Program Teaches Kids Creativity Through Music
Kindermusik Specializes In Music, Movement Education

CLEVELAND -- All children deserve a chance to be the best they can be.

NewsChannel5's Tonya Strong reported in Wednesday's Connecting With Kids that a local program helps parents and children get an early jump on their creative opportunities.

Kids have a lot of fun spinning, dancing, jumping and turning -- it's the kind of child's play that's required at Kindermusik of Cleveland.

"Kindermusik works with all parts of the brain," said Cathy Huser, Kindermusik's director and owner. "It works with cognitive development, social development, emotional development, musical development, as well as language development."

Huser is credited with the success of Kindermusik, because of her tireless efforts to expand the program, her love of music, and her love of children.

Parents and caregivers who go to class with their babies and toddlers said it's always a crowd pleaser.

"They do look forward to it," said Barb Gifford, a mother. "Her skills, her verbal skills (have) improved over the last year."

Part of the concept behind Kindermusik is that to make a lasting impression on a child's brain development and memory, children need to move.

"They need to feel and touch, and they need to be emotionally involved in an activity," Huser said.

When NewsChannel5 was there, the director of Kindermusik International, Michael Dougherty, showed up with praise for the local classes.

"You know, Cleveland has a great tradition of music -- the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Kindermusik of Cleveland," he said. "It's the No. 1 program out of 5,000 Kindermusick educator programs around the world."

Experts said that music and movement education enhances the ability of children to discover their own great possibilities.

There are nine Kindermusik locations throughout Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties.

For more information about Kindermusik of Cleveland, call (216) 991-1063 or (800) 628-5687. If you live in a county other than the ones mentioned above, check your local listings for a program near you.

You may also e-mail Huser for more information about the local program.Visit www.kindermusik.com for more information about the national program.

Check out NewsChannel5's mission statement for Connecting With Kids. Also, be sure to visit the Connecting With Kids Web site for more information and helpful tips.

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Courtesy of NewsNet5 and Tonya Strong.