step.
The goal of the Suzuki's Talent Education method is to prepare children to be noble men and women who have good and loving hearts. He states, "A true artist is a person with beautiful and fine feelings, thoughts and actions."
"Talent is no accident of birth.
In today's society a good many people seem to have the idea that if one is born without talent, there is nothing one can do about it, and they simply resign themselves to what they consider to be their fate. Consequently they go through life without living it to the full or ever knowing life's true joy. That is man's greatest tragedy."
Learning a musical instrument is hard work and requires discipline and time. But everyone can learn and develop their musical potential. Suzuki believed everyone learns at a different pace and one child might need to practice 5,000 times before he can play a certain piece. The next child might need to practice 15,000 times before he can play the same piece. But all children can learn and achieve.
One thing that is evident reading Nurtured by Love is that Suzuki had a great love for children and his love inspired children to grow and be the best they could be. As parents and teachers, we can inspire our children to grow and reach their potential by believing in them, encouraging them and loving them.
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