My Success Story

For my intents and purposes, I am going to call this my Success Song. I know, it sounds corny and sentimental. But after all, that is who I am. I am sentimental. And being a musician at my very nature, it seems only natural that it be called something musical.

When I was asked to share my success story (song) I immediately said to myself, “Oh yeah, sure that’s easy. It’s the three ‘p’s (ppp).” No -- not the musical dynamic marking Pianississimo meaning very, very soft, but the three ‘p’s with which I “live” my business. Passion, Persistence and Patience. These three ‘p’s are at the core of my belief system regarding my business, and I believe they have contributed to my success as a Kindermusik Educator.

PASSION
First of all, I have a passionate commitment to the cause…to bring the gift of Kindermusik into the life of every child.

I believe in Kindermusik. Why? Because it makes a difference! And I know that nobody wins until we all do. I love Kindermusik! I truly love what I do and have adopted a motto for myself. I even went so far as to add it to my email signature. “LOVE WHAT YOU DO, DO WHAT YOU LOVE.” I am passionate about the cause.

I believe in Kindermusik’s philosophy: Kindermusik is a community of families and educators passionately committed to bringing music to children's lives through developmentally appropriate curricula, CDs, books, instruments, and activities.

Kindermusik's philosophy is founded upon rigorous research and our fundamental beliefs:
• A parent or loving caregiver is a child’s first and most important teacher
• All children are musical
• The home is the most important learning environment
• Music nurtures a child's cognitive, emotional, social, language, and physical development
• Children flourish in a child-centered environment where activities are developmentally appropriate
• Educators value the learning process—not the performance—of music making
• Every child should experience the joy, fun, and learning that music brings to life

I believe in Kindermusik’s brand promise. It is what sets us apart from the other options that are out there.
• Exceptionally talented early-childhood music educator
• Quality home materials to continue the learning throughout the week
• Parent education about the development of their child

A leader (or educator) who is passionately committed to the cause will draw much commitment from others. I believe in and can see the difference it makes in the lives of children. I have a passionate commitment to the cause. Do you? If so, let me ask you a question then. How do you show your commitment? I show mine through Persistence and Patience.

PERSISTENCE
I remember when I was first starting out several years ago. I did everything right. I advertised in all of the right places. I held demos in all of the right places. I walked neighborhoods with flyers, I wrote articles hailing the benefits of Kindermusik, I had a website up and running. I offered sibling discounts and early bird specials. I did it all. I even held a demo at the library that had no less than 50 people in attendance! Yet, when it came time for my first class, only three families registered. Where were all of the people? I had no explanation. I was so discouraged.

Despite my discouragement, I traveled from Denver to attend my first Kindermusik Convention in Greensboro, NC. (which was WONDERFUL, I might add!). And I made a very dear friend, Amy, who happens to live out east. Amy and I became fast friends, and I learned that she and I had “opened our doors” at about the same time. Amy had 50 students instantly. Go figure! Kindermusik is Kindermusik, right? And besides that, I did everything right too!

Then, really being confused and discouraged, I remember talking with my mentor, Kim Denney about it. I will never forget what she said. “Offer it [KM classes] and they will come. Just keep offering.” Persist! Don’t give up. Well, I listened. I didn’t give up, I kept putting myself out there and I kept putting Kindermusik out there and it paid off. I’m happy to say that I now have full and nearly full classes. (I still have some small classes too, but they are coming along.) My business is growing. As a matter of fact, I have experienced my first “wait list” class as of yesterday! Now that is a great feeling!

“Your program looks great, Lisa but , no. …” I learned something about myself when I heard this. I found that I don’t take “no” for an answer for very long. While running Kindermusik classes through a recreation center may not be for everyone, it has been a boon for me. It took me three people and three “no” answers to get to the “yes” I needed. I didn’t give up and kept trying and I’m glad I did. Getting into the rec center in my community was the turning point in my business. Persistence was the key.


PATIENCE
The waiting paid off. Word of mouth is a powerful thing, but sometimes it takes a bit of time for the word to travel. I had to plant the seed, care for it, and wait for it to grow. It takes patience to nurture a business. That is a tall order when trying to put food on the table and pay the mortgage, I know. Especially now. But for me, it has been worth it. I love what I do.

Sure, I have done some practical and tangible things to help the business along as well. I have offered classes at different locations on different days at different times, including weekends. I have offered Adventures Summer Camps. I approached preschools with ABC Music & Me and have added ABC Music and Me to the “core” curricula. I even recognized a need for parents wanting & needing some time for themselves in my community and offered a class I called ABC Music & Me: Parents Day Out. (It is a two hour class in which we have music time, snack time, craft time and play time together. The parents are welcome to stay or go run errands or go take a nap! This class has proven to be very successful for me.) I make myself very visible in my community—library story times, demos at Barnes and Noble, etc. I even began wearing apparel with the Kindermusik logo on it. You would be surprised at the conversations that has started!

I have also learned from my mistakes. I have done some really dumb advertising things, but the important thing is that I didn’t do them again. I had to be patient with myself and be willing to admit my mistakes. There was a lot to be learned from that particular ground that I covered.

