Online Music Classes for Infants, Babies and Toddlers – Free for Children with Special Needs

Parents, I found this on the Exceptional Parent website:

The Come Children Sing Institute is offering free gift certificates for Come Children, Sing! Online Music Classes for infants, babies, and toddlers with special needs. The $35 gift certificate provides one 10-week Online Music Class. Request a free gift certificate for your child by sending an email to mepinzino@comechildrensing.com. Mention Exceptional Parent Magazine and indicate that you have a child with special needs. Your gift certificate will be sent via email, and you can start the Online Music Class at any time.

At VSA, Learning Is Art

Craig Hammond, 12, follows a JMU volunteer’s lead while making a fish out of clay during VSA arts, a day of crafting and activities presented by Kappa Pi, the international honorary art and art history fraternity at JMU. Photo by Pete Marovich

Excerpt from Harrisonburg's Daily News Record 4/17/08:

"Around 10 a.m., groups from Spotswood and Harrisonburg high schools, Stewart Middle School and Mountain View, Stone Spring and John Wayland elementary schools began arriving.
Kyle Simpson, 19, entered the building excited to get crafting. Because the HHS student came last year, he knew what to expect. 'It's fun!' he said, beaming.
Ten tables covered with red and white gingham cloths and adorned with balloons served as hands-on craft stations filled with activities including face painting, sculpting, macaroni jewelry, sand art, flowerpot painting and more. The students moved from station to station happily loading up their brown paper bags with each new creation.

Stone Spring high needs teacher Angela Craighead brought six students to the event, her first year participating. 'I think it's set up very nice. I like that the kids can go wherever they want and check everything out,' she said.
Working on a necklace at the macaroni station, Debbie Stevenson, 13, decided she wants to make jewelry when she gets older. "I'm having fun. You can tell by the [flower],' she said, pointing to a blue flower painted on her cheek. 'I like it.'
A couple tables down, volunteer Ava Freeburg, 17, waited for students to come to her clothespin butterfly station. The daughter of JMU faculty sponsor and coordinator of art education programs Kathy Schwartz, the HHS senior has been volunteering for VSA since eighth grade.
'It's just such a unique opportunity to be able to work with the special education kids and be able to help them,' said Freeburg. 'It's really fun for me to be able to do that.'"

Read the full article...

All Kids Can Create

You can create, and creating leads to learning! VSA arts and CVS Caremark All Kids Can invite children and youth to submit artwork showing us your creativity. Explore new activities, challenge your perceptions, discover your inner artist and submit your work of art today!
Deadline: Friday, March 14, 2008
More information: All Kids Can Create

NCLD's 2008 "Voices of LD" Competition

From NCLD:
Calling all creative people with learning disabilities.

In honor of our 31st anniversary, the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) is looking for self-portraits that capture what life is like for individuals with learning disabilities (LD).

What story does your portrait tell? Share with us expressions of your hopes, dreams, struggles and successes. Show us what the world is like through your eyes. Help us to celebrate the unique vision of children and adults affected by LD.

Selected submissions will be showcased on our Web site and at our Annual Benefit Dinner in April. In addition, our grand prize will be a trip to New York City and a chance to attend our Annual Benefit Dinner honoring Ted Turner. Two runners-up will receive $200 each. Prizes will be awarded for outstanding works in each of the following categories:

* Children: 4-12 years old
* Teens: 13-17 years old
* Adults: 18 and older

To enter, please send NCLD your submission(s), a photo of the artist, a short paragraph (three to five sentences) written by the artist detailing their experience with LD, and completed release forms. Grand prize winners must provide relevant documentation of a specific learning disability.

If you have any questions, please email Teneille Craig. All entries must be received no later than Friday, February 8, 2008. Click here to download rules and requirements of the competition.

MusicLink!

MusicLink is starting up again on Tuesday, September 18th at 4:00pm. We will be meeting at the Children's Museum of Richmond in the CMoR playhouse. For those of you who are returning members of the group -- please note that this is a new meeting day and room.

This year we plan to focus on percussion. We will also be watching and learning the pieces that our partners perform on the exchange video that came over the summer. We look forward to seeing you and to hearing your ideas about what we'll share with our exchange partners this school year.

Parents of children who are working on IEP goals are welcome to contact us to discuss goals and/or accommodations that will make it possible for your child to get the most from the program. Any child who has an interest in singing and playing music in an inclusive environment is welcome to participate.

Below we've posted a few clips from the video produced by VSA arts of Virginia's 2006-2007 participants. (We apologize for the low quality -- we're trying to keep our file sizes down). You may view examples of video submitted by other groups by clicking here.



PS: MusicLink is a free program brought to you by VSA arts of Virginia. Donations are always welcome!