Kinderbach provides online instruction, through videos and activity books, in basic music theory, rhythm, and music notation, for ages 3-7. The videos are a mixture of live action with an engaging instructor and animated characters.
My children enjoyed watching the videos. When we first received the subscription, we had not purchased our piano, so the children simply viewed the videos and completed some of the activity pages. Once we bought our piano, they all clamored to watch Kinderbach and apply it right away on the piano. We weren’t able to view all the courses, but what they did watch they enjoyed, learned, and mastered. Even the 3 year old can find “Dodi’s house” (D) on the piano. Even my 10 year old was disappointed when our review period ended, although he often expressed annoyance with the “childish” (his word) songs. He’s just being 10!
In order to use the program, you need a piano, or even an inexpensive keyboard. You also need to have the computer, with internet available, next to the instrument, as the instructor often asks the children to do something on the piano/keyboard as she goes through the lesson. I like that—it is immediate reinforcement. Because these are video files, a reliable high speed internet connection is necessary. We sometimes had to restart a lesson when our wireless dropped in the middle.
It requires very little direct mom involvement, although I found myself watching with the kids just to see how she was teaching it. Before they watched each lesson I had to make sure I had printed off any of the activity pages, as the printer is in a different room from the piano. The activity sheets are often used in the middle of the lesson, so this is a good tip to remember. Each lesson ranges from 5 to 10 minutes, so you can often complete several lessons in one sitting, depending on your child’s attention span.
I must admit I was skeptical when I first heard about this product. I wondered how a video course could teach piano skills. These videos provide basic instruction in skills, but obviously a live teacher would need to provide instruction in technique and polish. My husband excelled in piano through college, and he will probably provide most of our instruction, at least at first.
At 19.95 per month for an unlimited number of students, unlimited number of lessons per month, this is reasonable for a large family who wants to introduce music into their curriculum. You can also pay for an entire year for $95.88, bringing the cost per month down to less than $9.00.
We received a 3 month subscription to Kinderbach online for the purpose of review. The opinions expressed in this review are mine only.
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