Dreamer and Sweetie Pie have lonnnnnged for music lessons. Learning beginner piano is a dream come true for them. They're little fingers have *written* and *played* songs on the piano and keyboard for many an impromptu *concerto* if you will. Now, however, they'll be able to do it for real thanks to The KinderBach Online Piano Lesson Membership with Teacher Corner.
KinderBach's piano lessons can be taken via on-line or DVDs. This makes piano lessons available which suit our schedule (our family is reviewing the on-line lessons). Thankfully, we don't have to rush out the door for lessons and I don't have to concern myself with schedule conflicts. Learning takes place in the comfort of our own home 3 to 4 times per week.
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| Dreamer is *warming up* for her next lesson. :-) |
What We Enjoy About KinderBach in Our Homeschool...
KinderBach is set up so children can learn at
their individual paces- something I am very pleased with! It helps that they don't feel pressured to move forward when they aren't ready. Both girls ask with excitement to let them do the next lesson as soon as they finish one. They also *remind* me that they need to do their lessons. :-)
The target audience is children ages 3 to 7 years old. However, they give cushion for children slightly younger or older. I appreciate the flexibility with this because each child is unique.
The instructional tone and approach is geared toward the younger crowd. It has a Blue's Clues feel to it with the backgrounds and communication style. This and other activities help to make the lessons engaging. (I'd like to note that there aren't any children's voices popping in to guess or give answers as one finds in Blue's Clues.)
The instructional tone and approach is geared toward the younger crowd. It has a Blue's Clues feel to it with the backgrounds and communication style. This and other activities help to make the lessons engaging. (I'd like to note that there aren't any children's voices popping in to guess or give answers as one finds in Blue's Clues.)
colorful
characters to teach your young child about note reading, rhythm,
singing and music composition. The short lessons are engaging and
memorable. You do not need to have an expensive piano, just a simple
keyboard is all you will need to get your child started learning
and developing a love for music - See more at:
http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/piano-lessons-online-kinderbach-review/#sthash.o5NbrJiG.dpuf
This program contains charming characters to teach your young child about note reading, rhythm,
singing and music composition. The lessons are short, engaging and
memorable. 
The songs have the children
moving with them in one fashion or another. We have found and used
rhythm instruments from around the house. We have also made star wands
for Star Light, Star Bright. Sometimes supplies are suggested and it's up to the student to create and use them. Such is the case with star wands. This is something we decided to do because it was a craft and they enjoy creating.
The Teacher's Corner has most everything the teacher needs (the exception being suggested supplies as mentioned above). It's here where you will find printable booklets for each level: lesson plans, teacher aid books and student activity books. You will also find mp3 downloads and a link to the video lessons. I love that my children can learn piano despite the fact that I don't know how to play piano myself.
The Teacher's Corner has most everything the teacher needs (the exception being suggested supplies as mentioned above). It's here where you will find printable booklets for each level: lesson plans, teacher aid books and student activity books. You will also find mp3 downloads and a link to the video lessons. I love that my children can learn piano despite the fact that I don't know how to play piano myself.
We're currently beginning lessons for week 6 of Level 1 (there are six levels). So far, Karri Gregor cleverly helps students become familiar with the keyboard and learn how to read music through illustrative narratives with delightful characters. Dreamer and Sweetie Pie enjoy listening to the stories and participating in the various corresponding activities. They become as familiar with the piano keyboard as they do the characters. I am really impressed with how this is accomplished.
Our little preschool guy of two years, Super Busy, goes around talking about Dodi's House (the two black keys) when he plays around with the keyboard. :-)
The teacher aid book contains copies of all of the various activities that go along with the weekly lessons. These correspond with the video portions of lessons. Since they match up exactly with what is being taught, they may not be necessary for your homeschool. It depends on the learning style of your child and also if you think the enhancement of it would benefit your child.
The Classroom KinderBach Level 1 Lesson Plans are divided into Days 1 and 2 for each week. However, because our family is required to do 3 to 4 lessons a week for this review, I choose to make the second and fourth days review days.
The lessons can be lengthened if the teacher so desires. You'll see in the sample photo below that directions for extending the lesson are given by skipping to item 3 on the list for day 2 and adding the at home suggestions to the end of day two. Another option is to combine both weekly lessons into one weekly lesson which would run for about 50 minutes.
Here is an example of how a lesson plan looks:
In each lesson, we are given the primary focus and how this will look with the corresponding song. Materials are also listed ahead of time to help the teacher prep. Lessons generally take 20 to 30 minutes for us.
Once I log into my account, I simply follow the lesson plan. I open up the mp3 songs for the lesson. When it's time to view the video lesson, I go to the link which takes me to the weekly video lessons. I choose the video for the week we are in and then we watch it and do actions that go along with it.
