Math students in California start with the basics: Music Education

"Math teachers know that fractions can be hard for the average third-grader. Teachers at a public school in San Bruno, Calif., just south of San Francisco, are trying something new. They're teaching difficult math concepts through music, and they're getting remarkable results."

npr.org: Fractions curriculum in Fractions Curriculum Strikes the Right Note with Students. 

To learn more about teaching early concepts of music and notation to young children, ask about the Young Child program in Kindermusik Training.

Kindermusik for the Young Child

Age range: 5 to 7 years old

Class length: 60-70 minutes

Children learn to play three basic instruments - a stringed, wind, and keyboard instrument - along with early concepts of music and notation.

Using a small-group approach to music education, Kindermusik for the Young Child provides a pressure-free class where your child can develop a strong musical foundation by learning the concepts, language, notation, and vocabulary of music and its greatest composers. 

The program is designed to prepare the young child who is eager for first experiences with musical symbols and instrument discovery but is not yet ready for formal lessons and traditional music reading with an instrument. Parents or caregivers are encouraged to attend the last 10-15 minutes of class. 

Photo Essay: "You Have to Check Out Kindermusik!"

By photographer and Mom Samantha Ferguson.

One of the hardest things to describe is what happens in a Kindermusik classroom. So we love it when photographers attend a class, cameras in hand, to capture some of the "moments" that give us the goosebumps, and so much affirmation that a good beginning never ends.

Thank you to His Hands Photographs for taking these photos.

And here's what photographer, and Mom, Samantha Ferguson had to say about her first Kindermusik Class experience.

"I was so excited to be a part of this great idea but I didn’t know what to expect. I have heard of Kindermusik before but I really had no idea what it is exactly. 

Over two days, I was able to observe six classes and I am just amazed at how awesome the class is for both the child and the parent. 

The kids were singing, laughing, playing, LEARNING, and moms were enjoying a little down time with their babies AND spending time with other moms in the same place in life. 

Perfect! It is so perfect that I will be taking my Sarah to a class this semester. 

Kelly is so great with the kids and you can tell she is gifted in teaching music. I don’t know about you… but I am SOLD. 

You should sign up now, classes start next week! And you can even try out a class first!"

See more photos on His Hands Photographs. And thank you again, Samantha: We couldn't have said it, or pictured it, more perfectly!

Good Beginning

"I have seen the amazing results that occur teaching students a second language through music and movement."

Ready for the "new" classroom?

"The classroom, as we understand it from the industrial model, where we had kids sitting in rows, with a person standing in front, delivering information to a group who was assumed to be all of the same capabilities -- and that would be tested on their memory at the end of the year, and a report given, and said, 'Well that equals "they're learning" ' --  is a nonsense in a connected online world. So that is dead.

"What we're doing now, what we're seeing now, is the emergence of a new way to go about schooling."

Greg Whitby, Executive Director of Schools

Why listen to Whitby?

In 2007 he was named the most innovative and creative educator in Australia's Bulletin Magazine, as well as named Apple's Distinguished Educator for "his contribution to the implementation of Learning Technologies in Education."

We like the way Whitby thinks.

Since its creation over 25 years ago, the Kindermusik classroom was founded on research proven techniques to honor each child's learning ability. We also created a classroom that allows children to move and learn at their own pace. And we created a training program that gives educators the information and connection to each other -- using new technology --  to help prepare parents and children for a lifetime of learning.

The new classroom Whitby describes strongly aligns with the Kindermusik method.

• Agile learning space -- Movement and learning go hand in hand in the Kindermusik classroom, literally. From hands-on activities, to circle dances, to music-playing.
• Sound learning "theory of practice" - a recognition that the world is different now, because of the information age, and education needs to change with it -- Kindermusik's curricula is based on over 25 years of proven and ongoing research into the way children think, move and express.
• Personalized Education -- You'll receive training which allows you to recognize and honor each child's individual learning abilities.
• Allows Educators to work collaboratively -- Kindermusik's online classroom connects you to over 5,000 Educators teaching in classrooms around the world.

In the video, Whitby says the campfire was the first classroom, which eventually gave way to the creation of aschools. It took a while for the campfire to give way to new innovation, Whitby says, and now it's time for the traditional classroom to make room for a new kind of learning.

We'd love to help you learn more about how Kindermusik is helping children and Educators around the world prepare for the "new classroom." Call today.