Music Appreciation 1 by Memoria Press {Curriculum Review}

One of the subjects I was adamant that we would add to our studies this year was Music Appreciation. I am sorry to say that though I started strong using a course I designed for myself, I petered out. Needless to say, when I had the chance to review the Music Appreciation I set from Memoria Press, I jumped on the chance. I hoped that it would not only be a mix of music history and listening skills, but also enjoyable for my boys.

About Music Appreciation from Memoria Press

Memoria Press has long been known for their award winning classical style curriculum and other products. Not only do they carry a full line of complete grade level curriculum, but they also carry an extensive collection of electives including foreign languages and music. One of the music courses is their Music Appreciation 1 set.

A Music Appreciation Curriculum for Multi-Grade Levels from Zeezok Publishing {Curriculum Review}

I adore music. I adore GOOD music. I am a pianist who loves good classical music. I was trained by learning how to play the greats--Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Handel...all those familiar names. I really want my boys to learn about the great composers who paved the way for our modern music, but even as a piano teacher, I still wished for a program that I could guide them on. Something that included not just information about the composers, but showcased the beautiful music they wrote as well. Needless to say, the minute I heard we had a chance to review Music Appreciation Book 1: for the Elementary Grades from Zeezok Publishing LLC, I was thrilled and hoped that it would be the kind of program I was looking for.

Product Information

Zeezok Publishing LLC is committed to providing materials that are unique for families to use in the education of their children. Offering curriculum from their Great Musician Series to their Presidential Penmanship to their zGuide to the Movies, the quality and presentation style of the products cannot be beat.

Their newest product is the Music Appreciation Book 1: for the Elementary Grades which goes with their Great Musician series. Covering the lives of seven different composers--Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Paganini, and Schubert--the program introduces classical music to your children

while also introducing them to music theory. 
This is a two-year curriculum (meeting national academic requirements) designed for kindergarten through 6th grade. It's a flexible and easy to teach program that will not only teach you about each composer, but expose your child to multiple songs by each composer! The curriculum includes over 2 1/2 hrs of professionally recorded music.
The Music Appreciation Book 1 Collection ($169.99) includes the following:
* Student Activity Book * Music Discs * Lapbook * All seven composer biographies
You can see a sample of the student activity book and a  sample of the lapbook for more information.
We received the Music Appreciation Book 1 Collection to be used with the boys ages 5 and 10.

How Did We Use It?

I was so excited to get this package and when the box arrived on a weekend, I tore into it! I was immediately in love with the high quality of the biographies, and knew we had to get started the following Monday. We were asked to start with Mozart, so I flipped to the Mozart's section in the activity book to look it over. I love that each composer has a different colored section making it much easier to find. 
While I was flipping through the activity book (it's three hold punched which is a nice benefit!), I went ahead and popped in the lapbook CD. I am very familiar with lapbooks, as they are some of our most favorite things to make. The CD immediately pulled up a menu--the top option was View Music Appreciation Lapbook. I love it when it's clearly laid out like that! So I clicked it and discovered that every composer was going to have their own lapbook--so this was a very large file as each lapbook has about 16 different pieces and requires two file folders to make. I found the Mozart section (About 70 pages in) and printed off the first two lapbook components. I love that I can print off duplicates since I am doing this with both boys. Instructions for putting the lapbook together is found on the first couple pages of the file, INCLUDING what each composers lapbook will look like when finished. This is a fabulous extra.

Going back to the Student Activity Book--on the first page of each composer is a weekly lesson outline. This provides you EVERYTHING you need to know about how to section out all the activities for each week. The icons show you what things are to be read, what are hands on, what are character traits, what is geography, etc. I also appreciated the note of the asterix (*). This identified what things must be done in order to meet national academic standards. I liked to think of these as the "at the very least, get these done" items. Once I looked at this, I analyzed all the activities within a week's assignments and QUICKLY discovered how meaty each lesson was. I knew right away that there was no way we'd get all of that done in one week. But, the great thing, is that this program doesn't have a set schedule--you can adjust it to fit. On the website, it states that each day's work is at least an hour depending on how much is done. That's a LOT! 
In my planner, I just noted what activities I was going to do each day and discovered spreading it out over about 7 days (1 1/2 weeks) would probably be the best for us.  I went ahead and put together the boys lapbooks (green for Little Britches, blue for Baby Britches) because I always keep file folders handy just for this kind of thing. And on Monday we began.

