This is an excerpt from a great article on the Minds on Music blog describing a mother’s experiences at her first Kindermusik Village class with her baby son. Read more …

Music2Grow offers free preview classes for all age-groups at any time during the term so you can come and experience a Kindermusik class for yourself before making the decision to join.  Bookings are essential so contact Verna to book your free trial.

Kindermusik is also a great gift from Grandma, Grandpa, aunts, uncles and friends.  Why not purchase a Gift Voucher from Music2Grow.  The gift voucher can be for the amount of your choice and can be used for Kindermusik lessons within 12 months from voucher issue.

Music2Grow Specials for Christmas:

♪        Early Registration Special – Register for your chosen Kindermusik class and pay a deposit ($50 for term classes/$100 for semester classes) by 5^th December and your home materials kit will be delivered in plenty of time to make it under the Christmas tree, into stockings, or hand delivered with a hug.

♪        Early Bird Discount – An early bird discount of up to $30 off tuition for the semester is available when you register and pay in full by 27^th January 2012.

♪        Sibling Discounts – A discount is available to twins, triplets and children from the same family enrolled in the same class.  Contact me for a quote including reduced tuition and a sibling pack.

♪        Payment Plans – Pay a deposit to cover your home materials kit and first classes and then spread payment over the term/semester.  Contact me to arrange a plan to suit your family’s budget.

Download a 2012 Enrolment Form and Registration Policy.

If you have any questions about purchasing gift certificates, or registering for Kindermusik classes in Cooroy for 2012, I would love to hear from you.  Contact me via phone (M: 0415 482 264) or email me.

Kindermusik for the Young Child: Build a Musical Foundation

Using a small-group approach to music education, Young Child provides a pressure-free developmentally appropriate transition where children can musically succeed before taking on specific instrumental or vocal instruction. Children develop a strong musical foundation by learning the concepts, language, notation, and vocabulary of music and its greatest composers.

In small, movement-oriented classes, your child develops their greatest instrument – the voice – while learning the symbols and vocabulary of music making.  Children will gain hands-on experience with a range of musical instruments, including the glockenspiel, dulcimer and recorder during the course of this 4-semester pr0gramme.  Parents or caregivers are encouraged to attend the last 10-15 minutes of class.

Click Here for class information for Semester 1, 2012

About the Classes
Age Range: 4½ to 7 years
Class Structure: 15 classes in a semester + 2 built-in make-up classes
Class Length: 60 minute class each week
Class Size:  Class with no more than 10 children
Parent Involvement: Last 10-15 minutes of class

What A Parent And Child Will Experience In Class

• Singing and vocal development – It may sound like a foreign language when a child sings “ta” and “ti-ti,” but this is the language of professional musicians and composers and getting young children ready to read and write simple rhythm patterns.
• Movement — See children dance expressively to music, giving them the practice they need to coordinate their body movements to the sound of music. This kind of musical play not only improves musicianship, but physical coordination as well.
• Reading and writing — Young children will learn melodic notation and identify pitches such as the C, A, and D notes on the treble clef, plus rhythmic notation. Eventually even composing their own music.
• Focused listening — Children will learn to identify a range of orchestra instruments and their sound qualities, while also gaining an early awareness and knowledge of composers and masterworks in Western arts tradition.
• Exploring and playing musical instruments — Authentic percussion, string, pre-keyboard, and woodwind instruments expose children to the many choices for future musical study, and at the same time provide them with the opportunity to musically succeed before taking on more formal instruction.

Class and Materials Cost:

• 15 x 60 minute classes (developmentally appropriate curriculum for parents and children, ages 4½-7 years)
• At Home Materials (including a music folder with stickers, At Home Cards, a Family Songbook, instrument –  wind, string, or pre-keyboard instrument depending on the semester, CD of music from class in a canvas carry bag.
• Total $320 (includes all tuition and Home Materials)
• Earlybird Option (pay in full in advance): Total $290

Missed the start of the semester?  No problem, tuition can be pro-rated for you and the Earlybird discount is still available for payments made in full at time of registration.  Come along to an existing class for a free trial.  Contact Verna for more information M: 0415 482 264 or email

Join Music2Grow for a fun, music-making session at Cooroy Library.  Playdates are designed as a casual, 30-minute class that includes a little singing, a little dancing, a little playing and a whole lot of learning fun! Classes are open to all families with children aged 0-5 years.  Come and experience the joy of music & movement with your child in this one-class Kindermusik experience.

Music2Grow Playdates for Term 4

Friday 11^th November 9.00am – 9.30am

Friday 18^th November 9.00am – 9.30am

Cost:  Each playdate is $12 per child, and includes a 30 minute class as well as a take-home kit for music fun at home. ($17 for families with 2-3 children attending and siblings 12 months or under attend free).

Registration:  Class sizes are limited so registering in advance is essential.  All bookings can be made via email or over the phone.  Make sure to have your correct class fee ready to pay, in cash, on the day.

Can I come with a group? Yes the Music2Grow playdate is a great activity for playgroups or mums groups to enjoy together.  Please contact me to arrange a date to suit your group.

