Welcome in the holiday season by coming out and listening to the Rock Bands on the main stage at the Festival of Lights. This is located at the beautiful Desert Foothills Park. There are no tickets to the Kick-Off Party — admission is free. Come and enjoy the festivities.
Location: Desert Foothills Park in Ahwatukee, Main Stage
When: Sat, Nov. 26th from 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Our Rock bands will be playing a holiday concert at Club Red this December, 2011
Time: Sunday, December 18 · 4:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Club Red
2155 East University Dr
Tempe, AZ
Cost: 10.00 pre-sale, $12.00 at the door
Music Makers Presents a Holiday Concert Bash!
come check out all our bands perform in the final show of the Fall Tour!
Rock, Ska, Punk, Hard Rock, and Alternative style bands performing.
Also note a special guest Headliner! TBA
If you woudl like a studio quality copy of this live performance, please let us know. The CD will have 3 songs per band professionally mixed and mastered.
Each Kindermusik class is a world of musical discovery and adventure. In every class, you’ll witness in children a developmental evolution in:
Language skills
Literacy
Listening
Problem solving
Social skills
Self-esteem
Musicality
Do you want a nurturing environment full of energy, imagination, music, dancing, and playful delight for your child?
Kindermusik provides the time and tools to bring the power of and music into your family. As the world’s leading publisher of music and movement classes for parents and their children, ages newborn to 7 years old We’re in the business of changing the world one child at a time.
Fall 2011 openings in Kindermusik Classes: Tuesday Our Time class @ 9:30-10:15 and Thursday @ 9:00- 10:30 (ages 18 mo – 3 years), Village Class on Friday @ 11:00- 11:45 (babies) and Imagine That Classes on Thursday morning from 10:00-Noon or Friday afternoon from 12:30-2:30 p.m. (ages 3-5). Imagine That Classes are 2 hours long and a drop off program. Go enjoy your morning or afternoon while your child has a fun time at Kindermusik!
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Our Goal: Music Maker Workshops is a team of educators whose goal is to provide quality music lessons for all ages. In addition we want to provide lessons that develop the intelligence.
Research: Music plays a significant role in developing spatial-temporal reasoning. Spatial-temporal reasoning is mental imaging, which is the ability to see and manipulate pictures and patterns in your mind. It is crucial for success in math and science and the educational implications are profound. For example, with children, in one preschool study, “those who had received the music training increased their spatial-temporal reasoning by an impressive 46 percent” (Habermeyer, 15). Gordon Shaw, Ph. D. reports in his research that children in music training scored significantly higher in spatial-temporal reasoning tests, and that the effect of music on higher brain function was lasting days, not seconds, meeting the tests where one could postulate the changes taking place were permanent, long-term changes.
Spatial-temporal reasoning uses a different process to solve problems than the more commonly recognized language-analytical approach. In a study in 1988 conduct by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, fourteen year-olds were tested for science proficiency. Hungry, Japan, and the Netherlands were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively. The United States placed 14th out of the 17 countries. The distinguishing element the successful countries was music. The Hungarians, for example, weave music into the curriculum from kindergarten through high school because of the close correlation between music, math and science (Habermeyer, 127-130).
Studies also show that music influenced some of our great scientists. “Einstein explained that music was in some ways an extension of his thinking processes, a method of allowing the subconscious to solve tricky problems. ‘Whenever he felt that he had come to the end of the road or into a difficult situation in his work, ‘ his eldest son has said, ‘he would take refuge in music, and that would usually resolve all his difficulties;.” (Shaw, 7) Music seems to be a kind of universal language with lasting implications on the way we think, reason, and create.
There are too many studies to quote in this paper, but the mounting evidence on the role of music in the developing intelligence of children is enough to get anyone’s attention. Source Material:
Habermeyer, Sharlene, Good Music Brighter Children, Prima Publishing, 1999.
Shaw, Gordon L., Ph. D., Keeping Mozart in Mind, Academic Press, 2000.
Dr. Frances Rauscher’s research: www.amc-music.com/brain.html
Posted: Saturday, April 9, 2011 7:00 pm | Updated: 5:02 pm, Fri Apr 8, 2011.
By Erin Sullivan Special to AFN | 0 comments
Music Maker Workshops in Ahwatukee Foothills is offering an array of summer camps for kids interested in experimenting with music.
Four of the six camps offered are split into two sessions, one in June and the other in July. Each camp is four days long.
Music for Little Mozarts and themed Kindermusick camps are offered for 3- to 6-year-olds. Little Mozarts is $50 while Kindermusick is $75.
Signing up for a combination of Little Mozarts and Kindermusick costs $99 before May 1; after that date it costs $125.
