Did you know…

       That Kindermusik has long been an integral factor in the development of children with special needs?  More and more therapists are finding that the Kindermusik curricula are highly effective in fostering growth and development in children facing the challenges of autism, down syndrome, physical handicaps and language and social delays.  We invite you to learn more about Kindermusik as well as its benefits to children with special needs through the words of childhood experts, Kindermusik educators and parents.

         “Kindermusik is elegant in its integrated approach to a child’s development.  Physiologically, touch, movement rhythm and sounds are the keystones to developing a healthy vestibular system and optimizing nervous system and brain growth.  The importance of having families working together, where everyone benefits from the sense of belonging, gets directly at the heart of what we , as a society, are needing at this time to raise a healthy loving children and unsure a world of peace.  All of this is provided in the Kindermusik program”

Carla Hannaford Ph.D.

Biologist, educator and author of Smart Moves:

Why Learning is Not All in Your head, and

The Dominance Factor.

From the Desk of Dr. Melissa R. Johnson,

Ph.D. Pediatric Psychologist Cary NC

      “One feature of the Kindermusik model that lends itself to the child with special needs is its multimodal, multisensory design."

       Music is, of course, intrinsically multisensory, as children involve their hearing and kinesthetic senses in even their earliest appreciation and creation of music.  However, the Kindermusik curricula are enriched with stories, pictures creative movement, and a wide variety of interesting objects as part of the music-making and music-hearing activities that pull children into the interaction no matter what their preferred learning style and mode might be.

     Another general feature of Kindermusik is the thoughtful and careful way that the emotional and social development of each child is facilitated.

The relationships among all the participants, but particularly the caregiver and the child, are supported from the time the child enters the classroom.  Children can’t “fail” at the activities in a Kindermusik lesson.

     The emphasis on the joy and pleasure of music, on the sharing of this joy with one’s caregiver and peers, and the support of the child’s self-esteem built into this approach make it particularly appropriate for children and families who face psychosocial stresses and difficulties.

     Children with Down syndrome may demonstrate relative strength in the area of music appreciation, and often seem to use musical activities as a framework in which they can successfully explore related skills, such as imitation, cause and effect relationships, and listening to new sounds that can then stimulate language development.

     Similarly, children with motor disabilities such as cerebral palsy or spina bifida my have reduced access to many community-based activities for young children which are often focused on developing excellence in motor skills.  But in a Kindermusik classroom, the motor activities that are a part of the curricula almost always are accessible even to children with motor restrictions (e.g., beating on a hand drum, waving a scarf, shaking a rhythm instrument, even dancing which can be tailored to each individual), are reality adapted for these children, or in fact could be part6 of a therapeutic program.

     We have just begun to explore the full potential of Kindermusik even for children with complex and multifaceted disabilities such as autistic spectrum disorders.  Such skills as turn taking, group responses, tolerating and enjoying varied sensory inputs, and exploring new sounds and textures may be facilitated by the Kindermusik program, with its appealing materials and activites and its combination of structure and predictability with flexibility.”

Physical Limitations

      Sarah, age 13, suffers from multiple disabilities, including blindness, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation.  She is very limited physically and mentally and her severe, rigid cerebral palsy deters the process of learning.  Kindermusik stimulates her auditory and tactile skills and promotes involvement into her environment using instruments and feeling different textures”

Kristin Mooneyhan

Developmental Delays

   Developmental Delays

     “Since Bradley was born with hydrocephalus, he will have many years of developmental delays.  It has been amazing to watch as he “graduated” to the Our Time class this semester. He is beginning to do many more things on his own- swaying to the music, shaking the eggs, imitating movements. It is so obvious that he is enjoying himself- he is smiling and squealing with delight.”

Theresa Davis

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