Newsletters

Fall Newsletter to Music Makers Families:

Holiday greetings to everyone! I have enjoyed meeting so many new families, welcoming back returning students and teaching music to your children which has been my delight! It is a wonderful experience to participate in the musical growth of your child. During the past session, we have covered several basic concepts of music:

1) Pitch - High/Low through association with Treble Clef and Bass Clef with vocal exercise games.

2) Music is Meaningful Written Language - Staff, Grand Staff, ta quarter note, ti eighth note, ti-ti, and Treble and Bass Clefs which we recognize visually and associate with concepts: e.g. ta quarter note has one beat, staff is the place we see notes, etc.

3) Tempo - Fast/Slow through Largo, Allegro and Presto, the three horses from our bouncy Horsey Ride called "Rodeo".

4) Dynamics - Loud/Soft - An important way to change the music when we sing and play our instruments.

5) Rhythm - It is the combination of sound and silence that creates rhythm. We have seen how much the children love the "stop" when we rock and stop! This creates focus and stimulates auditory perception.

6) Patterns - How sounds can be expressed through vocal and instrumental sequences, for example Call/Response "Hola" followed by "cha-cha-cha" or "Fire Engine Song": "...fi-re", then tapping response on instrument: "ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti".

7) Form - This gives us the structure of our songs, for example "Holiday Dance" in which we walk to the right, walk to the left, come to the center, back out, etc. Also, "Circle Around" where we change from a circle to a spiral formation and unwind into a circle again. Many of our songs give us a verse (A theme) and repeated chorus (B theme) structure. For example the form of "That's How a Puppet Grows" is ABABAB.

In the orchestra segment of our classes, children are progressively learning to make music in more thoughtful and deliberate ways which leads to the ability to keep a steady beat independently and naturally. I am very happy to be a part of building this important foundation in the musical development of your children. Thank you, grown-ups for your enthusiastic participation including singing aloud in classes which is the single most powerful encouragement for your child to learn to sing in tune. When your child is learning to play an instrument, singing on pitch is a built-in gauge to determine if the right notes were played. Your child may sing in tune easily from the get-go, or it may take a few years to get in tune. It really doesn't matter as long as the process is joyful and fun! Music Makers classes provide a non-judgmental supportive environment for everyone to participate and learn during this tremendous developmentally dynamic period in your child's life.

A special highlight of this session was Guest Musician Violinist, Suzanne Chittick, whose easy to understand manner was engaging to all of the children, and who gave us much musical delight when she played gypsy music on her violin! Students couldn't wait to get their hands on our 1/16, 1/8 and 1/4 size violins. In many of our classes she played violin/piano duets with our accompanists. Suzanne will return as Guest Musician on January 17, 18 and 23 so that everyone can benefit from her engaging violin presentation.

Musician of many talents, Bill Lippincott, who has written many of our Music Makers songs will be our Guest Musician introducing African Percussion from November 28 - December 2 and December 10. Bill is a very talented teacher and his presentations are informative, engaging to children and parents and very entertaining. We are thrilled to have this special week devoted to African Percussion with conga, djembe, rattles, bells and dancing, too!

It was great to see so many Music Makers at the Bay Area Discovery Museum Goblin Jamboree Concert. Bill Lippincott doubled on keyboards and saxophone and Mike Knapp played bass while Cindy sang and played our favorite Halloween songs on guitar. With our beautiful fall weather, everyone enjoyed this outdoor sing-along, complete with a spooky Halloween parade! Thank you for bringing healthy treats to all of our class Halloween parties. We stirred up lots of witches' brew and had such fun playing listening games with our little Halloween house. The children in their costumes were a wonderful sight, and we got some great photos, too!

This year's Lollipopalooza Kids Concert with Tim Cain, Miss Kitty, Christopher Smith and Cindy Cohen was another great show for kids and parents! Miss Kitty had all of the ballerinas in the crowd dancing...Tim Cain had all the doggies hoppin' up and down...Christopher Smith sang us such a beautiful "Golden Gate" song, we want to make it San Francisco's theme, and Cindy regressed into Halloween attire and affect with "Monster Day" while everyone sang in monster-talk. We opened the show with the "Lollipop, lollipop, whole lotta lolly-lolly...song" (apologies to the Chordettes) and ended with distributing real lollipops to all the kids! At the end of the concert, drummer Paul Johnson was nice enough to let kids sit at his drum set and wail away! Go for it, Philip! (Tuesday 9:15 AM student).