The boys weren't jumping up and down about it, but they both love music and love me reading, so they were willing to give it a try. We quickly discovered the books were written in a very read aloud friendly way and the boys liked the pen and ink illustrations. We chose to read it aloud, but it is written where my oldest could easily read it himself--grade 3-4 level for the biographies. The boys were captivated right away with the story of Mozart and were in awe of his musical genius. 
In the middle of our first chapter, we found a piece of sheet music--the first song that Mozart ever had written down and he was only five when he wrote it! Considering Baby Britches is five, this resonated big time with both boys. They immediately wanted to listen to the song-so we found the coordinating music CD (included in the package and clearly marked) and enjoyed the simple (or not!) melody. Being that I am a pianist and the boys are convinced I can play ANYTHING, they had me stop and go to the piano to hear me play it.  The sheet music was complete, and I was able to take it right to the piano and give it a go. I can sight read very very well, but let me tell you--I was not perfect and had to think about some of the sequences before playing them. I was able to affirm that without a doubt, Mozart was a certifiable genius. LOL. The boys LOVED me playing the song and had me do it over and over again.
As we finished up the chapter, we discovered ANOTHER song, and headed back to the piano once again. At this point, the boys clearly were very very interested in the life of Mozart and demanded we read more--but I told them we were done with just this chapter.
The next step I did the first day was to go over the comprehension questions. I decided that although they were able to be written down, I wanted to do them orally so that both boys had opportunity to answer the questions. Ideally, you would want to purchase TWO student activity books, but I knew that Little Britches would be doing the bulk of the writing, so I just used the one included in my review. The questions were designed to check comprehension from the reading and all the questions could be answered based on that.  The second day, we listened again to the songs from the first chapter and then did some of the student activity book readings on character traits and tidbits of interest. We finished the day's work by doing our first lapbook piece which included attaching Mozart's face, and completing a map activity for the lapbook. 
Day three found us listening again--and by now humming along--with the two Mozart songs and completing some reading/questions from the student activity book. This time, Little Britches did record his answers in the book.
Day four had us back at the piano to play the two songs--and by this time, they could tell me when I made mistakes. LOL. We completed the next hands-on activity and writing exercise.
On Friday of the first week, we listened to the songs and danced to them, and then did the last student workbook activity for the week--a review of some German words and terms and matching.  Surprisingly, I was able to get all of the weeks' assignments done in one week, but this was the only week this happened. Throughout the rest of the review period I followed a similar routine--although the lapbook pieces increased and we had to start spreading them out over a couple days. We averaged 7 days for each lesson. We didn't always do every activity during the week, but we did 90% of the ones that were included. 
On our final day with the final lapbook pieces, we focused on the operas that Mozart was famous for. I searched out Youtube videos of the LIVE performances and even found a condensed animated version of The Magic Flute for the boys to watch--even sung in English. When I played the famous The Marriage of Figaro solo (you know, the one that goes "Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!), the boys cheered because they recognized it from Tom & Jerry cartoons. LOL. They also LOVED the Marriage of Figaro overture, especially when I told them that I played it in high school on my flute. It was so much fun sharing some of my most favorite operas and opera songs with them--especially because they enjoyed them!
By the end of our review period, we completed our Mozart lapbook and will be starting a new composer next week.

What Are Our Thoughts?

I think that overall everyone really enjoyed this program. The boys ALWAYS love lapbooks and they liked being able to work on them together--yet doing separate work. I think the aspect the boys enjoyed the most was listening to the story and hearing the music. They are very musically oriented, so I am not surprised by this at all. After the first day, they came running when it was time to do our music lessons for the day. It is definitely possible to do multiple grade levels at one time. I just incorporated my 5 year old when I could in our discussions.
I absolutely loved how complete this program was. Not only were they getting biographical information about each composer, but through this, they learned some history about the time era. They learned about the culture of the regions the composers visited. I loved the addition of the character traits that were pointed out from the life of Mozart. These were great talking points for us and I worked to incorporate their validity in regards to our own lives. 

Some map work

Writing down favorite Mozart songs

We are a lapbook loving family, so we definitely appreciated the aspect of the lapbook. The activities were very well done and detailed, but I appreciated most that there was minimal writing activities. This really makes it more multi-grade friendly as writing is a skill that a lot of children aren't strong in. The cutting lines were pretty basic, so my 5 year old was able to really help with the cutting in this lapbook. I also am happy that the program included a visual of what the lapbook for Mozart would look like when completed. That helped us match up our pieces--they are numbered, but still. I will add a photo of it when I get one of it all completed as we have a couple pieces that just need attached.
Is there anything I don't like? Well, I think it would be nice if there was a guide that told me what page each composer's lapbook started on as part of the student workbook. I found the numbers on the lapbook pdf, but it would be handy if it said on the book like "found on page 82 of lapbook" so I could just type that number in and go right to the lapbook piece I needed.