So, this is what has worked for me. It is the tune I have sung to myself since day one. Hopefully you can find something here that can help inspire you to keep the faith—to keep the commitment to the cause. Kindermusik does make a difference. It has made a difference in my life, that’s for sure. That’s my song and I’m singin’ to it!


shared by educator Lisa Fultz from Aurora, CO

Three Different Career Paths

Having trouble determining what to do? Kindermusik now offers several career alternatives when you become a licensed educator. You can choose to be your own boss by establishing and nurturing your own program. You have the option of going to work for a local teacher that is interested in expanding her program. Or, the third choice is to go into preschools, daycares, and montessori schools to teach ABC Music & Me!

A new tool on our class locator features this button:




Educators that have teaching opportunities available have this logo posted on the class locator service we provide. To check for opportunities in your area, visit http://www.kindermusik.com/Classes/ClassesFind.aspx.
Enter your zip code and then contact them directly about job availability.

We are excited that we can now match employers to employees, in order to build the Kindermusik community, and reach more children with the gift and power of music.

Today's Economic Conditions Require Tough Decisions

In difficult times such as these, things often come into sharper focus-we remember what's really important, and what goals in life are really worth pursuing. And in times like these, Kindermusik stands out as a source of joy, growth, and strength for young children and their families. What more important time than now to help families come together?

The investment a parent makes in a child's early years, by enrolling them in a Kindermusik class, has lasting benefits. In fact, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, states, "Studying music encourages self discipline and diligence traits that carry over into mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history and geography." Research supports that music helps prepare the mind for specific disciplines of learning; skills learned through music carry over into study skills, communications skills, cognitive skills and abstract reasoning skills useful to all parts of life, according to a 1997 article in Neurological Research.

Join our worldwide community of educators as we change the lives of children and their families with the gift of music.

Kindermusik ... A Way of Life

Kathy Cain attended the Kindermusik educator convention in Raleigh, NC this past fall, and had these wonderful words to say about her teaching experience. Hear her story along with her other Kindermusik colleagues. Truly, a good beginning never ends.

Music Gets Children Ready For Reading

When it comes to literacy, how does Kindermusik fit in?

Researchers believe that music instruction helps children build active listening skills. By “tuning in” to music and other specific sounds carefully, one at a time, and with full attention, children hone their listening skills. Through songs and chants, children develop an ear for the patterns of sounds in words, phrases, and sentences. And as children listen to and sing words set to music, they become familiar with other sounds, rhymes, rhythms, and patterns in language.

The kind of learning children do in Kindermusik—engaging in active, focused listening exercises; building both receptive and expressed vocabulary; expanding awareness of phonemes, the building blocks of language; and exploring an awareness of how the printed word works to communicate—has been proven repeatedly and convincingly to be the kind of learning that is specifically linked to success in school.

For more details, please go to www.kindermusik.com/benefits

Bubbles, Butterflies, and Paper Monkeys

Inspire a child's love of learning in only five lessons this summer, teaching Kindermusik Adventures.

As you know, research proves that early integration of music into the daily routine means improving a child's ability to think, create, reason, and express. Adventures' summer camps provide an opportunity to continue their love of learning in an environment that is both fun and educational, during a time when most are on vacation for a 2-3 month period.

In a Kindermusik summer camp, they blow music bubbles, play parachute, and kite games. Make yard art from a glue jar. Sing. Say hello in 5 languages when they visit a new country each lesson: Germany, Japan, England, Mexico, and the continent of Africa. All these great summer camp activities -- the music, stories, and crafts -- are designed to nurture a child's natural curiosity, one that eventually draws them toward learning new words, new numbers, new cultures, and new big ideas.

Earn some additional income this summer by teaching a few 5-day summer camps. Imagine, offering only 4 classes with 8 children each, over a 2-week period, and earning as much as $2,500.

(This is a great opportunity for members of MTNA, MENC and NAEYC.)

School Teachers Needed

As a preschool, kindergarten, or elementary school teacher, you play a vital role in the development of children. What they learn and experience during their early years, shapes their views of themselves and the world. It also affects their success or failure in school, work, and their personal lives. As you know, preschool children learn primarily through play and interactive activities. You are responsible for introducing them to math, language, science, and social studies, and successfully do so with story telling, rhyming games, music, and art, as well as other basic teaching tools.

Well, that's Kindermusik! We are the world's leader in using music and movement to foster whole child development (social, emotional, language, physical, and cognitive) and instill a lifetime love of learning in children world-wide, ages newborn to 7.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, job availability is only expected to increase about 12% between 2006 and 2016 for public school teachers. Most public school teachers must be licensed, which typically requires a bachelor's degree and completion of an extensive approved teacher education program.

With Kindermusik, you can begin fulfilling your life's best work today. All you need to do is complete our Fundamentals of Kindermusik training course. It is all done online from the comfort of your own home in 8-10 weeks. Just in time to earn summer income.

And... you get to be the boss! Set your own schedule, determine your own tuition, and tailor your program around the needs and responsibilities of your own family.

We support you with lead distribution, class scheduling on our international website, E-Z online enrollment for your families, a customized path for your business' success, and free professional development and on-going training.

Call us today to get started on your journey to teach!

(This is a great opportunity for members of MTNA, MENC and NAEYC.)

by Terry Kilgo
Recruiting Manager
(using report from the U.S. Department of Labor)