A good beginning never ends. Such is the motto for Kindermusik International, a world-renowned program for children from birth to age 7.
Instructors at Clarkston Conservatory’s own Kindermusik program reached a new beginning recently, as they recieved the Maestro Award. This distiction places the program in the top five percent of all 5,000 licensed programs throughout the world.
The local program started at the Clarkston Conservatory of Music six years ago by Gisselle Graham, who continues to work as an instructor.
Graham pointed out that even though music is the subject matter, the goal is to stimulate a child’s brain and encourage growth in all areas including memory, counting and rhythm.
For those unfamiliar with the program, classes last for 15-week intervals and are divided into four age groups. Graham admitted some people cannot believe a program is available for children as soon as they are born, but indicated the class holds benefits for both the children and their parents.
‘It’s a bonding experience for parents and their newborns,? said Graham, adding parents are always present during the classes and participate. ‘It’s amazing what we can do in a 15-week course.?
‘I have been really happy with our Kindermusik experience with Miss Giselle. You can tell she really enjoys working with kids and appreciates the unique qualities and strengths of each child. I will surely enroll in another class,? wrote Stacey Taplin on the Kindermusik website.
Likewise, Graham stressed the classes have proven to be beneficial for children with learning disabilities.
‘Music and movements help their brains develop stronger,? said Graham, who also mentioned the Sign and Sing program for children with hearing disabilities.
‘It’s for anyone who wants to learn to sign or children who are hearing impaired.?
Graham recalled working with a child with down syndrome who had a difficulty speaking. She said after the first course the student has started forming short sentences and by the end of the second course they were speaking full sentences .
‘It was unbelievable,?
But perhaps the best testament to the success of the local program is customer testimony, and many satisfied parents are not afraid to make their opinions public.
‘Kindermusik was recommended to us by a speech therapist. Our son’s ability to follow directions has increased. He loved the fun activities we acted out making the songs come to life. I liked the small home like setting,? wrote Lisa Barrett.
The Maestro Award, however, sets the Clarkston school apart from the others. While you have to be licensed by the Kindermusik International program to instruct classes, being award the Maestro Award means a particular school goes above and beyond what other schools do. This may not come as a surprise to families who have participated in the lessons, since nearly every parent on the Kindermusik website gave the school the highest rating possible.
Graham herself attributes the success of the program to positive word-of-mouth, saying family testimonies are the best advertising they could get.
‘When we started in 2000 we had 12 students participating, now we have over 100 students,? Graham said.
Graham indicated that many of the new families who participate in the program were referred to the school by another family.
Eventually though, the students grow up and with six years of operation, students who entered at birth are getting to the age where they must go on to garde or elementary school. Graham said babies begin with a simple concept like movement and rhythm but by the time they are seven are practicing with instruments as though they were in a school band.
‘Our Young Child class (ages 5-7) prepares
every child for private lesson by learning how to read music,? said Graham. Graham added that the lesson help students develop over all skills as they prepare to enter school.
‘It helps them with their education. It helps them with reading, and math and their composition. it’s pretty amazing what it can do,? Graham said.
For more information on Kindermusik visit Kindermusik.com. For more information on the Clarkston program or to enroll you child in the program, visit www.clarkstonconservatory.org or call 248-625-3640.