Recording studio holds children's program

LAFAYETTE — PonderRosa Studios, a commercial recording studio in Lafayette, held the first in a series of Music Connects programs on Aug. 9.

The program kickoff hosted children from Suburban Speech Center in Short Hills, N.J. The children's ages ranged from 6-10.

Music Connects helps children with fine motor skills, manners, and interactions with others, using music as a guiding force. The program is based on four rotating stations with individual exercises geared toward specific teaching goals.

The first station was set up with various types of percussion instruments such as tambourines and shakers. The students imitated the instructor's patterns to help them with their fine motor skills. The second station was a call-and-response game. The instructor played acoustic guitar and sang a Simon Says-type of song to help with verbal skills and group interaction. The next station included a group of children's pianos as well as a drum set. Each student took turns one-by-one playing for the group to hear and enjoy. This exercise reinforced taking turns, listening with focus, and encouraging peers in a group setting.

The final station was set up for the end of the day. The PonderRosa Studios staff set up microphones for the students to sing and record a song in unison. They were each given a CD of their performance as souvenir of the day.

Tom Askin, the PonderRosa Studios manager, said he was pleased with the outcome of the first Music Connects program. The beginning of the program saw the expected excitement of being in a recording studio with access to all of the instruments.

The director of Suburban Speech Center is Dr. Nancy Polow. The President of PonderRosa Studios is Rich Rodman and the studio staff included Kathy Leone (executive vice president), Tom Askin, John Locher (Assistant Manager/Recording and Mixing Engineer), and Richie McGoldrick (Recording and Mixing Engineer).

Further information can be found at PonderRosaStudios.com.