My child and I have a lot of fun in Kindermusik class, but sometimes I wonder...is she really learning anything about music?

      To the casual observer, it might indeed look like we are just playing and having fun. While the approach is necessarily playful, every aspect of the Kindermusik curriculum is built upon a solid musical and developmental foundation. While playing and singing, children are improving their rhythmic competency, developing a sense of steady beat, achieving the ability to match pitches, becoming acquainted with timbre, learning a repertoire of songs, experiencing many different instruments, increasing their ability to listen, and of course, gaining a love of music that will last throughout their life.

I plan to have my children take music lessons when they are older. Why should I bother with a music class when they are so young?

      Instinctively, we know that music belongs in the life of young children: young children are ready for music, they are in their critical period for developing a good foundation in music, and musical potential is often lost if it is not nurtured and maintained in these early years. Any one who works with young children, even infants, know how eager and receptive they are to appropriate musical experiences. Additionally, recent brain research has pointed to non-musical cross-over benefits of early music study and to how important early music exposure is to a baby's normal development. In a Kindermusik class, parent-child interaction is fostered, socialization with other children is encouraged, fine-motor and gross-motor development is enhanced, and language skills flourish. Kindermusik helps each child develop musically at the right time and in the right way, and a Kindermusik graduate has a solid foundation and a giant head-start when they move to private instrumental, voice or even dance lessons.

Honestly, how do BABIES really benefit from their own music class?

      Let a Kindermusik mom, Petra, tell you in her own words:

      "My son, Alex, was a Village baby from 10 -18 months. Alex loved the classes and so did all of the parents and children who were with him. I will try to sum up why it worked for us:

·          Our teacher fully believed in the program and it came across to the parents. She regularly integrated Foundations of Learning statements and helped us to see what benefits our children were deriving from the activities. She also constantly gave suggestions for how to participate in the activities with different age groups. Everyone had ways to participate in a manner that was appropriate for their baby.

·          The different ages in the class were wonderful. Parents with infants were enjoying seeing the activities of the older ones and the older children interacted so cute with everyone. There was so much sharing and kindness between the children and parents. We were constantly amazed.

·          The children felt so comfortable with the teacher and all of the parents that many times children would walk or crawl to the teacher or to the other parents and sit with them. No one was ever bored in class. We had more wonderful experiences than I thought possible.

·          The thing that really solidifies my belief in the Village program is seeing my son at home and what a lasting impact the classes have made. He is now 20 months old, so he has been out of Village for a short while. We still listen to the music regularly. He cries to have his Kindermusik CD put on! The Armenian Lullaby from "MOO" is THE thing that puts him to sleep. He has chosen it as his favorite lullaby. The other day he was listening to the FEATHERS CD while playing and suddenly he was laying on the floor, not moving. I wondered what was wrong, but he just looked at me as if inviting me to join him. Then I realized a Quiet Time song was playing. I was stunned. He had never done that at home before. It was not a fluke. He did it again later in the CD. Yesterday during mealtime and the DO-SI-DO CD, he stopped eating during a Quiet Time song and resumed eating when it was over. Later he was looking at a book and the Tango, Cha-Cha! song began. He did not see me watching him move his book side to side in rhythm to Cha-cha-cha. Because of his delight in the music on the CD's, we are now able to take long road trips! Music is now a huge part of our lives, where it wasn't before."

      These experiences are what parents come to cherish about the Kindermusik Village class.

I feel my child is ready for private instrument instruction NOW. Why should I choose Kindermusik over a Suzuki program or other private lessons?

      A child who indicates a strong interest in playing the piano (or any other instrument) must have more than just this interest to sustain them. They must be ready to accept the rules, guidelines and suggestions of the teacher. Will the child still be interested and not frustrated when the teacher asks the child to play a certain way, or hold his hand in a certain position? Additional considerations include fine motor control as well as the maturity and attention span necessary for daily individual practice. Will the child happily focus for 15-25 minutes on a series of directed tasks? Will the parent devote the time it takes to direct a very young child in this activity? I am often frustrated that most parents do not take into consideration the importance of skill building and motivation over a long period of time, instead, just focusing on how early a child starts lessons.

      So what is the answer? Since I have started teaching Kindermusik, I reply with total confidence that the best time to start formal lessons is when they have graduated from Kindermusik! In Kindermusik for the Young Child, we build on a strong foundation of movement, vocal development and listening and incorporate the principles of Suzuki, Kodaly, Dalcroze and Orff, as we learn notes of the treble staff, rhythm patterns, instruments of the orchestra, musical terms and composers, all in a fun, social environment that ensures your child will stay motivated and have a strong and happy experience with music lessons. The environment is focused on process, not performance, and is much less intimidating for the child than formal lessons. You can be assured that it is never ?too much, too fast.?

