+BA in Interdisciplinary Studies in Music, Early Childhood Ed., & Psychology from Naropa University
+Registered Music Together Teacher
+Creator and teacher of Magical Music for preschools, FamilySong and FamilyDance Planet for families.
My name is Kristin McLean, and I have created and I teach Magical Music and FamilySong. I started FamilySong music to help families reconnect with what matters through singing multicultural songs with meaning. I have been teaching music to kids since the year 2000, when I taught music for The Music Class, an early childhood music program based in Atlanta. The children’s songs they taught were your basic nursery rhymes, peppered with some originals and more interesting songs. I began to wonder if kids would respond to singing songs with more depth, songs about subjects like caring for our earth or for each other.
I have always loved to sing; singing has always been a way I feel connected with the divine. I have played the guitar since I was in 6th grade, and I have been in a few bands and have also sung on my own. Performing on stage is not my favorite though, because I get so nervous! I needed to find a way to sing with others that wasn’t so formal and brought me greater peace instead of greater anguish.
I began holding Singing Circles in Atlanta in the late 1990s. I had stumbled on a tradition of singing what are known as spirit songs/rainbow songs/earth songs in a circle of people, harmonies and improvisation welcome. These songs are generally short and easy to learn in one sitting, and have subjects ranging from caring for the earth, connecting with spirit, honoring the Goddess and God, honoring the seasons, promoting peace and a wide range of songs in the Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic & African traditions. Facilitating and singing in these singing circles always left me creatively fulfilled and with more peace and joy.
I moved to Boulder, Colorado, in the summer of 2001 to finish college at Naropa University. I was so excited to experience the Buddhist-centered, alternative education that Naropa offers. A few weeks after school began, the tragedy of September 11, 2001 happened, and I, along with everyone else in country, was very scared and disheartened. Being away from my family and friends in Georgia and in a new city made this time even harder. I found myself singing these beautiful songs of peace and connection that I had learned in Atlanta.
I went to a Peace rally on Pearl Street in Boulder not long after September 11. People were invited to the microphone and most people spoke about peace and coming together. I gathered my courage together, and I got up on the mic and sang a song. I sang:
If every woman in the world had her mind set on freedom – If every woman in the world sang a sweet song of peace – If every woman in every nation, young and old, each generation, would join hands in the name of love, there’d be no more war.
I led the people in a few rounds of this song, changing the word “woman” to man, child, nation. I felt so alive singing spontaneously like this, as if this song was a prayer. A while later another woman led us in a song, and afterward she invited whoever was interested in singing in a Singing Circle to come and meet her. I was so excited to sing in a singing circle again, and I rushed over to meet her. Another woman, Maggie Smith, also wanted to sing in the singing circle, and we met that night at the peace rally, decided to go to the singing circle together and we eventually became roommates and best friends. (The fantastic power of music to bring people together!)
Eventually I graduated from Naropa University with a Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Music, Early Childhood Education and Psychology. Interdisciplinary Studies is a fancy way of saying that I got to take whatever classes I wanted and find a way to bring it all together at the end in a 50 page paper! (Everyone else had to take classes in the subject of their major, while interdisciplinary students got to pick from the entire catalog.)
I also trained to become a teacher in Music Together, a national early childhood music program. Music Together has excellent CDs and songbooks of the songs they teach, and they also have educational parent information that teaches why making music in early childhood is so valuable for brain, social and musical growth. I taught Music Together for almost 4 years, and it has been instrumental in my growth as a music teacher.
After I graduated college in December of 2003, I knew I wanted to work in the field of music and kids. I didn’t really want to be a full time teacher. I have never been one to go the conventional route, so I thought, what if I can teach music for many different schools and preschools, while also teaching parent/child music classes? I set out to make that happen.
I created Magical Music, an early childhood music program where I teach music in preschools, daycare centers and elementary schools. Magical Music has continuously evolved as I have learned more about childhood development, social/emotional development, creating boundaries with students in a healthy way, and of course having more fun teaching music! Magical Music’s goals are to help each student have successful musical experiences while learning songs from around the world, singing songs that encourage both fine and gross motor development, follow-along and create your own dancing, playing instruments that rattle and bang, teaching opposites in dynamics and pitch: high/low, loud/soft, fast/slow, encouraging singing and interaction with puppets, and child participation with having them help craft songs.
I also started leading singing circles in the Boulder area that I called Spirit Songs. It was so much fun to teach and learn such beautiful, heart-opening songs, and people in the circle were always encouraged to share songs.
I also joined a band called Down with Naked. I was the only female in the band of 4 other very sweet guys, and we sang original rock/funk/jazz creations. We performed at the Boulder Theater, the Fox, the old Trilogy, as well as the festivals Dreamtime and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival (on a small side stage!) Performing with Down with Naked was still scary, but I worked with my fear and it was actually fun and invigorating most of the time.
I started teaching music at the Friends’ School early elementary and preschool in 2005, and I continue to teach preschool music there today. (When I had my daughter Kora in 2010, I let go of teaching elementary music at Friends’.) Working at Friends’ School, I have learned so much about interacting with children in a positive, healthy way. I have learned to tell them what I want them to do, not tell them what I don’t want them to do. I have learned to speak softly and firmly, honoring students questions and comments, but also redirecting them to the music we are making. I have learned that when a student acts out or misbehaves, to ignore what is attention-seeking and praise the good the child, or other children, are doing. I have learned to encourage empathy by asking a child how s/he thinks the other child feels when he is hit on the head with a shaker egg! I can see their little minds turning as they ponder what the other child is feeling, and it fills me with joy to take a moment of acting out and turn it into a moment of learning and growth.
Believe me, sometimes preschool music can erupt into a chaotic dance party! Music and movement gets kids into their bodies and spirits, and you never know what is going to happen. I have to be prepared to handle whatever arises and turn it into a teachable moment, and I love getting chances to do this in addition to teaching songs and moving our bodies.
I created FamilySong in 2011 to the sing songs with parents and kids that I sing in singing circles. These songs have a magical quality, because when a group sings them, it is a prayer for whatever we are singing about. These beautiful songs can become resources for families when they need support. Parents and kids can remember the lyrics, melodies and how the songs have made them feel, and hopefully sing them again when they need to invite that feeling of connectedness back into their lives. I also love sharing songs from around the world.
At this time in history, we have the unique opportunity to feel so connected to the world through the internet, and also feel so disconnected through war, ideological fighting, and environmental destruction. I feel that singing songs from around the globe can bring us closer to those cultures and give us a deeper understanding and connection. And if we ever should meet someone from Spain, India or one of the many Islamic nations and we have a song to sing in their language, imagine how sweet of a connection that would be!
I also created FamilySong so that parents and caregivers can enjoy and be enriched by the music class. Often times we take our kids to events that we as parents might not get so much out of. It’s great and entertaining for the kids, but what about our needs? FamilySong blends fun instrument play and follow along and free movement to rockin’ world grooves with puppets, scarves, and singing new songs that adults can enjoy.
So often I meet Mamas and Papas who love to sing and make music, but they have hidden away their talent. There is very little time to explore your musical self when you have kids, unless you want to sing kids songs! In FamilySong, adults can grow their voices and musicality along with the kids. We have fun doing simple call and response games as well as sounding and toning our voices. I don’t think it’s too much to ask to have a music and movement class that the whole family benefits from!
I really look forward to singing with you and your children. Let’s create the world we want to live in by opening ourselves to singing and dancing songs from around the globe with meaning. I’d love to hear your experiences and thoughts about all that I have written. What’s your story?