Music is a big part of my life, and it has always been important to me to include plenty of music instruction in homeschool. I regret to report that while I used to give piano lessons regularly to others, I have failed miserably at teaching my own children to play piano. They do, however, play band instruments and sing.
For this reason, I was very happy to review the KinderBach program for my younger children. Perhaps it will give us a good foundation so that I can do a better job teaching them piano than I did my older children. After all, anything with "Bach" or "Beethoven" in the name has to be good, right? And if it's not "Baroque," don't fix it! (OK, I stole that one from Disney's Beauty & The Beast. It's a good line!)
KinderBach at Home is an interactive online program to be used along with a keyboard to teach the basics of piano and music theory to children ages 2-7. Since the ideal age to start actual piano lessons is around age 7 or 8, this program is an excellent introduction for younger children. If you would like to expose your early elementary or preschool-age children to basic music theory or see how they will like piano before starting lessons, this program would be great for you, whether you homeschool or not. You do not even need to purchase a piano, as an inexpensive keyboard, even a toy keyboard, will work fine.
In each lesson, there is a video where children will learn basics like notes, rhythm, and composition while playing games with fun characters. You may watch the videos online or on DVD. Some lessons are accompanied by worksheets that you can print out from the website. You will need some sort of playing keyboard on which your child can play the notes. You do not need to have any musical background yourself in order to do this program. Soon, your child will be playing simple songs!
My first grader is really enjoying this program and the chance to have his very own music lessons, since his older siblings have been playing musical instruments for some time. I believe it is giving him a good foundation to start his own piano lessons in a year or two. As a piano teacher, I will recommend this program for parents of younger children who are interested in starting their children early, or who are wanting to find out what their child's interest is before purchasing a piano as opposed to a keyboard.
KinderBach at Home has several packages available to meet your needs, starting as low as $7.99 per month, or if you prefer a one-time fee, you may purchase a DVD package, which includes the accompanying activity sheets on CD. See all pricing here. Before you head over there, though, I have more good news. Although KinderBach's New Year's Clearance Sale just ended, they are offering a special coupon for our blog readers! The coupon gives 30% off ANY order from their website, and it is good for one year! That is a great deal, so please take advantage of it!
The coupon code is: TOScrew2012.
To see what other TOS Crew members thought of KinderBach, click here.
Disclaimer: I received free online lessons from KinderBach in exchange for a fair review. No other compensation was given, and all opinions are my own.
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