Now, Dreamer loves participating with the actions. Sweetie Pie, on the other hand, feels silly doing them so she protests- she feels too much in the center of attention. She prefers to sit and watch (she's an observer). I don't push her to follow along with the actions because she seems to understand just fine by observation.
Some lessons have the students go to the piano/keyboard to locate the keys and/or practice on them. Or there will be the other activities already mentioned in this review.
You'll need to budget in the following:
What a Typical Lesson Looks Like
The Classroom KinderBach Level 1 Lesson Plans are divided into Days 1 and 2 for each week. However, because our family is required to do 3 to 4 lessons a week for this review, I choose to make the second and fourth days review days.
The lessons can be lengthened if the teacher so desires. You'll see in the sample photo below that directions for extending the lesson are given by skipping to item 3 on the list for day 2 and adding the at home suggestions to the end of day two. Another option is to combine both weekly lessons into one weekly lesson which would run for about 50 minutes.
Here is an example of how a lesson plan looks:
In each lesson, we are given the primary focus and how this will look with the corresponding song. Materials are also listed ahead of time to help the teacher prep. Lessons generally take 20 to 30 minutes for us.
Once I log into my account, I simply follow the lesson plan. I open up the mp3 songs for the lesson. When it's time to view the video lesson, I go to the link which takes me to the weekly video lessons. I choose the video for the week we are in and then we watch it and do actions that go along with it.
Now, Dreamer loves participating with the actions. Sweetie Pie, on the other hand, feels silly doing them so she protests- she feels too much in the center of attention. She prefers to sit and watch (she's an observer). I don't push her to follow along with the actions because she seems to understand just fine by observation.
Some lessons have the students go to the piano/keyboard to locate the keys and/or practice on them. Or there will be the other activities already mentioned in this review.
Some things to keep in mind...
You'll need to budget in the following:
- A simple keyboard or piano is needed
- A printer if you don't have one,
- Cost of paper and ink/toner,
- A laminator if you don't have one,
- Laminate sheets. This can be the spendy part- a lot of activities are called to be laminated. (I think the best deal around is from Costco.com),
- Time to prepare for these activities,
- Have the books comb or ring bound or purchasing 3-Ring a binder to file them in.
- Some way to contain the hands-on projects (I used sheet protectors).
Some things I'd like to see...
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- Improvement of video quality. It's too hard for our girls to see the video clips when they are small. Once they are enlarged to fit the screen, they are somewhat blurry.
- Improvement of sound quality. Sometimes the instruments drown out Karri's voice or the volume fluctuates too much at various intervals.
- Printable materials sized to accommodate wise use of laminate sheets. The economist in me wished this with all her might with each sheet being fed through the laminator.
- A way to make the mp3 songs for opening/closing and video portions in one location on the website. It was not evident to me that I needed to go to a separate link in order to access the video portion. Keeping the mp3 songs and videos in one place may make the website easier to navigate.
- An indication that the booklets need to be printed horizontally. On the print preview (for my computer anyway) it appeared as though the books would print vertically.
The Cost of the KinderBach Online Piano Lesson Membership with Teacher Corner:
There is a free 2 week trial and a 30-day money back guarntee. Why don't you give it a try?
At the time of this review, this particular KinderBach product is offered at $95.88 per year (for a limited time). This breaks down to only $7.99 per month! Keep in mind that this is per family/group! This is most economical for homeschool piano lessons- as much at 75% less than traditional lessons.
Online subscriptions begin at $7.99 per month, as
much at 75% less than traditional lessons. With a Free 2 Week Trial,
and a 30 day money back guarantee – you don’t want to miss this
opportunity. - See more at:
http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/piano-lessons-online-kinderbach-review/#sthash.o5NbrJiG.dpuf
Included in the annual membership is:
- About 22 hours of video.
- The sessions can be accessed from a Computer, iPad, Android Tablet, Kindle Fire or Nook.
- Plus, the Teacher's Corner offers everything the teacher needs for music lessons: access to all the PDF activity pages, story books, coloring pages and song books is also available (over $400 worth of books)!
The regular pricing is $130 per year. It's still great pricing, but why miss out on there current excellent deal?
Who is This Offer Ideal For?
- Homeschooling or non-homeschooling families,
- Homeschool co-ops,
- Parents who don't know how to play the piano,
- Families who like flexibility with lessons,
- Families looking for economical beginner music lessons,
- People who love music!
Do I recommend KinderBach? Yes! Our daughters enjoy it and are learning. When asking Dreamer what she likes best about KinderBach she replied with, "I think it's fun, I like doing it with you Mommy, and I like to color in the pages."
Please leave a comment letting me know what you think of this review. I hope you find it helpful!
Blessings!
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