Think it's too early to start thinking about piano lessons for your child? Well, you're probably right. Most kids aren't ready for private lessons until the 1st or 2nd grade. BUT...
Let's talk about what Kindermusik is doing for your child NOW. Every curricula in every age group is designed to help your child grow musically. Babies are learning to sense a steady beat. Toddlers explore instruments, learn about sounds, and begin to demonstrate a steady beat. Preschoolers are great at keeping the beat, and they start to learn how to play in an ensemble. And all of them are having a great time!
The 5-year-old then enters Kindermusik's Young Child program, where they will learn to read rhythms, notes on the staff, and gain experience on a keyboard, string, and wind instrument. This program is the reason I started teaching Kindermusik. I have been a piano teacher for over 16 years. Several years ago, when I lived in NY, I began noticing that some of my beginning students were worlds ahead of other beginners. When I questioned their parents, I found that these kids had recently "graduated" from Kindermusik.
Normally, the first year or more of piano lessons is spent learning the basics of note reading and rhythm. It also takes awhile to learn the discipline of practicing. However, I was astounded to find that the Kindermusik kids already knew how to read music AND rhythm, and over the course of the Young Child program, they also learned the discipline of practice. This put them more than a year ahead of the other beginners.
This is why I'm such a huge believer in Kindermusik. We all know that music helps kids' social, cognitive, emotional, physical, and language development, but as a musician, I have seen firsthand what this program does for kids musically. These kids came into my piano studio confident in what they had learned, and they were beyond accelerated in their piano lessons. (The same goes for other private instrument lessons as well.)
It's also worth mentioning that this past semester, one of my Young Child students tested for placement in Kindergarten. He had the highest math score in his school! Music study plays a big part in math ability; that was no coincidence.
So when we're in class singing the same song for the 5th week in a row, remember the benefits for the kids. And be proud for choosing such a great start for your child!
PS - Beginning in Fall 2010, I will be offering piano classes available only to kids who have "graduated" from Kindermusik. :)