Other than that, I really don't have anything to add because it was so well done and just what I was hoping for!

Will we continue to use this product? Absolutely! We can probably finish one more composer before we finish school for 2015-2016, which means I will have five more to do next year! And if you didn't already catch it, you do not have to do the composers in order--each is a separate unit, so you can go in whatever order you prefer!

Would I Recommend This Program?

Yes yes yes! This is a simply marvelous program that is well rounded in what it teaches. Not only are you getting a fabulous history lesson with every composer, but you are putting together lapbooks which can be referenced for years to come that are full not just of biographical information, but aspects of music theory too! With this one curriculum, you have everything you need to teach a comprehensive music appreciation course to your family. If you DON'T like lapbooks, I honestly think you could still use all the information included--just don't put the lapbooks together. You could go with a notebooking style and store it all in a binder. I definitely think it's a great program for teaching multi-grades--something that can be difficult to find.

Want to Know More?

We reviewed the Music Appreciation Book 1: for the Elementary Grades from Zeezok Publishing LLC with a focus on the Mozart unit study. I hope that you will check out the rest of the reviews from my fellow crew members and see the composers that they explored! Are you looking to stay up to date with what's going on over at Zeezok? You can follow them on these social media outlets: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Zeezok-Publishing-LLC-208441035019 Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/zeezok/ As you can see, this program from Zeezok was exactly what I was looking for and I am happy that I have been able to begin my introduction of the classical composers to my boys. I am definitely going to be watching for when book 2 comes out because this is a great program and I want them all!
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Easy Piano Basics~ Beginning Online Piano Lessons {Product Review}

I am a piano teacher. I am asked all the time if there is an online program out there I could recommend for parents desiring to get their children into piano--who don't have access to a LIVE teacher. My answer has always pretty much been--"no, I'm sorry I don't." I had a chance to review Easy Piano Basics from JazzEdge, and as I waited for it, I wondered if this online piano lesson program would be something that I could recommend to friends and family. I also wondered if it might help get Little Britches caught back up to where he was when we stopped his piano lessons two years ago.

Product Information

Easy Piano Basics from JazzEdge, is a gentle introduction to piano created by Willie Myette as a way to help students worldwide explore the world of piano--without having to find, or travel to a "real" piano teacher. Willie (a Berkley College of Music graduate)  wanted to create a program where you can listen to your teacher over and over as much as needed in order to review the lessons and have it broken down into simple lessons for the young and old to complete. Easy Piano Basics is geared for ages 5+, but children younger than 7 will probably need to have their parent learn along with them. The program is available for a one-time fee of $59.95--and you get access to the lessons---unlimited! All the music you need, is available on the same site for downloading--at no extra cost. As long as you have a device with the internet that can play videos, you can use this program! JazzEdge also offers DrumsWithWillie and PianoWithWillie (an later beginner/intermediate program) We were given the Easy Piano Basics program to review.

How Did We Use This Product?

The day we got our email sign in, it was a simple log in and go. The page that pulls up after you log in, is the lessons. Each one clearly numbered and labelled. There is also a place on the right where you can download the sheet music--and each page of sheet music is clearly marked with the lesson that goes with it. It was definitely an "open and go" style!

To get started, I had Little Britches go to the piano and I put the laptop on the back of the piano for him to watch. At first he was moaning and groaning, but he got interested quickly by the video and started paying attention. Baby Britches wants to learn too, so they are both sharing a piano bench and listening to the lessons together. 

They took turns playing what was asked of them. They enjoyed doing it together. From this point on, I had Little Britches do one or two lessons every other day at first. He isn't completely new to the piano, though it has definitely been long enough for him to forget things. We soon got to doing one or two lessons a week to allow for practice time. 
How do you know what to practice? It's written on each lesson underneath the video.

