YOU Are Your Child’s First and Most Important Kindermusik Teacher (Not the Kindermusik Classroom Teacher)

​The Value of Your Kindermusik @Home Materials

Part 3

(Read Part 2 here.)

I already mentioned that I taught Kindermusik, but it might be helpful for you to know a little more about me. That way, you can receive/interpret what I share in the context of my frame of reference. I was licensed and taught for thirteen years. Subsequent to that portion of my Kindermusik teaching career (because now I’ve found myself in “Kindermusik Part 2” in my career), I trained with and taught in two different, large, competing early-childhood music and movement programs. I’ve written and taught my own competing curricula to Kindermusik’s. And as a parent of three, I’ve participated in both Kindermusik programs and many free programs at libraries, stores, and other venues, because I believe in the power and effectiveness of music on every level and in every area of growth in the lives and development of my kids and family.

Here’s the bottom line about both Kindermusik and the home materials:

Kindermusik stands apart from most, if not all, other early-childhood music and movement programs.

Here’s why:

The parent-as-teacher philosophy. The required involvement of the parent in any good music education program is quite often the difference between a child really grabbing onto music for life or moving on to something else. There’s always another dozen potential activities, right? It’s an involved caregiver’s understanding, training (even fun training like you receive in Kindermusik), and involvement with the child that makes the difference. You as parent, or if you’re the involved caregiver for a child, are that child’s primary teacher; not the Kindermusik classroom teacher. The classroom teacher’s job is to show you how to do music at home, every day. And here’s the other piece of Kindermusik’s distinctive value…

The added value of the exceptional and robust home material sets, whether digital or physical. Having taught for several competitors and having previously run my own Kindermusik studio, I’m well aware of the variances in pricing structures of the many programs out there. I also had to become familiar with any home materials other programs used with their curricula. You can do your own looking around, but I’m here to tell you that Kindermusik stands alone in the quality, breadth, research depth, and robust parent help and training contained in their home materials. In fact, most programs don’t have any home materials at all, or else it’s something trivial and/or inexpensive and rarely integrated with the classroom curricula. The best programs come with at least a CD or digitally-delivered music that’s been used in the classroom, a lyric chart or perhaps a booklet, and sometimes a small instrument that’s at least marginally related to what’s used in the classroom. This is because home materials are expensive to develop. But Kindermusik not only develops integrated home materials that purposefully help parents and caregivers keep the classroom fun going every day – they do so for each and every unit taught. EACH AND EVERY UNIT TAUGHT.

Read part 4 here.