Summer Kindermusik in Derby

This spring I was finally able to take Sweet Pea out in public, something I’d been looking forward to for six very long months. But what does one do with an infant in the NEK? Kindermusik was my answer!

Amy Gillespie , who runs the NEK Kindermusik program,  placed an ad in the paper and as soon as I saw it I knew it was for us. The class we took ran for five weeks (six, including the make-up date) and included children ages 0-18 months. Although Sweet Pea is too young to sing along she had a wonderful time looking at and playing with the other babies in class while I enjoyed getting out of the house and meeting other parents as well as learning new songs to sing to her. We loved it so much that we’ll be singing and playing again this summer with our new friends!

Amy has always loved playing instruments and singing and wanted her own daughter to have a musical upbringing.  So when the former Kindermusik educator retired Amy, who has a degree in business management, took over the business. Since her first semester of classes in October, she has reached over 30 children and their families in the NEK. In the future, Amy would like to open her own Kindermusik Studio and have a couple of other educators working with her so that she can reach many more families. She is also working toward getting grant money to offer children with special needs or in special circumstances free classes or home materials. Currently, she works with one day care provider offering the ABC Music and Me curricula and would like to continue visiting local nursing homes with her program.

A typical Kindermusik class revolves around the chosen theme. A routine is established at the first class which includes the same song for opening and closing. A mix of activities follows which might include: lap bounces with songs/chants, story time, quiet time, explore/play instruments, movement, active listening, circle dance, rhyme/vocal play and social interaction. The 3-5 year old class includes 30-45 minutes of class sans parents. At the end of class, parents are welcome back into the room for the duration of the lesson. The two older groups also have a craft and snack during the summer session.

Amy says that children who participate in Kindermusik “are being exposed to endless growing/learning potential. Children learn best through play and what better way to do it when everything that we do in class is learning based and age appropriate and is set-up to enrich the development of the child in all aspects and at all stages…. Activities help with phonological processing used in spoken language, build spatial-temporal reasoning skills used in math and science, develop social and emotional skills essential for school readiness, and help improve fine and gross motor skills through instrument exploration.”

Registration for the summer session is happening now. You can email Amy at kindermusikwithamy@hotmail.com or find her online at Kindermusik. The smmer session takes place at IROC and runs from June 20-August 1 as follows:

• 0-18 mo. Wednesdays from 10:30-11:15AM (Busy Days) {WAITLIST ONLY!}
• 18 mo. – 3 yrs. Wednesdays from 9:15-10:15AM (Creatures in the Ocean)
• 3-5 yrs. Wednesdays from 1:30-2:30PM (Confetti Days)

Classes are $80 for the 0-18 month group and $92 for everyone else. This includes your course fee as well as home materials.

Naptime means playtime for NEK mom Aimee Alexander, whose creative outlet is writing about all things mom-related over at Mama’s Recess including children’s health advocacy, education, raising kids in rural America, and the occasional project or recipe. You can also find her on Facebook and Pinterest!