KinderBach

KinderBach is a piano program designed for young students ages 2-7.  The program consists of on-line video lessons taught by Karri Gregor, the company’s creator.  She developed the program for teaching her own children after finding no piano teacher willing to teach students younger than 7.  Karri is energetic and teaches at a level that makes it fun and easy for young children to understand.

The program uses stories about Frisco and his friends to teach the names and locations of the notes on the piano keyboard.

There are worksheets that accompany many of the lessons. In addition to teaching the names and positions of the notes on the piano keyboard, the program also covers basic rhythm, soft and loud, and playing simple songs.

The lessons are divided into weeks with 4 short lessons per week. There are 60 weeks of lessons available. The cost of an on-line membership is $85.95 for one year (equal to $7.16 per month) or a monthly charge of $14.95.  The lessons are also available on DVD’s.  The DVD’s are more expensive than the on-line program, but would be a good option for someone who does not have high-speed internet access. The first 2 lessons are available for free by signing up here. The free lessons are an excellent opportunity to see the program for yourself and gauge your child’s interest.

I was honestly skeptical about this program at first. The videos are a little too "perky" for my tastes. They also seemed to move a little too slowly at first. But the results have been amazing. My 6 year old son has been going through the lessons independently for just over 2 months.  He loves the videos and frequently watches more than one lesson per day.  He also enjoys going back and watching them again. He has learned so much. He now can find the notes C, D, E, F, and G on any keyboard.  He knows that piano means quiet.  He hums and sings several of the songs around the house. And perhaps most importantly, he is EXCITED about learning to play the piano.

KinderBach is a program that gets kids excited about learning to play the piano.  Not only does it get them excited, but it keeps them excited while building a solid foundation for continued studies in music. For more reviews on KinderBach, go the Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew blog.