Also available: Parent Testimonials.
Kindermusik provides the sound nutrition to improve movement, listening, and expression in young children. Through activities and music making, skills for parents and children alike create inroads for the great orchestration of a family's hearts, minds, and bodies.
Don Campbell, World-renowned authority on the transformative power of listening and music, and author of The Mozart Effect(R) for Children
One of my strongest impressions of Kindermusik's work is the variety of musical selections that are there for children. The selections are of high quality and of considerable diversity, such that children can listen and respond to the music of Bach, Mozart, contemporary composers and cultural traditions around the globe. Kindermusik understands that children deserve opportunities to know a palette of musical colors, and thus through the program provide windows to the world of people and their artistic expressions. This rainbow of musical colors is the stuff that surrounds children through their Kindermusik training, so that their listening, movement, singing and playing possibilities are grounded in history and across cultures. These musical beginnings set children straight for a lifetime of well-considered choices in their musical and cultural valuing.
Patricia Campbell, Ph.D., Professor of music at University of Washington and author of Songs in Their Heads: Music and Its Meaning in Children's Lives, Lessons from the World
A major task for toddlers, that can confuse parents at first, is resolving the conflict between their passionate desire for closeness to their parents-after all, they are still barely out of babyhood-and their equally fierce drive for independence. Activities such as those in the Kindermusik Our Time curriculum provide toddlers this opportunity. A child can move into the circle during story time and actively participate if he wishes, or he can stay close to Mom or Dad and listen to the story being read. Given this security, most toddlers will naturally move to greater, and more appropriate, independence as they approach preschool age.
Melissa R. Johnson, Ph.D., Pediatric Psychologist, Cary, NC
Current research has shown that movement is the key to learning at any age. Our brains fully develop through movement activities such as crawling, rolling, turning, walking, skipping, reaching, and much more. When children and adults participate in Kindermusik classes, they are developing both sides of their brains through structured and creative music and movement activities. Television, video games and computers have helped to produce a generation that struggles with learning problems, hyperactivity and obesity. Many of these problems can be helped through systematic music/movement exercises and patterns. Kindermusik classes have always been fun. Now I feel strongly that they are also part of our essential learning process!
Anne Green Gilbert, Movement specialist, author of Creative Dance for All Ages, and director Of Creative Dance Center
As an early childhood advocate, I have found good music invaluable as a teaching tool. Kindermusik has taken the art of combining music with learning to a new and higher educational level. When children experience music in their early years, it lasts throughout their lifetime. Recent literature may attempt to refute the value of music as it relates to IQ, but experts cannot deny the effect music has on the development of a child's complete well-being. Kindermusik is pioneering a movement that will prove valuable to children for many years into the future. As a trainer, with more than 20 years' tenure, I thank Kindermusik for its contribution to holistic learning.
Jim Powell, Ed.D., National director of assessment and evaluation, Kaplan Companies
When introduced appropriately, music and literature play an amazing role in the development of infants and toddlers. I'm happy that Kindermusik has extended their programs to include this time of life when brain development is most vulnerable and parents are most in need of support and direction.
Claudia Quigg, M.Ed., Founder and executive director of BabyTALK, a program dedicated to helping parents become better parents to their children
Kindermusik brings parents and children together for fun and education. The learning is active, engaging and developmentally appropriate. Children are exposed to diverse materials and are provided with rich opportunities for hands-on experiences with developmentally appropriate instruments. The joy is in the process of learning and the result is children who are more attuned in reaching their full potential.
Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, International family educator and author of Raising Your Spirited Child, Raising Your Spirited Child Workbook, and Power Struggles: Winning for a Lifetime
Kindermusik is elegant in its integrated approach to a child's development. Physiologically, touch, movement, rhythm and sound are the keystones to developing a healthy vestibular system and optimizing nervous system and 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, are needing at this time to raise healthy, loving children and ensure a world of peace. All of this is provided in the Kindermusik program.
Carla Hannaford, Ph.D., Biologist, educator and author of Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head and The Dominance Factor