You can see here, that on the lesson page (which this is), there is the video to play (with the option to download--and showing how long the video is), as well as easy to find buttons to take you to the lessons before or after. Under each lesson is the recommended practice routine--it is for AFTER the current lesson is completed.
For us, I simply looked over the practice routine, and then had him do it! We worked it in about 4 days a week. I never had to do more then tell him to practice and he went over and did it. 
Here is a video of him practicing his 5 finger scales:
At this point, we are getting ready to start lesson #14 this week and he is getting more confident with the notes and keys--it's starting to come back to him more quickly.

What Are Our Thoughts About This Product?

Little Britches: "I like it. It's easy to see what I need to do with his piano right there where I can see his fingers and what notes he is playing. I like him teaching me better than mommy--except mommy has better songs to play. But I am almost ready to get my old book back out. I like the short lessons and he knows more than mommy. "
Bwahahahahaha.
Me: As a piano teacher, I probably analyze it a bit more critically than others would, so remember that as you read these--especially the cons...
Pros: *Online Lessons *Plays on any device that can do videos w/Internet *Short concise lessons with plenty of review and demonstration *You can see his fingers play from an overhead camera position AND it lights and names the keys on his demonstration piano. *It's easy to move to the next lesson *Lessons are available for downloading if desired *Practice suggestions are clearly listed under each lesson *All sheet music is available for easy download to go with the lessons *Sheet music is clearly labeled with each lesson *Can review the lesson as many times as needed *One-time purchase with lifetime access *Knowledgeable and fun teacher *Just need a computer/device, and a keyboard/piano
Cons: *There is no way to tell whether or not you are truly doing it correctly As a piano teacher, I need to be able to watch my students as they play. It allows me to offer them reminders, and I can stop them if I see something that needs corrected right away. This includes things like hand positioning, and if they are starting in the wrong place. An online pre-recorded teacher, cannot do this.
*You can't "ask" him a question right away Sometimes, the students need answers right away...but with this program, you will have to contact them for assistance via phone, email, or forum and wait for an answer. Not necessarily the most convenient, but still it is handy.
*32 great lessons to complete, but... There are just 32 short lessons in this program. At 3-11 minutes each, that only gives you a chance to scratch the surface of piano. This program is definitely an absolute beginner one. There is no full songs by the end--so you need to go into the next program to get into "real" music so to speak. 
*No Real Theory Lessons I think an important part of piano lessons is learning the "why" of it. This is made up as theory lessons and some of the best way to apply the information you learn, is to not just play it, but put it onto paper and practice learning to identify whole steps, half steps, intervals, key signatures, etc. With this program you are introduced to it, and shown what it is, but I think the important step of practicing that in worksheet/workbook form is missing. It would be nice to have some little worksheets included with the downloads. I find my own students have greater comprehension when they do them WITH the lesson and music. I'm hoping that I would find this in the next level of lessons where actual books are included.
In summary, if you are looking for a high quality program to teach your child, or yourself piano lessons and you don't know ANYTHING, this is an excellent program to start with. It will teach you the absolute basics in 32 lessons. From these lessons, you will be able to jump into any other program--even if you want a LIVE teacher. The cons are more minor in the grand scheme of things and as I said--I'm more picky since I AM a piano teacher.

Would I Recommend This Program?

Yes! I get asked all the time from friends who DON'T live near me, "what can I use for piano lessons? No one teaches it here!". I can recommend this program. The cost is what I would charge for 4 lessons--so it's very reasonable AND unlike me or any other real teacher, this program allows you to watch it over and over--with unlimited usage! It is definitely BEGINNING--as in EARLY beginner. I would make say more geared for 1st grade and up. If your child is less than 7, you will probably need to take it WITH your child. An adult could easily work through this on their own.
Will we continue to use this program? Yes! It gives me a chance to catch up Little Britches without me having to stay on top of it. I can hear his progress and as a teacher, pick out things I need to help him on or things he needs to re-watch and re-practice. I plan on letting Baby Britches continue watching it with him because he's almost ready to start for "real" too.

Want to Know More?

We reviewed Easy Piano Basics ($59.95) from JazzEdge and you've seen how we enjoyed it. But what about the next level PianoWithWillie or DrumsWithWillie? Why don't you head on over to see what my fellow crew members had to say! You can stay in touch with DrumsWithWillie or PianoWithWillie on these social media outlets: DrumsWithWillie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drumswithwillie Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrumsWithWillie Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jazzedge YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JazzEDge Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/jazzedge
PianoWithWillie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PianoWithWillie Twitter: https://twitter.com/PianoWithWillie ***

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I admit. I am happy to have found something to fill in the gap for Little Britches to be caught back up for piano. I love having someone else doing the review and to be able to just listen and be a PARENT instead of the primary teacher. I like the tutoring role. I plan on using these with Baby Britches for "official" lessons in a few months, but for now he's just enjoying the time with Little Britches.