The rest of the camps follow the same early registration discount rules with the exception of one. Before May 1, camps cost $99; after they cost $125.
Music Maker hosts camps over all major calendar breaks. This includes winter, spring and summer.
Matthew Cox, an instructor at the studio, teaches sax, drums and piano at the camps, as well as year-round lessons.
“Camps are good for testing the waters,” he said. “Plus, it’s fun.”
Cox explained the broad skills students acquire because they can try out a few new instruments.
Music Maker camps have made a positive impact on Hannah Witt, 10, who started taking drum lessons after she tested them out at one of last year’s summer camps.
During this year’s spring camp, Witt tried voice and violin in addition to her love of playing the drums.
“You need to go to Music Maker,” Witt said to her friends after attending her first camp. “A lot of people like it.”
Witt’s older sister, Haley, also took advantage of the camps and has played guitar ever since.
Haley, 12, experimented with violin and voice during the spring camp this year, saying that it was easier to pick up more instruments than it was when she first started playing guitar.
“Getting a head start now really helps,” she said of the importance of music in her life. “Pick one up now and advance your skills over time.”
Tristyn Dewarrat, 9, enjoys playing the drums at Music Maker’s camps. He has also tried guitar, piano and voice.
“I just tried (the drums) and I already made a beat,” he said with a smile.
Dewarrat is interested in taking his drumming skills to the Rock Band program at Music Maker.
“Students respond positively to the activities we do,” Cox said, adding that he often hears them in the halls of the studio discussing their favorite instruments.
Students often come back into the lesson rooms during their snack breaks in order to practice more, he said.
More camp information can be found at www.musicmakerworkshops.com. Contact Music Maker, 3233 E. Chandler Blvd., at (480) 706-1224.
• Erin Sullivan is interning this semester for the Ahwatukee Foothills News. She is a junior at Arizona State University.
By Krystin Wiggs Ahwatukee Foothills News |0 comments
What comes first, a baby’s first steps or a baby’s first song?
According to Kim Steedman, a Kindermusik teacher at Music Maker Workshops, enrolling babies in music classes can actually help them develop their motor skills and strength to prepare them for walking.
“For my own children, their language and cognitive thinking were developed through music,” Steedman said. “When infants learn to make steady beats and rhythms, simple things like cutting with scissors become easier.”
Click here to see a slideshow of the young musicians. Steedman’s daughter has found success in math at school, and Steedman believes there is a direct correlation between her daughter’s math and music skills.
“My daughter is 8 years old, and she has started doing incredible math and been admitted to the gifted program at school,” she said. “Math and music have a great relation.”
Beginning on Jan. 12, Music Maker Workshops will offer morning Kindermusik and Music for Little Mozarts classes. The Music for Little Mozarts program is designed for children ages 3 through 5, and the Kindermusik program is appropriate for babies through age 5.
“The children come and sing and dance, and learn steady beats and rhythm,” Steedman said. “They learn to appreciate music and care for instruments.”
Music for Little Mozarts allows children the ability to go more in depth with the piano than Kindermusik.
“The students learn how to appreciate music with Kindermusik, and they learn how to play the piano in the Little Mozart programs,” Steedman said. “They learn the patterning of the piano, and how to read the notes.”
Kindermusik is an international award-winning program that is taught all over the world and Steedman is a licensed Kindermusik practitioner. Parents or caregivers are invited to attend the Kindermusik classes with their children and learn along with them.
“Parents are encouraged to take what they learn home and sing and play music with their children,” she said. “A home kit is provided to parents so that they can work with their children at home. They can expose their children every day to music if they want to.”
Kindermusik and Little Mozarts classes both start the second week of January. Classes at Music Maker Workshops are extremely small with three students to one teacher.
“We let the students move at their own pace,” Steedman said. “Some children are on the same song for a long time, but they grasp the concepts of soft and loud, as well as different beats.”
Steedman has been teaching Kindermusik for five years, and she has enjoyed watching her students grow over the years.
“Children are like sponges, and they absorb everything you say,” she said. “I have developed these great relationships with children who are now getting older, and it’s so exciting to see their minds begin to work. It’s the best job in the world.”
Music Maker Workshops is located at 3233 E. Chandler Blvd. in Ahwatukee Foothills. To find out class times and prices, call (480) 706-1224 or visitwww.musicmakerworkshops.com.
ByErin Sullivan Special to AFN | 0 comments
Music Maker Workshops has flourished for 14 years in Ahwatukee Foothills as a true family business that continues to expand.
Since its initial establishment, it has evolved into more than a studio meant solely for private lessons. It now serves as a place for music lovers of all ages to participate in programs that suit them.
