Let’s talk PRESENCE. Life is busy, especially during the holidays. While we are in the same space as our children, you might find your mind is in a million other places. Taking some time to be mindful with our children, allows us to focus on the present moment only and not on things that have happened or things that are going to happen. When we are fully present with our children, they learn from us. When we are fully present, our children feel seen, heard, important and special.

How do we do this?
1. Slow down and just take in the present moment through all of your senses.
2. Observe your child without agenda. Simply watching and observing all the amazingness that is your child, will slow your mind down from expectation and future planning.
3. Sing a song. Music is a magical tool that naturally brings presence. It’s very hard to sing a song and think of much else in that moment!
4. Dance together. Moving with baby reduces stress and calms baby down. It also will calm your mind.
5. Come to Kindermusik! Well of course we are going to say that. Hee hee. But seriously, it’s very hard to come to Kindermusik and NOT be present because we do all of the above in class. We slow down, observe, sing and dance. Amazing! That 45 minutes each week is worth SO MUCH for learning, bonding, presence and mindfulness. Give it a try.

Happy Holidays!
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School Year 2022 – 2023 in-person and virtual classes registration is ongoing until May. We know you’ll find an option that will be the perfect learning experience for your child (or YOU, hint hint, private lessons…). Have questions? Just contact us.

We are currently offering in-person $5 preview class opportunities for our baby, young toddler and toddler music classes as well as a full preview week for $5 for virtual classes. Give Kindermusik a try! In-Person Central Florida Kindermusik classes held in Orlando and Volusia at UCF/Oviedo, Winter Park, Baldwin Park, Lake Nona, Winter Garden and Port Orange.

Holly Lesnick is owner/director of Grow and Sing Studios, an award winning Kindermusik accredited program. She is a proud mother of two amazing kids, music therapist and Kindermusik University Coach for Kindermusik Internation Corporate. 

We are back in person which has been SO amazing! The connections, the smiles… it’s something we missed so much during our almost 18 months of being only virtual. Being in person with Kindermusik comes with some common questions from parents.  These are questions we haven’t answered in a while, so we wanted to revisit this topic and see if we can reassure you that your child is thriving no matter their learning style.

Whether you are in our Kindermusik classes, another parent child class, or even getting back out there with playdates and social opportunities, you may be noticing that your child isn’t instantly jumping right in, or seemingly excited to be there. However, what you see on the surface many not be the entire story.

Children learn in so many different ways. Some learn by listening (auditory), some learn by moving (kinesthetic), and some learn by touch (tactile). Some children, especially in new environments may appear disinterested, when in reality, they might just be processing. Many times parents interpret this passive learning as their children not liking the class, activity, or experience. This might not be the case at all. In fact, when you go home, or when class ends and your child is back in their safe place, they might start showing you all that they learned. It’s quite amazing to see!

The best learning experiences are those that integrate the senses, learning domains, developmental needs, and interests of the child. For example, a great integrated activity might involve singing, language, imagination, listening, creativity, problem solving, and pretend play. This level of integration creates an optimal and meaningful learning environment for each child.

Preparing a safe and secure learning environment is a top priority. When in this type of environment, children are able to access the part of the brain which is responsible for learning and memory. With you by your child’s side, you are creating a safe, loving place to return to at any time.  The key is making exploring and socializing an option, but not judging how or when your child may integrate in. Inviting them to join and participate at whatever pace they need without expectation is the best gift you can give as you both return to these kinds of activities.

I hope this eases your mind as you head back to an in-person experience. Wishing you well.

School Year 2021 – 2022 in-person and virtual classes registration is ongoing. We know you’ll find an option that will be the perfect learning experience for your child (or YOU, hint hint, private lessons…). Have questions? Just contact us.

We are currently offering in-person preview class opportunities for our baby, young toddler and toddler music classes as well as a full preview week for our virtual classes. Give Kindermusik a try! In-Person Central Florida Kindermusik classes held in Orlando and Volusia at UCF/Oviedo, Winter Park, Lake Nona, Winter Garden and Port Orange.

Holly Lesnick is owner/director of Grow and Sing Studios, an award winning Kindermusik accredited program. She is a music therapist, and proud mother of two.

A Monday reflection from Owner/Director and Mompreneur Holly Lesnick:

I’m often asked how I can do so much or be so busy. How do I do it? How do I manage?

I usually just respond with “I’m not sure, it just works.”

But I’ve thought about it, and the truth to me is completely simple. First, let me explain for those that don’t know exactly what “so much” entails. I own Grow and Sing Studios. 13 years ago, after 2 years teaching Kindermusik for anther studio and as a music therapist on a break when my son was 6 weeks old, I created my studio which offered a very simple TWO Kindermusik classes per week total. I began this journey because I yearned for connections with other parents and through my first passion which is music it seemed like the obvious fit. I craved to be in a happy, smiley, positive place and so, I decided to create it for myself. At the time, my husband did wedding and event video – another happy, smiley, positive place as well. During the recession, his video business was affected, but somehow Grow and Sing Studios GREW. Not only grew, but won awards. Lots of awards. How is that? Through the years, I’ve added numerous locations and various classes, a wonderful staff, birthday parties, piano lessons, voice lessons… frankly the list is VERY long and could go on because not all things I tried, stuck. But, through it all, the goal was simple though I’m not sure I saw it yet. On the surface yes, it’s to earn more money and support my family. Of course that’s mission number one. It’s also to be the best I can be in my field. When I’m “in it” I’m trying to compete, be fierce, stay on the cutting edge of social media. It sometimes seems exhausting but my focus never wavers.