Diana and Friends Experience History Through Music Giveaway--$700+ Value!

Happy Friday!

As many of my regular readers know, I'm a HUGE history buff. I love it. I can't get enough of it. I also am a music lover. We incorporate music into our home as much as possible--especially into our homeschooling. I recently was given the opportunity to meld the two together-- learning History THROUGH Music!

I'm part of an incredible group of homeschooling bloggers working with the incredible Diana Waring to launch a new series: Experience History Through Music by Diana Waring! She has crafted a brilliant series of books w/CD’s taking events from history and connecting them with the music of the time! Have you read the Little House on the Prairie Books? If you have, then you know that Laura continuously mentions her Pa's fiddle and the music he plays...but do you know the songs? What about the songs of the pioneers that were sung by our ancestors as they established our country? What did they dance to? What did they hum? You will be able to learn all this and MORE (old photos!!!) from this exciting new series—perfect for adding to your homeschool history collection---or to enjoy by any history buff!

To celebrate the release of Experience History Through Music, I am joining members of the Diana Waring Launch Team for an amazing giveaway. Friends of Diana have joined in and as you can see, someone's homeschool is going to be greatly blessed! 

Here's what you could win! 

From Diana Waring Presents

Experience History Through Music - set of 3 books with CDs ($50/set) 

Diana Waring Presents is about to bring back into print the BEST folk music you have ever heard, combined with the fascinating stories they represent in American history!   The Experience Music Through History series includes: America - Heart of a New Nation, Westward Ho! - Heart of the Old West  and Musical Memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The musicians are amazing, every instrument is real, lots of great vocalists, and more toe-tapping music than you can imagine! The books tell the stories behind the songs.  Together, they bring American history to life through it's music!! With fascinating history books and toe-tapping folk music CDs, American history has NEVER been this fun!

Encouragement for Homeschool Moms Collection ($25) 

Every mom needs that word of encouragement from someone who has been there, who has grownup children and can speak with assurance about the journey. Homeschool moms have an extra portion of the journey to navigate, and often wish for an extra voice that will offer direction but without nagging or prodding. Diana Waring has that voice.

From A Journey Through Learning

$50 Gift Certificate 

$50 to spend in the A Journey Through Learning store, applicable toward any digital download purchase.

From Homeschool Legacy

Westward Ho! Part I ($19.95) 

Load up your wagon! Discover the extraordinary times of adventurous frontiersmen and brave pioneers as you travel cross-country along the Erie Canal,  Oregon Trail, and even “remember the Alamo” in Westward Ho Part I.

Westward Ho! Part II ($19.95) Continue the exciting saga begun in Westward Ho! Part I as you journey with the forty-niners, ride the rails of the Transcontinental Railroad, experience life on the prairie, and discover the exciting era of cowboys and cattle drives in Westward Ho! Part II.

From Knowledge Quest Maps

Map Trek: Atlas and Outline Maps of World History ($55) 

Map Trek is a historical atlas plus outline maps that allow you to teach geography alongside history. This is a resource that any homeschool parent can use with brilliant success, even if you don't remember a thing from your history or geography classes in public school. 

From Home School Adventure Co. 

Philosophy Adventure™ Digital Download ($39.95) 

Philosophy Adventure™ is designed to help students 6th-12th grade cultivate and defend a biblical worldview by teaching them how to write skillfully, think critically, and speak articulately as they explore the history of ideas.

From Heidi St. John (The Busy Mom and Real Life Press)

Firmly Planted Family Devotional Digital Volume 3 ($39) 

The Firmly Planted Family Series is divided into ten-week studies and is your key to making sense of the Bible—even if you’re learning right along with your children. Each lesson provides a core idea, a simple narrative, memory verses and discussion questions for children of all ages. And the companion student workbook is filled with age-appropriate, full-color, reproducible activities for children of any age!

From Raising Real Men

Free Registration to Boyhood Boot Camp or Boot Camp 9-12 LIVE webinar series (winner's choice) plus Mom & Dad Special Raising Real Men (Book for Mom to read in the bathroom + AudioBook for Dad to listen to on the commute) ($62-69)

Free Registration for Marriage Retreat Online plus His & Hers Special of My Beloved and My Friend: How To Be Married To Your Best Friend Without Changing Spouses (book + audiobook), ($65)

 

From Institute for Excellence in Writing

$50 Gift Certificate 

$50 to spend in the IEW store, applicable toward any purchase.

