Friday, September 23, 2011

Your Preschool Child's Musical Development

Want to learn more about your child’s musical development? Read on….

How does Kindermusik class help to develop my child’s musical skills?

Below we’ve outlined the musical profile of a 3-5 year old child and included ways that we practice these skills in Kindermusik class each week.

  • Is developing beat awareness -à We practice beat awareness using our talking drum where we walk, run, and jumpto the beat of the drum
  • Can match beat to external sound source in non-locomotor ways -à We practice matching beat when we explore sticks and other instruments, then play along to songs on our Home CD, such as “This Old Man”
  • Enjoys the interactive nature of circle games -à This week we played “What Shall We Do?” where children took turns sharing their ideas for playing outside and then we “sang” their ideas as a group in the song.
  • Is becoming increasingly successful with the rhythmic and tonal components of songs -àThe Grasshopper Park Story has been a great tool for exploring rhythm and tone. We can already see improvement in the children’s ability to retell the story using rhythm and tonal components, which means that they’ve been telling the story at home!
  • Is beginning to sing accurately in a limited range -àWith each class the children are singing more on pitch. That’s one reason we repeat songs from week to week is to give the children practice at matching pitch.
  • Can differentiate between the singing voice and the speaking voice -à We incorporate both chants and songs in class to practice differentiating between speech and singing.
  • Is beginning to understand musical concepts such as: Loud/Quiet, High/Low, Long/Short, Fast/Slow -à The ball play song, Do as I’m Doing, lends itself well to explore these concepts. Plus our glissando exploration has given us an opportunity to practice high/low voices.
It's age-appropriate.
It's musical learning.
It's music for now. Skills for life.

Kathy's Music, LLC
(412) 344-0535

Monday, January 17, 2011

Introducing Kindermusik Radio iPhone App




Introducing Kindermusik's new app for the iPhone - Kindermusik Radio!
Click here to learn more.

Dance, march, skip, and stretch. Swing your partner and then rock to a lullaby. Smile and laugh. Like their music and movement classes, the Kindermusik Radio app provides parents with a way to engage and interact with their children - while training the brain and soothing the soul.

Research shows that music helps children become better learners. Toddlers love to dance, swing and sing as they develop their motor and aural skills. Preschoolers strengthen neural pathways by making up songs and rhymes as their imaginations run wild. With 5 stations to choose from, the Kindermusik app will give you access to over 100 tracks, the very finest and authentic reproductions of classic children’s songs, nursery rhymes, and stories well as Kindermusik originals.

The Kindermusik Radio app offers a parent-child activity for every song, each activity designed to engage and entertain young listeners as well as stimulate early childhood development. The activities are based on principles defined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Music Educators’ National Conference (MENC). Kindermusik has over 30 years experience in developing early learning curricula and products based on the work of early childhood development experts such as Piaget, Montessori, and Greenspan, and the music education philosophies of Orff, Kodaly, and Dalcroze.

Sing. Move. Listen. Share. Anywhere.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Fall Family Music Festival Week - Nov 3rd thu Nov 9th


It's a class for your child, but the whole family benefits too!

Connect - Find support and friendship in our vibrant and growing community of families.

Share - Play and laugh together in an integrated, creative, child-centered experience.

Learn - Get expert advice on your child's development, every step of the way.

Grow - Inspire a love for music and learning in class, and then continue the fun at home.


This week we are celebrating Kindermusik and Family in all of our classes. We have prepared lessons designed to connect, share, learn, and grow together as a family.

Want to learn more about the Kindermusik experience? Contact us today to preview a class.


Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Local Opera Matinee - just for families!



Our very own Kindermusik teacher, Jenifer Weber, will be performing in an opera this weekend called, "Dido and Aeneas." Performance dance are October 22-24th.

Flash Opera presents Dido and Aeneas, an English baroque opera by Henry Purcell. It is the story of how Dido, the Queen of Carthage and Aeneas, the hero of Troy fell in love and why their relationship didn't work. This opera is in English and has a running time of approximately 1 hour. The Sunday matinee held at the JCC in Squirrel Hill is for families and will feature a pre-performance talk and a post-performance question/answer period. The room in which the performance will take place is convenient to restrooms and is less formal and more comfortable than a traditional theater venue. Children are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Friday, October 22 at 8pm, we appear at South Hills Retirement Residence (formerly South Hills High School) at 125 Ruth St.

Saturday, October 23 at 8pm, we're at The Zenith in the South Side at 86 S. 26th St.

Sunday, October 24 at 1:30, we're at the JCC-Sq. Hill for a family matinee.

While Friday and Saturday night would make a great date night, Sunday will be great for families. Admission is free with donations accepted at the door.

Congratulations Jenifer and best wishes for a great weekend of performances! We're so proud!



Monday, October 18, 2010

Kindermusik with Kathy's Music will be at Learning Express Robinson this week!



Join us this Saturday, October 23rd, at Learning Express in Robinson for 2 special events led by Miss Kathy at Kindermusik with Kathy's Music, LLC.

First it's Donuts with Dads - we'll be joining these families after they enjoy their refreshments for songs and activities that have to do with spending time together in the kitchen with our families.

Then at Noon we're leading a Music and Movement Storytime with a variety of most-favorite activities, including several selections from our Away We Go unit all about trains. Join us for this special event - reservations requested through Learning Express. Please contact them today to reserve your space!

We love the folks at Learning Express and their products that encourage creativity and musical exploration. Be sure to stop by this Saturday to check out their store and learn more about Kindermusik!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Join us for Kindermusik Storytime at the Robinson Library

Parents, Join us this Wednesday, September 29th at 1:00 PM for a Kindermusik storytime at the Robinson Township Library located on Churchill Road. Our own Emily Lukach will be sharing Weather stories, songs, and activities with preschoolers ages 3-5 years.




Want to learn more about Kindermusik? Join us for a preview class in Robinson on Saturday, October 2nd at our new location at 6040 Steubenville Pike, Suite 704. Contact us today to reserve your space (412) 344-0535.

We're changing the word through music, one family at a time!
Serving the Pittsburgh area in Mt. Lebanon, McMurray, Robinson, and Squirrel Hill.


Tuesday, August 24, 2010

New Kindermusik Offerings for Young Child, Family Time, and more in Pittsburgh!


Classes are filling so we added new classes to meet demand!!

We just added new Kindermusik for the Young Child classes, our premier music fundamentals classes for ages 5-7:
Wed 4:30 - Mt. Lebanon
Thur 4:45 - McMurray
Fri 1:00 - Robinson
Sat 12:30 - Mt. Lebanon

We just added new Family Time Classes for ages 0 to 5 years:
Mon 10:30 - Robinson
Tues 11:15 - Mt. Lebanon
Wed 6:30 - McMurray
AND we're working on a new Saturday class, too!! Stay tuned as the details are unfolding!!

The Our Time classes are filling, so we added more of those, too.
Check out ALL the Our Time Classes now available in Robinson, McMurray, and Squirrel Hill
Plus, we have a Thursday 6:15 PM class in Mt. Lebanon.

We'd love to hear from YOU if you'd like to see a different day/time.
We're committed to offering the days/times that you need!

(412) 344-0535

Preview classes starting this week. Come experience Kindermusik!