During the weeks before Christmas when most children are consumed by the contents of their freshly penned Wish Lists, one tiny group has been reaching out to the community in a big way.
The 4- and 5-year-olds in Karen Holm-Hudson's Kindermusik class at Centenary School of Music are visiting area nursing homes to share their gift of music with residents and staff.
"This is the first year of Sparrowsong (small but with a beautiful song)," said Karen, who started teaching Kindermusik in 1998 while living in Chicago. "Among the 170 or so children I teach each week at the early childhood center, there are many that just LOVE to sing! My weekly classes with all the children involve not only singing, but also rhymes and fingerplays, instrument exploration and play-alongs to recordings, pretend play with short rhymes and songs, and movement with scarves, hoops, balls, and a parachute.
"So the program was created, primarily, because I thought those children who absolutely love to sing would enjoy a singing-packed class. Secondly, I thought these lovely children could reach out to the community and bless others with the same joy that their sweet music offers me each day."
The group's first outing was to Hartland Hills Retirement Home in mid-November. The children gathered in the dining room and performed to a packed house.
"All the residents were there, and they just loved them," said Ashley Russell, activities director for Hartland Hills. "They were so cute. Karen had yellow dots for them to stand on so they would stand still. The residents love to see the children; it makes them smile and think of their own grandchildren."
Because the group is so young, Karen decided to incorporate many of the same songs the kids sing during once-a-week chapel.
"All the songs involve quite a bit of moving--our arms, hands, and bodies--so it's quite fun and entertaining to sing, hear, and watch," said Karen. "For our next outing, Dec. 14, to Sayre Christian Village, we will sing the songs we have planned for our Christmas program: "Over the River," "Silent Night," "Mary Had a Baby," and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," all of which again involve a lot of entertaining movement."
After their performance, Karen makes sure each resident has a chance to meet the students. At Hartland Hills, the children handed out handmade Thanksgiving cards with their pictures inside "so the residents would remember them," said Ashley.
Part of the reason behind the creation of Sparrowsong is Karen's desire to keep young and old generations face to face.
"The more I get involved in Sparrowsong, the more benefits I see to both the children and to the people who hear us sing," said Karen, who graduated from Syracuse University with a masters in music education. "I would love to expand the children's love for singing and have them learn that this is a gift that God gives us to use both now and our whole lives to bring joy to others and to express our feelings.
"I also hope to teach them that relationships are so important, and so they are learning to form relationships with the people that we are reaching. The children are coached on approaching the audience members after the concert with a gift or a card, introducing themselves in a polite way, and asking the person their name and how they are doing. We then remember them when we meet together again. And also it is rewarding for me to be able to reward those children who have a gift to sing, especially those who may have difficulties in other areas but have a voice of an angel and love people."