Take Note Studio Blog

  Love of music is a universal thing.  Whether we listen to music in the car, strum a guitar around the campfire, sing in a choir, or tickle the keys of a piano in our free time, we all enjoy music in some way. But did you know that music has the ability to enhance every part of our lives? It’s true — music has physical, mental, and emotional benefits. This is especially true when we learn to play an instrument. What’s more, when children learn an instrument at a young age, it can boost their development in a number of amazing ways. Here are just a few of the ways that learning to play a musical instrument can enhance your child’s life : 1. Improves Memory Skills Learning any new skill forms new neural pathways, keeping our brains healthy and agile. Learning to play an instrument is no exception.   Playing an instrument is to the brain what a total body workout is to the body . It uses every part of our brain, including our motor, auditory, and visual cortexes — important...

Music and play bring a lot of joyful fun to life — a good enough reason in itself to make sure we give our children plenty of time to play and fill their lives with opportunities to engage with music. But singing, dancing, playing instruments, listening to music, and playing with other children can do even more for our kids than help them have fun. In fact, music and play are vital to a child’s healthy development. Here are a few reasons why kids need music and play. Music Enhances Brain Development and Boosts School Readiness From swaying and bouncing as infants to making up songs as preschoolers to group singing or learning to play instruments in elementary school, music makes up a vital part of the way our children learn, grow, and develop. Numerous studies have shown the benefits that music plays in child development. For instance, a 5-year study done at the University of Southern California showed that childhood musical experiences can accelerate brain development. This was parti...

Summer means the end of school year routines and time to make fun summer plans! From beach days and picnics to ball games and family vacations, there’s so much to love about summer. As you’re making your summer plans, don’t forget to add summer music programs at Take Note Studio to your list!  Our summer programs offer your children a chance to learn through the arts while enjoying play time with their classmates. Here are 9 reasons to love Take Note Studio this summer! 1. Maintain a Comfortable, Predictable Routine All Summer Long Having a routine is valuable to you and your children. Children thrive within structure: a routine gives them a sense of security and helps remove the fear of the unknown. And when they feel secure, kids are more free to think, feel, and be creative. A routine establishes a sense of consistency and gives kids (and parents) something to look forward to. It also offers parents and children opportunities to connect throughout the week. Whether it’s enjoying...

  As you well know, the past year has been difficult for our children in so many ways . With social distancing, less time in childcare, and less time playing with other kids, our children have not only experienced social isolation and loneliness, but have missed out on opportunities for cognitive and social development as well. Without the stimulation they would normally get outside the home, children can experience developmental delays, such as delays in speech and language, as well as trouble sharing and being in groups. Socialization is crucial not only to a child’s happiness, but to their healthy development as well. Adverse Life Events Can Have Long-Term Effects on Child Development Many studies show that adverse life events early in a child’s life (also known as Adverse Child Experiences ) can negatively impact their health and development. These events can include any negative or potentially traumatic experience. Adverse life events in childhood can be detrimental to brain d...

My family is still virtual everything, for the time being. Being home as much as we are, the hours slip like sand through my fingers.  What's fun about it is the opendedness -- sure we can watch a movie at 7:30 am! What’s maddening about it is the open endedness -- wait we’ve finished an entire movie and it’s only 9 in the morning? This year has required me to be in charge of my family's schedule in a way I never anticipated, and in order to refocus I read this quote from one of my favorite authors, Matt Haig: “Be curious. Get outside. Go to bed on time, some of the time. Drink water. Breathe from your diaphragm. Eat broccoli. Eat chocolate. Get a routine baggy enough to live in.”  A practice I’ve started during the pandemic is, every morning I write down one small promise I will keep that day.  Most days it looks like “I will do 10 minutes of yoga,” or “I will take a walk around the block by myself,” or “I will meditate for 5 minutes,” and it NEVER looks like “I wi...

If you are reading this, you’re probably a Take Note Studio family, and you probably already understand the value of what our studio offers your family and child.  As a studio parent myself, I love the way Kindermusik fosters creative play and introduces foundational music skills to my four year old. I love how, while we are mostly homebound during the pandemic, my seven year old can log into Zoom and connect with familiar faces through songs and silly dances in Theatrical Singers.  I love that maintaining connection with the families we have met at the studio feels effortless because music is our common bond.  As our kids grow and their schedules fill up, it's hard to prioritize the endless activities and experiences available to them.  There are so many fun things to do!  Not all activities are created equal, though.  Much like when we plan meals for our kids, we offer them a wide variety of nourishing foods to keep them healthy and growing -- some childh...

  Welcome back, Take Note Studio families! Whether you are learning virtually or in the studio, we are so happy to be together again!  Do you remember back in March when we thought sheltering in place for 14 days would defeat Covid and get us back to normal?  HAAAAAAAA. How's your normal looking this year?  Our studio staff is with you; we have our own children from baby on up to adult and we are all navigating the best way to keep ourselves healthy (and sane) as we prepare our minds and bodies for more structured learning this fall.  It’s been helpful for me to talk with others in our community to see how this transition is going for them. No matter the educational/work/daycare model you have, this fall is drastically different for everyone, and if you’re anything like me, it can leave you feeling unsure and overwhelmed.  Talking with the Take Note staff about their struggles and successes has been so refreshing -- I didn’t realize how valuable the small t...

I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid, there was clearly a right and a wrong way to do school.  The right way involved sitting still, listening to the teacher, and more often than not, being rewarded for reaching the “right” answer.  The wrong way looked like disruption, wiggling, and feeling the resentment of peers as the teacher had to, once again, address interruption of everyone else’s learning.