      Parents of Kindermusik graduates and piano teachers are unanimous in their endorsement of the Kindermusik program for 5-7 year olds, for the marvelous preparation it gives them for formal lessons. Here is just one: William Maxwell has been taking piano lessons from me for about a year. He was only seven years old when he started, but I found him to be one of the best prepared students to begin piano lessons in my fifteen or so years of teaching. He went through the Kindermusik program before he came to me and had a very good foundation in rhythm, notes, listening skills and enthusiasm for music. Combined with these skills, he has learned some good habits in practicing at home and has had wonderful parental support. ~ Mary Lyn Perry

      Another mom states that her daughter, in the Second Year of Young Child knows more than her older brother who has been taking formal lessons for 2 years. Personally I have found that Kindermusik graduates are giant steps ahead of a child who comes to lessons without any background in music. I hardly even need to teach rhythm, as it is so ingrained and natural for them.

What if I want to enroll my child in gymnastics, dance, soccer, karate, or pre-school?

      As children reach the age of 3 ? to 4, a world of possibilities in the community opens up to them. We can send our children to any number of wonderful activities, but they don't all involve the family. Being able to enjoy our families in a rich musical environment is priceless. These days children are being pushed out into the world at younger ages than ever and it's nice to have an activity where family involvement is celebrated. Many of the benefits of the other activities, such as promoting physical coordination and social skills, providing a structured routine, building self-esteem and developing talents and cognitive abilities, are all encompassed in a Kindermusik class. PLUS there is the added benefit of a development for a love of music that will last much past the time the dance shoes and karate gees are put away - in fact, as we say at Kindermusik, "A good beginning never ends." The opportunity to creatively express their individual imaginations through art, vocal, dance and instrument activities is unique to Kindermusik.

My child loves Kindermusik class and sings all of the songs and does all of the activities at home, but when we are in class, he just sits there.

      Not to worry! Although this is sometimes frustrating to parents because of our performance-oriented society, developmentally, pushing children to perform has no place in an Early Childhood program of any kind. We believe the parent is the child's most important teacher, and the home is the most important place for that learning to grow. When you think about it, success should be measured more by what a child does all the rest of the week than what he does in the 45 minutes at Kindermusik class. And remember that Kindermusik is about Process, not Performance. Every child can be successful in a Kindermusik class no matter what developmental level he is on.

Let's talk finances. Why doesn't Kindermusik cost less?

      When you buy a dress, you don't just pay the flat cost of the materials it cost to make the dress. You also pay for the time it took to make the dress, the person who designed the dress, the cost for marketing and shipping and getting it into the stores, the equipment used in making the dress, etc. You also pay for the name brand that is associated with the dress. Similarly, the fees that you pay to attend Kindermusik cover a multitude of items. For instance:

A.                  Kindermusik is the leader in Early Childhood Music and Movement programs. Being a part of "KINDERMUSIK" ensures that you are getting an internationally tested and tried product that works and is the leader in the field. It is the "Designer" label as opposed to a local or "in-store" label.

B.         Kindermusik regularly consults with experts in the field of Early Childhood development, music and movement as they develop their curricula, such as: Don Campbell, author of The Mozart Effect; Melissa R. Johnson, pediatric psychologist; Anne Green Gilbert, author of Creative Dance for Children; Claudia Quigg, founder and executive director of Baby TALK; Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, author of Raising Your Spirited Child; Patricia Campbell, author of Songs in Their Head: Music and Its Meaning in Children's Lives, and others. These experts, along with an amazing Creative Team, bring their knowledge and experience into your lives. No other program can boast of such backing. This is worth a lot.
C.         The materials produced by Kindermusik International are of the highest quality. The CDs, Literature and other home materials are unsurpassed. The talented artists, musicians and arrangers make the music come alive. You only have to listen to one CD to know that this is no ordinary children's music CD. Music learning with the family in the home is a fundamental cornerstone of Kindermusik and this is accomplished best through the use of home materials. Other programs may offer no or optional home materials which makes it hard to continue the experience at home. Very worthwhile.
D.         When you take Karate, Gymnastics, Dance or even music lessons, there are always uniform and costume fees, recital fees, instrument rentals or purchase and music fees, etc. When comparing total prices, Kindermusik is often less expensive than these other programs.
E.         A variety of instruments, props and equipment are necessary to provide a wide range of learning experiences in the class - Inventory costs.
F. "       You get what you pay for!" - and more! To quote Carla Hannaford, author of Smart Moves," Kindermusik is elegant in its integrated approach to a child's development. Physiologically, touch, movement, rhythm and sound are the keystones to optimizing brain growth. The importance of having families working together, where everyone benefits from the sense of belonging, gets directly at the heart of what we, as a society, need at this time to raise healthy, loving children. . . All of this is provided in the Kindermusik program." Priceless!!

My child has special developmental problems. Is Kindermusik for her?

      Absolutely! Autistic children, children with Down syndrome, hearing impaired children and those with other physical, emotional and learning disorders have generally thrived AND improved in Kindermusik. What the program can do for children with special needs is ten-fold greater than even what it does for those without these disabilities.

This really sounds TOO good to be true. It can't really be all that wonderful!

            I would be lying if I told you that every class is a dream. Because we are dealing with very young children, there are of course some days that are chaotic and crazy. Every child is unique and no one acts the model child all the time. But, I can honestly and in all sincerity say that the curriculum works beautifully. It works because it is perfectly developmentally appropriate. Each child learns at his or her own level and ability and in most cases revels in it! There is not one standard of performance that anyone is trying to meet, and the WHOLE child is developed through music. It's truly magic