From The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

SchoolhouseTeachers.com ($139) 

A one year membership to the curriculum arm of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Nearly 100 classes for Pre-K to High School, taught by expert teachers, and lots of extras including the Schoolhouse Planners, Schoolhouse Expos, monthly free ebook downloads and more. 

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine 2014 Print Book ($15) 

Be encouraged, enlightened, and educated with the all new 2014 Annual Print Book published by The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.You’ll get a year’s worth of homeschool support in almost 300 pages in this full color one-of-a-kind print magazine for homeschoolers, by homeschoolers. This is a magazine you’ll refer to again and again.

From Writing with Sharon Watson

The Power in Your Hands ($53.96) 

With The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School, they’ll learn what they need to know for high school and will be prepared for college writing.

Writing Fiction [in High School] ($35) 

Are you raising the next C. S. Lewis or Jane Austen? Help your student develop their fiction-writing talents. Writing Fiction [In High School]: Bringing Your Stories to Life

To enter the giveaway, use the Rafflecopter below. Residents of the U.S., age 18 and older only. Other Terms and Conditions can be found in the Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

As you can see, this is an INCREDIBLE giveaway to celebrate the launch of these EQUALLY incredible books! I hope you will enter to win this great prize--and stay tuned for my complete review of Experience History Through Music by Diana Waring the week of June 30th! If you join my email subscribers, you will get it right to your inbox--simply add your email to the box at the top in my left side bar!

KinderBach Online Piano Lesson Program (a review)

If you have been a regular reader of my blog, you know that I teach piano lessons. I am a small-town teacher with just about 10 regular students (age 6-16). I love teaching and while I really enjoy the successful program I have laid out for my students, I am always curious to see how others teach piano. This curiosity was sparked again upon discovering that the first company for 2014 the Schoolhouse Review team collaborated with was KinderBach, an online piano lesson program. I happily signed up to be a reviewer, because I was very interested to giving this program a try!

What is KinderBach?

KinderBach is a video and online piano lesson program designed for children ages 3-7...an age group that most piano teachers prefer not to teach due to the child's young age, lack of reading skills and fluency, and short attention span. Karri Gregor, the creator and teacher of the program, uses colorful illustrations, fun videos and characters, songs, coloring sheets and rhythm instruments to capture the child's interest and teach about basic music theory and keyboard knowledge.

While they initially started as a DVD program, KinderBach is now offering The KinderBach Online Piano Lesson Membership with Teacher Corner. As of the date of this writing you can get this membership for $95.88 per year. Regular price is $130. When you calculate that out, it’s just $7.99/month for a year!

As a piano teacher I can assure you that you will not find that price anywhere else for piano lessons for a weekly lesson...much less for a whole month of lessons!

As part of the online piano lesson membership you will get:

* Access to all web lessons (over 240 sessions!) by computer...you can also access it via iPad, Android Tablet, Kindle Fire or Nook. This means you can take the program with you wherever you go!

* All the accompanying printable pdf pages--just print and use!

* Access to all Teacher Corner materials for Levels 1 to 6...including MP3's, PDF's, teachers guides and more!

* All the miscellaneous story books, worksheets, games and song sheets the program has to offer!

A year's membership will grant you access to the full program from Level 1 to Level 6 giving your student all the information they need to start them on their path for musical fluency!

Worried about needing to know music yourself as the parent to use this program? Don't be! There is a great "parent's guide" that lays out a lot of things for you about the program--including basic items relating to the things the student will be learning. Because you have access to the Teacher Corner, you have everything you need to provide your student with online lessons--including lesson plans, a teacher aid book, a teacher guide book, a student book as well as a goal book and certificates for lesson completion! It truly is an all-in-one program for learning piano.

Don't have a keyboard or piano yet? KinderBach even includes printable piano sheets (they look just like the keys on the piano) which work perfectly well for the first several weeks before actual playing of specific notes is required...though tablets, notebooks and iPads have keyboard apps which work great too!

How did we use the KinderBach piano lesson program?

Little Britches just turned eight and Baby Britches is three; therefore, I have a child at each end of the range this program is designed for. While Baby Britches has not had a single piano lesson with me yet, Little Britches had about 8 months worth of lessons, before we quit at summertime last year. He came into the KinderBach program with some experience, but as it has been awhile since his last formal lesson, I wasn't sure how much he had retained.

