I came across this quote from Doug Floyd today, “You don’t get harmony when everybody sings the same note.”

I’ve been thinking about the delightful repertoire of harmonies we sing together in our classes and how each voice contributes such breadth and depth to the melody.  It is just SO MUCH FUN learning together!

A good book that I’d recommend adding to your summer (adult) reading list: MIND IN THE MAKING: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. It was written by a long time faculty member of the Bank Street College of Education, Ellen Galinsky.

Ellen Galinsky is a leading authority on work-family issues and a former president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (the largest professional group of early childhood educators). One of her many activities as codirector of WHEN WORK WORKS–a project on workplace flexibility and effectiveness–has led to insightful research on how to best meet the needs for today’s family members.  Learning and adapting to each other’s needs is crucial for today’s young families.

In her book MIND IN THE MAKING, Galinsky explores the “essential life skills” that children need to achieve their full potential, take on life’s challenges, communicate well with others, and remain committed to learning. Those life skills are:

Focus and self control

Perspective taking

Communicating

Making connections

Critical thinking

Taking on challenges

Self-directed, engaged learning

These life skills are consistently put into practice during our weekly music classes together as parents and children ages 0-5 are learning alongside one another making beautiful harmony.  We, at Learning World, encourage you to join our Saturday morning classes this Fall, 2015. A free demonstration class will be on August 29, 2015 at  Faith DesPeres Presbyterian Church-11155 Clayton Road, St. Louis, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Come and join our circle of friendship, fun, and harmony in the making!