A few years ago we added our photo booth business. To some, this seemed REALLY random. To other’s their response was “here we go, Holly and Will are at it again”, but to the few who REALLY know me, it was, oh WOW this makes sense. Will missed his connections made when doing event video. He enjoys the excitement. I thrive on happy environments. What’s better to merge together than a photo booth business right? Each time I help Will with a photo booth job, one thing just screams out loud to me. Something that happens in every Kindermusik class, every birthday party, every staff meeting I lead, and every photo booth gig we do. LAUGHTER. Let me tell you, the LAUGHTER that spills out of that photo booth is contagious. It’s incredible. Seriously. If you are ever nearby a photo booth. Just go stand near it and listen. I PROMISE your day will become brighter.

On top of all of that, two and half years ago, I accepted a part time contract position with Kindermusik International as a Kindermusik University Coach. My task is to lead KU students through online business AND pedagogy courses, a 3 day face to face conference, and through a vigorous 1 month practicum to ultimately send them into their own journey of starting a Kindermusik Studio. I have students all across sthe U.S. and even some in Canada and beyond. It’s so rewarding helping others achieve their dream. While along the way there is a lot of fun, laughter and I get to work with some amazing Kindermusik professionals that are also part of the KU training team.

I feel like this is becoming a review of my resume. But ultimately, it’s just an explanation of how I do “so much”.

In the end, the most important job of all is being a mother to Anna and Aiden. What a journey parenting is. Oh the laughter. Oh the teenage angst.

Okay, so what do I thrive on, and keep adding to my life and career? LAUGHTER. SMILES. CONNECTIONS. I finally figured it out. It’s the constant guarantee in life full of variables. Is life an experiment? Well yes, we are always trying new things, testing the waters, figuring it out. But I’m starting to realize that if you can find your constant that makes you the happiest, you WILL succeed. And so, I finally figured it out. HAPPINESS is my dream. LAUGHTER is what I long for, and what I strive for each and every day.

May your week bring you much happiness, peace, success and many giggles.

Thanks for reading.

Holly Lesnick is a Licensed Kindermusik Educator and Studio owner at Grow and Sing Studios, a Bachelor of Music Therapy, mom of 2 and in September will celebrate 20 years of marriage with her husband Will. 

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I woke up this fine Tuesday morning, after a nice Labor Day weekend with my family thinking about all the emails and messages I need to reply to. I’m so excited that many parents are investigating a musical experience for their child and themselves. It’s great. However, in reading these emails I am noticing a lot of the following.

“My son loves music.”

“My daughter loves to sing.”

“My child is always dancing.”

or on the flipside:

“I want to try to see if my newborn likes it.”

“I’m not sure my toddler will like music.”

I am not surprised at all to hear that a child loves music and that they like to sing and dance. It’s play, and it’s a child’s work to play.

However, I am surprised to hear that parents of small children want to try music to see if their child likes it.

Who doesn’t like music?

That is the question I asked myself this morning.

Did you know a study by Nielsen Music in 2017 reported that the average American listens to music 32 hours a week? That’s on AVERAGE. That’s a LOT of hours. Music is all around us. It’s in the background in the movies and shows we watch. It’s on in the background while we are doing work. It’s playing in the car. It’s playing in the grocery store. It’s everywhere.

Why?

Honestly, as a music therapist, I could go on all day on the healing elements of music. But I’ll give you a little list today that might help explain WHY your child loves music. Why YOU love music. Why music is everywhere.

First, music can improve cognitive function. Music ignites all areas of the brain. It lights it up, helps those connections, well connect. When parents say their child loves music I always think “of course he does”, because his brain is excited and it’s connecting through music in a way no other thing on earth could ever do. Music is rhythm and almost every function of daily living requires some rhythm. Walking, talking, writing, typing, running, throwing, kicking. All of it.

Another reason we love music is that it relaxes us. It’s scientifically proven that music reduces stress. By listening to music, the nervous system calms and recovers quickly from the many stressors in life. This is why in our classes, we work on the learned skill of relaxation while listening to music. We are teaching children early on to help their body calm and recover.

Have you ever tried to memorize something, and it just wasn’t sticking? But then, when you put the information into a song, or a rhyme, voila, you remembered? That’s because music has been proven to improve memory. Could it have something to do with the fact that our hearts have beats so we have an innate NEED for music and rhythm in our bodies and brains? I think so.

Music is also a great tool for managing pain, boosting mood, reducing depression and improving sleep. Who doesn’t like that?

I’m excited to reply to these parents who are in tune with the fact their children love music. However, in the future, I would love to get messages that read something like this:

“I know that music is one of the most important aspects of life. I’m ready to learn the many ways music benefits my baby, and what I can do at home when we aren’t in class”.

To everyone out there, I assure you, your baby will love it. After 15 years of teaching Kindermusik, I haven’t met a baby yet that hasn’t liked music.

Happy singing!

Holly Lesnick is a Licensed Kindermusik Educator and Studio owner at Grow and Sing Studios, a Bachelor of Music Therapy, mom of 2 and in September will celebrate 20 years of marriage with her husband Will.