I want to sign my 7 month old for either of these courses to try to overcome her parents' lack of rhythm and musical talent. I want her to also appreciate music more than me. Which one has the better curriculum or does it just depend upon the instructor?
Hi Juli,
I don't have experience with either MusikGarten or KinderMusik, but we have gone to Gymboree music and liked it quite a bit. Gymboree gears to the young child. (There's one in Southlake and one in Lewisville.) You can go to Gymboree's website and print a free pass to try a class to see if you like it at www.gymboreeclasses.com
Amy
We did Kindermusik when my oldest was 2, and we really enjoyed it. As a former music teacher who has looked briefly at both programs, I think either would be fine. I also think the Gymboree program would be fine, too. It does depend more on the instructor and also the other participants. Have fun! You're both going to love it.
We did MusikGarten at our church and it would have been great if our teacher could sing in tune. It was way cheap so not a big deal that she didn't sing to good. We had a friend in the class that did both courses and she said they were very much the same. I would suggest trying MusikGarten I think it was only 65.00 for the whole semester. If you don't like it then it you are not out alot of money.
I think the programs are very similar. I have been going to Kindermusik with my boys for 2 years, and I love the exposure they get to different types of music and movement. We have a friend that takes her boys to a Musikgarten class and loves it too. The teacher is going to be the major part of the experience for you. I would go try both classes and see which one feels right for you.
Good Luck!
I am a kindermusik teacher in Southlake. I know for a fact that the curriculum was written by the same person, and there was a split later on. THe major difference is that Musikgarten was supposed to be geared more toward pre-piano lessons. I think the most important element is whether or not the teacher is nurturing and knowledgeable.
Musikgarten and Kindermusik curricula were both written by the same person: Dr. Lorna Heyge. She wrote Kindermusik first, and then wanted to make changes to reflect current early childhood research, so she put together the Musikgarten program. To answer your question, both curricula are excellent, but only as good as the instructor. If you have a few in your area, try out free classes and choose the instructor you like the best!
I have taught both Kindermusik and Musikgarten, so I would like to set the record straight from what I remember at the time the split occurred. Lorna Lutz Heyge did indeed write both the ORIGINAL Kindermusik program AND Musikgarten. The split occurred when Lorna was bought out by her business partner David. At that point the recordings and materials were changed in Kindermusik, I believe due to copyright issues. New recordings were made and eventually Kindermusik programs were developed by committee and the company became employee owned. Teachers are not employees, they are purchasers of curriculum and licensed to use it. I got out of Kindermusik around 2000 when it became apparent to me that it was a lot of bells and whistles, materials and marketing. I took the training for Musikgarten and have always loved the depth of the program’s development compared to Kindermusik. BUT they are both solidly based music programs. My opinion is that Gymboree is not. The level of the program writers on Gymboree is just not at the same level. I am not up to date, but initially Kindermusik had more stringent rules as to who and how their curriculum is used. Musikgarten is more flexible. Your teacher should have conservatory training or equal training to maximize the benefit. This is a truly foundational program (and Kindermusik is well put together too). I had 6 year olds who could sing and copy down on staff paper what they sang. And babies who could match pitch. I’m getting a malicious website warning. so gotta go.