I’m a Believer and There’s Nothing Quite Like It!

It was obvious that I believed in the power and importance of music when I chose to pursue music education as my profession, however…

I’m A Believer…Music for Babies
I’ve always been a believer, BUT I wasn’t quite sure what to expect the day I taught my first WeJoySing class of “wee one.”  I was a bit anxious because the youngest children I had taught were 5 years old.  This would be different, no doubt, and it was different, but it was FUN!  On my third day at one of our child care centers I had my first “ah-ha!” moment as I watched the little ones crawl and scoot towards me. They recognized me and my fun bag, full of instruments and manipulatives!  They joined me in celebrating the end of a song, bounced and danced as we sang, and clapped their hands joyously at the end of our time together.  Slowly, I was beginning to see firsthand the miraculous ways even infants learn and enjoy life through music.

I’m A Believer…Music a Key for the Hesitant
I’ve always been a believer, BUT now I’ve heard some of the most shy and timid 2 and 3-year-old children, sing tunefully with a smile across their face.  I’ve seen little ones play their drums right on beat and stop together, waiting and anticipating, celebrating their beautiful playing together.  I’ve witness a child, who has physical challenges, gallop correctly for the first time ever, as his classroom teachers cheered him on triumphantly.  

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I’m A Believer…Music for My Children
I’ve always been a believer, BUT then I watched my own boys, sing, dance, and play as we participated in our first WeJoySing classes.  I couldn’t stop smiling the first time my boys and I sat together with Mrs. Krista. I watched their smiles brighten as we walked towards their WeJoySing class and they realized where we were going. I’ve witnessed them singing and playing at home together.   

I’ve always been a believer, BUT then my 3-year-old started to sing and my 9 month old, began dancing in his high chair with his smile just beaming.  I’ve used the “toys away, toys away, time to put the toys away” song at home, silencing the whining and then celebrating with them, once we’ve finished! 

I’ve always been a believer in the power of music but now I’ve witnessed its’ power in my children’s lives and there’s nothing quite like it.

Joyful Believer!
Mrs. Kinsey

"Getting to Know You" - PART I

 "Getting to know you. Getting to know all about you!"  These familiar lyrics from "The King & I" are a great way to introduce  our newest WeJoySing Instructors.  Part I of "Getting to Know You" will feature Kristi Frazier. Her Granville and Childhood League children and families have already begun to bond and share together the delight of learning and growing through musical play.  Enjoy Part I as Kristi shares her life, family, love for education and music!  She writes:

I grew up in rural Knox County, outside of Gambier, Ohio on a small farm adjacent to my grandparents. I attended Mount Vernon City Schools for my education and obtained my first teaching job there in 2000 after attending OSU-Newark for my Masters in Education. My dream to work as a teacher started with a position as an itinerant preschool teacher where I traveled to pre-school facilities and homes to transition children from Help Me Grow to our District Special Education program. I then served as the teacher and director for our district special needs pre-school which was an incredible journey! I spent one year as a Kindergarten teacher, four years as a First-Grade teacher and four years as a Second-Grade teacher. Each grade level I taught brought about new discoveries about children at that age level and I loved it!

During my childhood, my mother made a point to get me in piano lessons, which I dreaded at the time, but am most grateful for now. I went on to play in the band; clarinet for concert season and trumpet for marching band season. My choral experiences started in the church setting, singing in children’s choirs, soloing and eventually leading the children’s choirs. Choir, praise band, local theater, and belting out songs in the car kept my musical skills fresh. When I taught in the public schools, music was a constant in my classroom, whether it was a transition song to get the kids to line up or the classical music I played for its calming effect; music was ever-present within my classrooms.

I lived in and taught in Mount Vernon for 11 years before meeting my husband-to-be. He owns a business in Pickerington, so Granville happened to be a great middle ground for both of us. Living just outside Granville makes access to the eastern outskirts of Columbus a breeze, while still providing us with the small-town feel. We currently live on 3 acres with about 2 of it under pasture. We are only pasturing sheep right now, but have had chickens, goats, ducks, cows, rabbits and pigs on our mini farm. Once our daughter Lila, who is just 22 months now, gets older, we intend to bring more chickens onto our mini farm so she can help collect their eggs and tend to them. My favorite animals we have cared for thus far are the goats because they are rambunctious and playful; but chickens come in at a close second.

            Joining the WeJoySing community with my daughter when she was just 6 months old was an incredible experience. Not only did it provide me with several new songs, bounces and finger plays to do with Lila; it also provided a sense of community with the other moms. We all looked forward to our weekly “La-La” class as the children came to call it! Now when my family visits, my daughter Lila has started passing out instruments to everyone in the room for sing time…perhaps another teacher in the making?!

La La's for ALL!!
Mrs. Kristi