2. 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 crossover 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.

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

Your Kindermusik educator will regularly integrate Foundations of Learning statements and help you to see what benefits your children are deriving from the activities. She also will offer suggestions for how to participate in the activities with different age groups. The different ages in the class are wonderful. Parents with infants enjoy seeing the activities of the older ones, and the older children learn to interact with others.

One of the goals in the Village class for young babies is to develop a supportive community of parents who encourage the children and each other. It is important that young children are comfortable with the teacher, the parents, and the other children so that they feel the security to try out their independence in a safe, supportive environment.

One thing that really solidifies many parents’ belief in the Village program is seeing their children at home and what a lasting impact the classes have made. Parents often find their young children lying on the floor when listening to the “Quiet Time” song on the Home CD or acting out an activity that was done in class. Music becomes a large part of these families’ lives, even when it wasn’t before.

4. Why should I choose Kindermusik over a Suzuki program or other private lessons?

Many parents have found that this is not an either/or choice. Kindermusik and private lessons are not mutually exclusive. In fact, Kindermusik supplements and enriches private lessons tremendously. In addition, several Suzuki components are used in the Young Child program. Dalcroze movements are used throughout different age groups and Yamaha concepts are also present. The appropriate developmental nature of Kindermusik activities ensures that learning is never "too much, too fast."

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

As children reach the age of 3 ½ 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. Today, 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.

6. 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.

7. 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 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, including the following:

1. 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.

2. 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, paediatric 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.

3. 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.

4. Your instructor brings a lifetime of musical experience and has completed comprehensive training to become a Kindermusik Educator Judith has had music in her bones since she was 4 years old and has spent many years studying piano, violin and musicianship. Judith chose Kindermusik as the Early Childhood Program she wanted to teach, simply because it is the best and knew that the Kindermusik graduates would be better prepared for their future keyboard, piano or violin lessons in her studio. Kindermusik develops the steady beat, singing pitch and sense of rhythm essential for a good musical education.

5. 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.

6. A variety of instruments, props and equipment are necessary to provide a wide range of learning experiences in the class.

7. "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!!

8. My child has special developmental problems. Is Kindermusik for him?

Absolutely! Autistic children, children with Down’s 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 challenges.