Kindermusik classes are available for infants and toddlers, while music therapy and themed birthday parties are also offered.
“We have been developing things as we see a need for them,” owner and founder Beverly Bigam said.
The most recent addition to their program list is the adult Rock Band, an extension of the Rock Band program for younger students.
“Adults have expressed an interest, too, in getting together and jamming,” Bigam said.
Rock Band was developed to give experienced students an opportunity to try out their skills in a group setting. Bigam said that after a few years of private lessons, students tend to get bored and Rock Band lends them a more affordable group option of trying something new.
The bands perform at venues that Music Maker books for them. The youth Rock Band groups range from 9 to 11 year olds.
Michael Polenick, a third-year guitar student at Music Maker, started playing in Rock Band about a year ago.
“It’s a good experience to have,” the 14-year old said. “We’ve done the Festival of Lights and Hard Rock Café.”
Bigam also organizes recitals every year to give students a chance to perform and feel good about themselves.
“We like to show them off,” she said. “They inspire everybody.”
Eric Peterson, 11, started playing piano in second grade and has been a feature performer at Music Maker recitals. He is a triplet, and explained that when one of his sisters started playing piano in first grade, he would sit in the waiting room. He figured that instead of waiting, “Why not just play?”
“Piano is a big thing in learning,” Peterson said. “After a hard day, it’s good to come here and let it out.”
Bigam agreed and finds that “when they come in, they’re sort of immersed in (music) and I think it’s really, really healthy.”
Music Maker also hosts camps over school breaks for those who want to try up to three different instruments. An upcoming music camp will be March 14-17 from 9 a.m. to noon.
“The future is bright because music is such a demand,” Bigam said. “As long as we have good programs and good teachers I think the future is good.”
Music Maker has been successful because it meets these goals. They have more than 500 students currently enrolled and an impressive list of 22 teachers.
“I believe in hiring a good staff because you’re only as good as your teachers,” Bigam said.
And Bigam’s dedication to being the best has paid off.
“Mostly all of our advertising is just people telling people,” she said.
The business’ growing popularity could not have been possible without the support of her family during the first years of Music Maker, as well as their continued involvement throughout the years.
“It’s a total family business,” she said.
Bigam’s first love has always been piano but, initially, she chose nursing as a career. While she was raising her children, she began teaching at schools, taught private lessons and played at funerals and weddings.
These side projects soon fueled her ambition to return to working with children. This time, she wanted to include all instruments, not just piano.
Fourteen years ago, Bigam established Music Maker and taught her own curriculum out of Piano Warehouse in Ahwatukee. Six years ago she moved to the current Music Maker location at 3233 E. Chandler Blvd.
Upon opening Music Maker to its present location, Bigam approached her two daughters and husband for assistance in the studio. Her daughter, Kim, started Kindermusik and remains very involved with the program. Her other daughter, Shelley, worked with Music for Little Mozart and is in charge of Rock Band, as well as the website and advertising for Music Maker.
For more information on Music Maker, call them at (480) 706-1224 or visitwww.musicmakerworkshops.com.
• Erin Sullivan is interning this semester for the Ahwatukee Foothills News. She is a junior at Arizona State University.
http://www.ahwatukee.com/community_focus/article_6b9939f2-4e49-11e0-b8c1-001cc4c03286.html
Fall Recitals are Scheduled for the weekend of November 18th-19th, 2011
Who: Recitals are open to all participating students at the studio. All Ages & All Ability Levels. We encourage beginners to participate too!
Piano, Voice, Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Cello, Drum, Guitar & Bass Students.
Expectations: Recital participants should be dressed appropriately for the stage. All participants can play one song and it should be memorized.
When: Recitals are scheduled for November 18th-19th
Length of Recital: A recital usually is 45 minutes long.
Sign up Date: Sign up starts 1 month before the scheduled recital. Parents can sign-up their child(ren) for one recital on the bulletin board at the studio. Each teacher is assigned specific recital times. You have the option to go to your child’s teacher’s time or any other time that is convenient. First come first serve. Please come into the studio or call the studio to sign up (480-706-1224) . Please note that this year we will not be issuing invitations.
Who can we Invite: Invite Friends & Family. There is no cost for family or guests. There are many seats available so invite as many people as you wish!
Cost: There is only a $15.00 fee for each
New String Group Classes are beginning the week of September 12th!
Group classes aren’t a substitute for individual lessons but they are highly recommended to enhance the budding musician in their preparation for ensemble playing.
Beginner Group is Wednesday @ 7:30-8:00 pm
Advanced Group is Monday @ 8:00-8:30 pm
Class only costs $25 a month.
