Let Me Learn How I Want to Learn!

I walk into the Kindermusik room, excited to share with my daughter all that Kindermusik has to offer. I know how much fun we will have, and how much she will learn and grow from the experience. But my 17-month-old daughter Elyse just wants to stay out in the hall with all of the shoes. (Yes, she is a shoe girl already!) When I get her through the door, her main focus for the 45 minute class is playing with the door stop, and trying to get around the cart to where all of the instruments are stored. It sometimes feels to me like she has no interest in what is going on the class. (Although I know that is not true because she gets excited every time we pull up to the building before class!)
I think that this is a pretty typical scenario for many Kindermusik families. I have had conversations with quite a few moms and dads who tell me that their child acts so much different in class than they do at home. Elyse is such a happy and active child. She loves music…dancing, playing with her instruments, and even singing. She talks, smiles, and laughs non-stop at home. But when we get to Kindermusik, it’s like she turns into a different kid. She watches the other children, and doesn’t talk or smile much. And like I said earlier, she’d often rather play with the door stop than with the instruments!
But I think that one of the things that I love most about Kindermusik is that whatever a child chooses to do in class, it is completely normal and acceptable. The child who runs circles around the room the entire class time, or the child who won’t leave mom’s lap is learning just as much as the child who is actively participating. So I sometimes have to remind myself that Elyse is getting so much out of the class, and is actually enjoying it, in her own way. She has surprised me many times at home by showing me what she remembers from class. She immediately starts patting her legs when I sing the ‘Our Time Hello Song,’ she does the actions to ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ and she pretends to stamp our hands with random items she finds around the house.
Each Kindermusik class is designed to accommodate all children, and to let them grow in their own unique way. Even when that way seems different than it does at home!
• Kindermusik Village provides many musical and bonding opportunities between caregiver and baby.
• Kindermusik Our Time gives toddlers a chance to explore on their own, but to also have the security of a loved one near by.
• Kindermusik Imagine That! taps into the wonderful imagination and creativity of preschool-age children.
• Kindermusik for the Young Child uses a small-group approach to music education, where the children begin to learn the fundamentals of reading and notating music.
• Kindermusik Family Time provides a fun atmosphere where families can learn and explore together.
• Keyboard Adventures is a class designed to prepare older students for private piano lessons.
With all of these options to choose from, there is a perfect place for every child to begin to develop a life-long love of music. I know that I have made the single best choice for my own children by enrolling them in Kindermusik classes. They are loved and appreciated just the way they are, and are able to learn how they want to learn!