I stumbled across KinderBach earlier this year, and immediately put it on my list of most desired homeschooling curricula once we receive Grade One funding in the fall of 2009.  Imagine my delight when I received a review subscription to their online music lessons, a new addition to their existing DVD course.  Unfortunately, due to our bandwidth restrictions I was only able to complete the first 3 weeks of their online program with Kaelynn, my 5-year-old daughter.

What we experienced only fueled my enthusiasm for purchasing the DVD version of the course next year for introductory piano instruction for our children.  KinderBach is designed to provide a 1 year (or 2 year if you stretch out the lessons in the online form of the course) introduction to the piano/keyboard for children ages 2 – 7 years of age.  Incorporating music, video, colouring pages, worksheets and fun characters, children are introduced to rhythm, note recognition, reading sheet music etc. in an interactive format.

My daughter loved the characters, story and most especially the movement and active participation in the program – I only wish we could have worked through the entire course together!  I’m so thankful for the 3 weeks that we were able to review while in the city at a relative’s with unlimited high speed internet.

The online version of the course is available by subscription.  Each lesson opens in a video viewing area and is accompanied by the appropriate colouring pages and/or worksheets if applicable.  Supplementary games and activities will also be included with the Gold level membership, which is still in development.  The course is divided into 60 weeks – the original 30 weeks of the DVD version (often used by teachers) have been extended into a 60 week format for parents in the home who may wish to work at a slower pace.

The currently available Bronze membership is available for $14.95/month OR $7.16/month when prepaid for an entire year.  With a program that can be used for multiple children, this is SO affordable compared to in person music lessons.  Because the founder of the program Karri Gregor provides all of the instruction through the video, no experience is needed on the part of parents, though you are encouraged to participate in the learning process with your children.  You’ll find all of the pricing details and purchasing information for the online program here.

However, if your family is like yours – limited internet connection speed or bandwidth capabilities, you’ll want to check out the DVD version of the course.  This is also an economical choice for families expecting to teach many children music throughout their years of homeschooling.  For example, in our home we have a 5-year-old, 2-year-old and 4 month old.  Though the program is recommended for 2 – 7 year olds, our toddler doesn’t get much from the program, though she does love to play along.  I feel that 2 is far too early for formal instruction, and wouldn’t go into a formal learning program until the age of 5, but this will differ according to the child and learning philosophies o feach family.  In any case, it soon becomes apparent that even if the Lord doesn’t bless us with additional children, we’ll be in need of music instruction for a number of years.  The COMPLETE 1 year package is $217.75 – an excellent value for even 1 child in comparison to traditional lessons (and that isn’t even factoring in fuel costs!).  If you spread the cost over multiple children it becomes very affordable.  This is what I hope to purchase next year.  Other packages are also available.

Of course, this remains a sizeable investment for many families.  Whether interested in the DVD version or the online version, you can view the first two weeks of the online course for free here to see what you think!  KinderBach also offers a 30 day money back guarantee, should you find the program to be a poor fit for your family.

Personally, I can’t wait to dig into this with my daughter next year.  From what we’ve seen so far, it looks like so much fun!  While my review is only of the first three weeks of the online program you may want to read some testimonials from satisfied users at KinderBach, or read the reviews of others who have received review subscriptions as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew initiative.