In case you missed the Lollipopalooza, our same band, called Dream Circle, will perform a Children's Winter Holiday Concert at the Showcase Theater in the Civic Center in San Rafael on December 13. The show includes Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanza and Chinese New Year songs. Please contact Youth In Arts directly for tickets and concert information.

We welcome Alla Artemova, our newest Saturday piano accompanist, who studied piano at the conservatory in Moscow and who teaches piano students privately. Alla's mother, an accomplished pianist as well, was her first teacher! We are fortunate to enjoy Alla's polished playing, and she is fascinated to see how young children have so much fun learning to play music in Music Makers classes.

Special thanks go to all of our talented piano accompanists and especially to Michael Knapp for bringing his cello and bass. It is amazing how Michael switches so deftly from piano to cello or to bass throughout our class orchestras!

Recent "Hit" Titles of Books We Have Read In Class:

Marc Brown's Play Pops Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, E.P. Dutton, 1989.
Black Cat White Cat A Pop Up Book of Opposites, Chuck Murphy, Little Simon, 1998.
What Makes Music?, Betty Ann Schwartz, Piggy Toes Press, 2001.
Mole Music, David McPhail, Henry Holt & Co., 1999.
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin, Lloyd Moss, Simon & Schuster, 1995.
The Orchestra, Dick Bruna, Price, Stern, Sloan, 1984.
Ten Dogs In the Window, Claire Masurel, North/South Books, 1997.
The Pumpkin Patch, Elizabeth King, Dutton Children's Books, N.Y., 1990.
Boo Who?, Joan Holub, Cartwheel Books, Scholastic Inc., 1997.
Big Pumpkin, Erica Silverman, Simon & Schuster, 1992.
Witches Four, Marc Brown, Parents Magazine Press, 1980.
The Witch's Hat, Tony Johnston, G. P. Putman's Sons, N.Y., 1991.
Where's the Halloween Treat? Harriet Ziefert, Puffin Books, 1985.
Over the River and Through the Woods, Norman Chartier, Simon & Schuster, 1987.
Giving Thanks, A Native American Good Morning Message, Chief Jake Swamp, Lee and Low Books, 1995.
What is Thanksgiving? Harriet Ziefert, Harper Collins, 1992.
Today is Monday, Eric Carle, Philomel Books, 1993.

Wendy, Mayumi, Michael and Alla join me in sending you our warmest wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving and musical holiday season and New Year!

Sincerely, Cindy Cohen

Join Marin's best loved kids entertainers and teachers of young children  

TIM CAIN, MISS KITTY, CHRISTOPHER SMITH, CINDY COHEN
and the LOLLIPOPALOOZA Band

for the 10th Annual LOLLIPOPALOOZA CONCERTS

at 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM

on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2008

240 Tiburon Blvd. (kitty corner from the Cove Shopping Center, corner Greenwood Cove) in Tiburon

Advance tickets $ 8 each - $ 10 at the door - Kids under 1 year free

Tickets available from Cindy Cohen 461-1066 or email cindy@music-makers.org

Tickets available from Miss Kitty 457-2576 or email judynee@comcast.net

Kids will be delighted to sing along with and dance to the best of the performers' songs filled with lots of clapping and tapping and sing-along fun!  Give the gift of music to your friends and families for Christmas or Chanukah.  All of the performers' recordings will be available for purchase following each concert.

Lots of fun for kids at the Music Makers Concert for Young Children with Cindy and Kevin performing in Gabrielson Park at the Sausalito Spring Faire

"Music Makers has been exposing Marin children to music for 17 years"
--DAMIEN ENGLISH
Editor, Marin Scope

Cindy Cohen is the director and founder of Music Makers, a music enrichment program for young children and parents founded in 1986. More than 3900 children in the Bay Area have benefited from Music Makers along with numerous parents who take part in the class with their kids. "I am committed to giving families a musical 'hand up', helping parents and caregivers guide young children to a musical means of self-expression and artistic growth," says Cohen.