Parenting through Music

In Kindermusik, we include a quiet time specifically designed to learn and practice relaxation techniques, such as rocking, listening to soothing music, or snuggling a favourite stuffed animal. Your child’s world can be full of stimulating experiences. Teaching her how to relax after a period of activity gives her time to recoup and prepares her for what’s next.

An added bonus: Children who know how to relax and self-soothe can be better sleepers. 

Everyday connection:

Search “lullaby” at the play kindermusik website for some beautiful selections to listen to with your child.

What: Music2Grow Playdate

Where: Children’s Area, Cooroy Library, Maple Street

When: Monday 3rd October 10.00am – 10.30am

Don’t forget your gold coin donation for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  Look forward to seeing you there!

Babies are invited to fill their senses in a delightful, garden-themed unit, Dew Drops, while families will be jumping on board the Zoo Train!  Kindermusik toddlers will continue to enjoy musical play with their animal friends in Fiddle-dee-dee and preschoolers will continue their adventures in the big city in Cities! Busy Places ~ Friendly Faces.

Classes are held on Tuesday and Friday mornings at Cooroy library.  Click here for our class schedule for Term 4.

What’s on in Term 4

Kindermusik Families (newborn – 5 years) Zoo Train
Kindermusik Village (newborn – 18 months) Dew Drops
Kindermusik Our Time (18 months – 3 years) Fiddle-dee-dee
Kindermusik Imagine That! (3 – 5 years) Cities!~Busy Places, Friendly Faces

Enrol and pay by 27th September for an Earlybird discount on all term classes.  Click here for an enrolment form.  Special rates available for those joining Our Time (toddler) or Imagine That! (preschooler) classes mid-semester.  Contact Verna for more information or to register.

Learning through Music

By exploring with sound, babies and young toddlers practice their visual thinking skills or spatial-reasoning skills. Good visual thinking skills are essential for a child to later excel in maths, science, and geography.

We spend time in Kindermusik doing this together by playing different instruments and experimenting with lots of sounds, such as the different bird calls we “sing” together.  In fact, children participating in Kindermusik tripled spatial-reasoning skills during a recent research project. Read more…

Everyday connection

Be a Sound Explorer with your child. How many different sounds can a bath book, baby spoon, and Kindermusik Chime Ball make?  Does a sippy cup with milk make the same sound as a sippy cup filled with cereal?  What items on your changing table make sounds that can entertain your baby during a nappy change?

Enrolling in a Kindermusik class is certainly a great way to make music part of your weekly routine and to instill a life-long love of music in your children.  However, there is much you can do at home to encourage your children’s natural love of music.  Fill your home with music and accompany your daily activities with a dance and a song.  Expose your children to many genres and styles of music.  Show them how much you love it yourself and they will value and love music too.

Here are some helpful and practical ideas for helping to make your child’s life even more musical:

• Sing to or sing along with your child.  Sing to a pet or even a stuffed animal.
• Swing and sway to music, or dance through the water droplets of a sprinkler.
• Record your own songs and listen to your own voices and music.
• Vary your movements and instrument playing.  Maintain a steady beat, move to a faster beat, then a slower beat.
• Discuss the music you hear.  What does it sound like?  What types of instruments do you hear?
• Sing or chant favourite tunes to help pass the time while waiting in line or while sitting in the paediatrician’s office.
• Explore musical sounds with home-made instruments, using boxes and other assorted containers, scrapers, shakers and jingles.
• Attend community concerts and other local musical events to give your child a taste of many types of music.
• Add music or songs to events and activities throughout your day – whether it’s wake-up time, play time, pick-up-the-toys time or bath time.

If you are enrolled in a Kindermusik (or have been in the past):

• Play your At Home CD – Children love repetition and the more you play the CD together, the more your child will be comfortable with the songs and activities.
• Use your At Home CD and literature book to add music to your nightly bedtime story ritual.
• Open up your Family Activity books and journals and use the ideas to expand on your music fun at home!

How do you include music in your home?

Jump aboard the Zoo Train!

Join us as we capture the delightful experiences of a trip to the zoo, drawing on the movements, sights and sounds of  zoo animals to inspire musical learning.  We will explore the concepts of steady beat, legato & staccato, timbre and vocal play through group play, individual exploration and a balance of structure and spontaneity – providing the stability and gentle guidance needed to nurture creativity in your little one.

Activities are conducted in an open-ended, playful atmosphere designed to maintain each child’s interest and offer a variety of ways to explore each week’s theme with babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Family Time classes create a foundation for musical growth and development as well as an opportunity for family growth and learning.

Classes commence on Tuesday 4th October.  Register and pay in full by 27th September 2011 for an earlybird discount.

Click Here for a virtual preview of a Family Time class.  Click here for an Enrolment Form or contact Verna for more information.

Age Range: 0 – 5 years

Class Structure: 8-week term with a built-in make-up class

Class Length: 45 minutes each week

Class Size: 6-7 families with at least one caregiver per family

Your musical home kit includes –

• Home CD of beautifully arranged recordings of the songs and chants from class for listening, dancing and singing (includes a slip-in lyric book)
• Music & Movement Book: Zoo Train! for early literacy development
• “Funky Chunky Animal Shaker”, (elephant or giraffe shapes) for music-making at home
• Home Activities Poster featuring information, activities and ideas to continue the fun at home

So get ready for a joyful, musical ride with Zoo Train!