We have been able to go from week #1 to week #9 in the few weeks that we have been reviewing this product. Each week of the program contains four lessons and it is suggested that you use it 3-4 times per week. Every week begins with an introduction video which preps not only the student, but the parent for what is going to be taught during the week and what supplies will be needed. This is very helpful for planning purposes. Each of the lesson videos is short. Some are no longer than three minutes, while others are about seven minutes. Because they are so short, I just had them do two lessons per day, using KinderBach four times a week. We easily knocked out two weeks of lessons per week. We'd be even further along in the program, but the boys request certain lessons to be played over and over because they enjoy them so much.

I set the boys up to do the KinderBach program together. I would log in each day to our account. You can bookmark your session you are working on with your toolbar, or you can log in and just find it in the main page for members log-in that has every lesson listed. While I was logging in, I had them get out their color crayons and rhythm instruments.

Their "instruments" were a container from my cupboard and a spatula. But each boy had his own and played it with glee.

I set up my laptop on the coffee table so that they not only had work space for any worksheets that needed to be filled out, but so they could stand up and move around as the lesson required if needed.

If they needed to "go to the keyboard" for a lesson, we simply picked up the laptop and put it on top of our piano so they could easily see it and follow along.

You can see the laptop on the left side of the piano in this photo. I kept a space cleared off for it since we used it there quite regularly. Both boys used the piano at the same time and would just decide who was going to sit where and then they'd go for it.

When you use the videos, if there is a printout needed, it will show up below the video lesson. 

You can see it here on this screenshot from a lesson we did last week. I added the arrow to show you where you would find the icon. Simply click on the printer icon and it opens a separate window showing the document. Using this, you can see whether it's a repeat or something you need to printout for use that day. You can easily go through a whole week and print them out in advance. Some of these I printed out a copy for each boy and some I didn't--I only printed two copies if it was a coloring page/worksheet.

I blocked out 15-20 minutes on the days we did KinderBach. This gave us enough time to not only do our two lessons, but to do any extras that might come with them--or simply watch the videos multiple times. (This was usually what happened. LOL!) By them working together, Little Britches could guide Baby Britches on anything he wasn't understanding.

How did each boy respond to the KinderBach lessons?

Baby Britches (age 3 1/2) absolutely adores KinderBach. He runs to the coffee table when it's time for our session. He races to the cupboard to grab out his rhythm instruments and then asks me if I need him to get anything from the printer. He would do KinderBach for at least an hour if I let him...just watching one video after another.

By the point we are at now (starting week #9 of Level 1), he easily identifies the two and three black key groups on the piano. He can play them when asked with the correct fingering. He sings both the two black key song (Dodi's house) and the three black key song (Train Station song) with glee. He can identify a "walk" note vs a "standing" note. And he can successfully play series of "walk" notes (aka. quarter notes) using his rhythm instrument. He can identify whether a sound is loud or soft and high or low. It's been a HUGE success for him.

Little Britches (just turned 8) is approaching it differently. He already HAD music training so this is actually incredibly easy for him. In fact I would venture to say he's WAY beyond anything we are covering right now, as he already can identify and read notes on music and find them on the piano...something that isn't a part of the program at this stage of the game.

He already KNEW the difference between two black key and three black key patterns and he knew (and demonstrated memory) of the difference between walk (quarter) notes and standing (half) notes. He does enjoy the coloring pages. He enjoys the videos. But other than just one or two with songs he especially likes (the Beat Bugs!) he grows bored if Baby Britches wants to watch something over and over. Does this mean he doesn't want to do it? Absolutely not! He still enjoys it...but it is NOT challenging for him, nor is he really learning anything new at this point.

The one thing I have noticed however, is that this program, though incredibly easy for him, has rekindled his desire to play the piano! He is pulling out his old books again and playing from them without me asking him too. This is something he wouldn't willingly do at all prior to starting the KinderBach program. I am incredibly thankful for this as I was desiring to start back up his lessons.

I look forward to continuing on with the program as we finish our 6 month trial to see if things change as we move up the levels of difficulty.

What are my thoughts on the KinderBach Online Piano Lesson Program?

