Kinderbach FREE Music Lessons for Kids

  

Kinderbach is an innovative, online or DVD music curriculum for children in pre-school to lower elementary grades. It is advertized as a piano curriculum, but really, in the first set of lessons (we got through lesson 6), the children are taught the basics of music theory using a variety of instruments. Children get to learn about rhythm, timing, pitch, reading music (notes and measures), singing, and composition from friendly teacher and a cast of fun characters.

Here are the Three Amigos making music with various items,

and completing one of the activity pages.

Sometimes I printed one page for each child,

other times they took turns filling out one page together.

Little ones learn about music not just by sitting at a keyboard, but by moving around and fully participating in a wide variety of activities.The activities very from finding keys on a keyboard to completing themed coloring pages, from shouting out the answers of questions to pointing at objects on the screen, from singing a song to playing around with whatever instruments you can find or make. 

Here is Ladybug eagerly pointing at the answers...the lessons are very active.

This is a screenshot of what the teacher and the basic lesson format looks like.

The video-based curriculum is divided into six levels, with a seventh on the way. Each level is scheduled to take ten weeks, with four lessons each week, though this can be modified at the teacher's discretion. Accompanying the videos are printable workbooks, songbooks, coloring pages, crafts, and games.

The best part? You can try out two weeks of lessons for FREE before deciding if Kinderbach is for you and your family. You can't beat FREE!

This is Ladybug learning about Dodi's House on the keyboard,

and the coloring page that went with the lesson.

Who would appreciate this method of teaching music to young children?

• A mom who is musically challenged, yet wants to expose her kids to the wonders of making music.
• A mom who knows how to play, but wants an older sibling to help introduce the younger child to music using this program while she works with other students.
• A grandparent looking for something fun and memorable to do with the grandkids when they visit.
• A caregiver who would like an out-ot-seat activity to do with an after-school group, or a group of pre-schoolers.
• Any parent who feels their music program needs a boost, but doesn't have the money to sink into costly private or group lessons right now.
• Any parent who wants their younger children exposed to music, but there are just too many of them for individual lessons to fit into the budget and/or driving schedule right now!
• A parent with an older youngster who has trouble sitting still for a regular piano lesson might find that this is just the ticket for getting them far enough into understanding and content that their interest takes flight, and they will transition into regular lessons (you can always ask them to view it with a younger sibling to make it seem more cool).

 What the kids thought about the program:

• They liked it. All three of them, ages 3-7, requested it if I forgot to do their Kinderbach on any given day.
• The "daily" lessons were brief, so that is great for those with limited attention spans, and you can always do more than one if your attending abilties and interest levels are higher.
• There was a lot of activity going on during the lessons. That is a good thing, because it kept the Three Amigos' interest up. BUT, do not try to do them during a wee one's naptime! Doing them in a small space will also be a challenge.
• The teacher is very sweet and all three of my children liked her. She was very encouraging.
• The characters are cute. Firefly and Cowboy liked them.
• Ladybug did most of the keyboard activities, while the others focused on participating in the other activities, such as music, marching, playing other instruments, coloring, etc.
• I have the opinion that if your child is older (3rd and up?), he/she may not be challenged by this curriculum. It is a nice, simple, clear introduction to concepts such as tempo and half notes, highs and lows, loud and soft, hand placement, etc., but it might move too slowly for a child in the higher elementary grades. That is why it is marketed to younger children, though a sibling who is in charge of "running music class" for the little ones would certainly learn a thing or two!
• We liked the variety of activities. The kids valued their accomplishments.
• We give it a "two half notes up" rating!

Want to find out more about this innovative program?

Start by watching the introductory video HERE.

Then, check out these links...

• Monthly Online Option: $19.99
• Yearly Online Option: $95.88  (that's a lot cheaper than a year's worth of private lessons)
• Single-Level Options: $40.45
• Multi-Level Bundle options available
• Extras such as Coloring Books, Crafts, and Story & Song DVDs
• FREE coloring page, plus a chance to win a free songbook and CD
• See what other Crew members have to say about Kinderbach HERE.

There is a free online trial available HERE.

It is a great way to see if this is something
 that will interest your children.

You should really check it out!!

Another budding Beethoven raring to go!

Almost time to start the Kinderbach with this one...

Blessings,

Heather

Disclaimer: I received a membership to the Kinderbach site for the purposes of testing the products and services offered there, in return for a review here on my blog. The opinions you see here reflect our personal experiences with the product. If you have questions I did not answer, please feel free to contact me.