Music, Tales, and Bilingual Discovery
Bilingual children’s book author, board-certified music therapist, and pianist Isabelle Engler joined me on YouTube Live to share her inspiring journey of using music and stories to connect with children. Her work beautifully blends music, language, and culture, helping families grow in meaningful ways. Let’s explore the highlights from our delightful conversation!
Watch the Interview with Isabelle Engler
Discover Isabelle’s inspiring journey in her own words. Watch the full interview below:
The Transformative Power of Music
As a music therapist, Isabelle has transformed the well-being of many children and adults. From soothing infants with live music during medical procedures to creating color-coded music scores for children with special needs, her work turns challenges into moments of connection and understanding.
Reflecting on her calling, Isabelle shared a pivotal moment of realization, supported by her family’s encouragement. She emphasized music’s universal power to build emotional connections and foster early development in children.
Music is a language that speaks to everyone—it comforts, connects, and creates.
The Learning Songs with Colors Series: Bilingual Fun Meets Musical Discovery
One of the most exciting highlights of our conversation was Isabelle’s newest release from her Learning Songs with Colors series: Build A Plane. This bilingual singable book reimagines a traditional nursery rhyme, combining music and storytelling to inspire children.
-
What’s Inside: Sing along in English or Mandarin (with Pinyin) and follow color-coded keys to play the song on the piano.
-
The Story: Join two brave girls as they work together to build a plane, taking off on an inspiring journey of persistence and friendship.
-
Why It’s Special: The singable spread and musical score make learning English, Mandarin, and music all in one delightful experience. Vibrant illustrations evoke emotions and spark conversations between caregivers and children.
Other books in this engaging series include:
-
Lunar New Year
-
The Fishing Song
Isabelle’s mission to empower kids through music shines through every page, inviting families to explore language and music in a meaningful way.
Raising Bilingual Children in the U.S.
Isabelle’s personal experience raising bilingual children highlighted the joys and challenges of maintaining Chinese (Mandarin) as a heritage language. As the only Chinese speaker at home, she adapted her parenting approach to make Mandarin a natural part of daily life.
Her family’s cultural immersion, including trips to Taiwan and local camps, created real-life connections to Chinese language and culture. She shared the importance of embracing small moments to celebrate bilingualism.
Bilingual parenting requires a mindset shift—it’s about embracing small moments to celebrate language and culture.
Gift Ideas for Today and All Year Round! Check it out and discover!
Giveaway!
To celebrate our interview, Isabelle generously gives away ONE (1) Kindle eBook of Build A Plane to one lucky winner in the United States!
How to Enter:
Visit MissPandaChinese on Instagram and follow the instructions in the giveaway post. Don’t miss your chance to bring “BUILD A PLANE” a bilingual, musical treasure into your home!
Connect with Isabelle EnglerLearn more about Isabelle and her work at Music & Tales. You can also follow her on:
Thank You, Isabelle!
A heartfelt thank-you to Isabelle Engler for joining me and sharing her inspiring journey. Her dedication to children’s growth through music, language, and storytelling reminds us of the power of creativity and connection.
Do you have questions for Isabelle or want to share your bilingual parenting journey? What inspires you most about her story?
There may be Affiliate Links in articles of this blog :
Miss Panda Chinese (MPC) participating in the Amazon Associates Program means a tiny commission to MPC with qualified purchases at no cost to you.