I'm going to share my thoughts on this program first as a parent based on our experience with weeks #1-8. This program is absolutely great for young children. It has been a gentle introduction to not just the piano, but music training in general. Even though I have a history and background in music, I would still be able to easily use it and assist my children without it. The Parent Guide is excellent and the teacher's guides and lesson plans are easy to follow. KinderBach does basically all the work for you! The parent's biggest job is to print the material that is needed and turn it on!

Notice I said young children...I believe that this program is definitely for the seven and under age range. I would even go so far as to say it's geared towards the Preschool and Kindergarten range specifically. Even if he didn't have a background in music to draw from, Little Britches would have become just as bored with it, as it goes at SUCH a slower pace. On the other hand, this makes it IDEAL for Baby Britches, who at 3 1/2 is soaking up every word and every instruction. He remembers all that he's been taught and if you ask him, he can demonstrate his knowledge.

As a parent I would highly recommend this program to someone looking to get their Preschool/Kindergarten age child into a beginning music program, as it really does do an excellent job at introducing the keyboard and music theory to that age group. If you have a child closer to the 1st/2nd grade level, I would recommend it with hesitations. If they had any background in music at all, I'd advise you to go with something else--especially if they've had piano training. But if they were a "blank slate"...I would say that this is going to be okay; however, be prepared to move quickly as they will learn it fast.

Now I want to share my thoughts on this program from the piano teacher (with over 12 years of experience) point of view, as I believe this allows me a deeper analysis of the program. Long story short--KinderBach's creator Karri Gregor is brilliant! She clearly understands children and the way that they learn, as she incorporates visual, auditory and kinesthetic aspects into the curriculum. By keeping each lesson short she doesn't have to worry about attention span issues.

Her use of characters (she has one for every note, as well as characters for remembering things like beats and fingering) and colorful images is eye catching and memorable--critical to teaching a subject like music to any age, especially young children. She fills her lesson with songs that I hear my boys singing randomly during the day. She really does offer a phenomenal program for this tricky age group.

There were several times as I was listening in on the boys lessons that I would go "Oh! Why didn't I think of that?!" In fact, I've even incorporated her use of the words "walk" and "standing" as just a quick tip for my own young students struggling with note timing.

As a piano teacher I can tell you that I avoid the 3-5 year old age group because I just don't have a piano program set up to teach that age group. This program is truly filling a need that is definitely there in the music education world. There is also a need for online piano lessons because there just aren't enough piano teachers! KinderBach's online piano lesson program is a necessity to help with this problem!

If I had to pick a word to describe this program and how it progresses, I would choose the word...gentle. There is no rush to teach a concept. There isn't a pile of information to pour into a memory to spit out later. She makes learning gentle and fun, which allows for excellent retention. That is ideal for the Preschool and Kindergarten age group!

If every child came to me for piano lessons with KinderBach as a background, it would make my job a million times easier as a teacher!

Though our review is completed, we will be continuing to use this program throughout the remainder of our 6 month free trial because the boys do enjoy it so much--and it's perfect for my 3 year old to prep him for the piano lessons I will be giving him soon.

Can you use KinderBach only as an online piano lesson program?

While my review was on The Kinderbach Online Piano Lesson Membership with Teacher Corner, this is NOT the only way you can access the program! If online lessons aren't for you, then make sure you check out the DVD and CD package! This is the perfect choice if you want to be able to use a large screen (your TV!), don't want to be tied to a computer for the sessions, or if you have a slow internet connection.

But if you have a laptop, an iPad, tablet, Nook, etc...the online lessons really are a great way to go because of the convenience! Remember that as of the writing of this review you can get The KinderBach Online Piano Lesson Membership with Teacher Corner for just $95.88/year--which works out to just $7.99/month. If you compared that to a even small-town piano teacher like me--well, you are looking at an average savings of about $32-42 per month just in lesson costs (at $10/week)--not to mention NO book fees and NO gas expense!

I also want to add that if you are a Preschool or daycare teacher and interested in using this program, there is a classroom version that is available!

If you are curious to see how this program will work for your own family, why not head on over and check out the FREE LESSONS? Yes, you can have access to the first two weeks for FREE to see how it works! There is even a 30 day Money Back Guarantee for the program! I really think that it's worth the try if you have children in the 3-7 age group and are looking to introduce music to their day!

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I hope that you have found my review of this music program useful! I know that there is a great need by homeschool families to have a good music program and many would be interested in online piano lessons. Make sure you click the banner below to go see how this program worked for other Schoolhouse Review Crew families!

*** Have a beautiful day! And keep stopping by this week as I will have more curriculum reviews to share!