Cohen started as an elementary school teacher and realized early on how powerful music was in motivating her students. She recalls bringing her guitar to her sixth grade class because its mere presence in the room would motivate her students to work hard. Cohen taught all subjects in elementary school and noticed music gave students a chance to shine who normally struggled with other subjects. "The school system is very slanted towards academics. Having the opportunity to bring music and arts to the classroom showed me teaching is more than the three R's," says Cohen.

In the late '80's, Cohen's friend Chris Cahill, who passed away several years ago, was running a program called Music Time in San Francisco. It was a play group for children with different mothers organizing an activity each week. It was suggested Cohen start Music Time in Marin. However, Cohen eventually decided to expand the program to include children who were not ready for technical musical instruction. Cohen explains, "When children are not ready for that type of instruction oftentimes they end up under the piano bench and not on it. Music Makers was a chance to include music into their lives without daily practice. It is not a teaching technique but an opportunity for the kids to fall in love with the sound."

Today, Music Makers has been up and running for more than 17 years, and Cohen teaches 29 classes a week. Each class Cohen teaches includes piano accompaniment by a staff of 4 talented and kid friendly pianists. The curriculum of the class addresses the musical interests and questions of children and parents, framed in a context consistent with how children learn.

"Cindy Cohen is a master teacher" --- Jackie Kudler, Marin poet

Cohen insists on parent participation in her classes. "I tell all adults up front the class is for them too. Music is very powerful in our lives and it can develop passion. It helps us to be alive in another way. Music allows for an intergenerational moment and creates a non-threatening environment," says Cohen.

Each class has a maximum of 10 students (18 months to 6 years old) and lasts 45 minutes. Cohen sees her classes as a "stepping stone to instrumental programs" and gradually introduces pieces of music theory throughout the course. "It provides young children and their accompanying parent or caregiver with engaging opportunities to grasp the elements of music such as pitch, tempo, rhythm, dynamics, duration, timbre, texture and form."

Jacqueline Kudler is a Sausalito resident, published poet, College of Marin instructor and Music Makers grandparent. Kudler says, "Cindy has the ability to impart very complex musical concepts to small children in the form of play, so that they become musically literate and enjoy themselves immensely at the same time. I had the pleasure of accompanying my granddaughter to Music Makers for two years, during which time I watched her joyously acquire a working knowledge of tempo and melody, as well as a repertoire of very favorite songs. Most miraculously, at my 'advanced' age, I realized that I was beginning to learn to read music for the first time alongside Sasha."

Class is also held on the weekends, providing an opportunity for parents busy during the week to take part as well. "On Saturdays, many kids are accompanied by their fathers, and it is their special shared weekly activity. Parents can reinforce and extend musical learning in the home when they have personally been involved in music making," says Cohen.

"I also bring in professional musicians who love to work with the kids," says Cohen. Guest artists bring violins, celli, harps, double basses, flutes, saxophones, clarinets, oboes, trombones, French horns. trumpets, xylophones, glockenspiels, timpani and drum sets to class to illustrate Western music.

Multicultural presentations include demonstrations of Balinese instruments for gamelan; East Indian music on sarod, tamboura, tabla and bansuri flute; Brazilian rhythms of capoeira on berimbau. ganza and tamborim; calypso music on steel drums; African rhythms on conga and talking drums; polka and European dance music on accordion; Aboriginal music on didgeridoo; Celtic music on hammered dulcimer and medieval music on vielle.

Maura Vaughn, director of drama at Branson school, says, "As an arts educator, I have seen many studies that link arts education in general and music education in particular with improved math and reasoning skills and higher test scores. The Music Makers approach builds confidence and the ability to work together, whether they're singing, listening to one of the professional guest musicians or making an orchestra of their own."

Cohen recently received the Spring 2003 Parent's Choice Award for her newest recording for children entitled "Proud of You". This award-winning album is her fourth installment of Cohen's recording career. With the help of her former accompanist Peter Penhallow, Cohen has put out three other children's sound recordings: "That's How a Puppet Grows", "Music Just For You and Me", and "Music 101 Fun For Kids". Music Makers is not a chain, franchise or "cookie cutter" program due to Cohen's ability to write her own material for the kids. Every class develops its own favorite repertoire of songs. Instrumental preference emerges as children are exposed to a wide variety of musicians and instruments.