Play time with their children is music to the ears of many Shaker parents, and to prove it, they’re enrolling in Kindermusik programs left and right. While this music-based, fun-time program may not turn every tot into a von Dohnanyi, it’s become a favorite parent-child activity among the younger set.
The First Unitarian Church in Shaker Heights is the site of a parade of little ones and parents several mornings a week. A downstairs hallway holds a jumble of coats and shoes and strollers belonging to dads, moms, kids and the occasional too-young-to-walk sibling. The newborn to eighteen-month class is followed by two eighteen-month to three-and-a-half years programs. By noon, Shaker resident and Kindermusik of Cleveland Director Cathy Huser has sung and danced and smiled and encouraged for three hours without a break.
"Instruments away!" she warbles like Shaker’s own Julie Andrews in stocking feet. "It’s time to join our circle." Her directions to the children are all sung in her clear, sweet voice and even the tiniest ones listen and obey. They dance on tiptoes or crawl like trains; some of them sing along with their parents and Huser, some merely sway. They all gather on a blanket for story time and crawl back to mom or dad for lap time. Each class is forty-five minutes of fast action and fun.
Once a child reaches the three-and-half-to five-year-old class, parents join in only for the last fifteen minutes. Kindermusik for five-to seven-year-olds is one while hour and teaches the symbols and vocabulary of music. Kids learn to play the glockenspiel, dulcimer and recorder and to compose their own music. When they’re done, they are ready for formal music lessons. "One of my teachers is a piano teacher," Huser says. "She noticed that the students she got who came from Kindermusik were just so ready to go that she said she had to come and see what the program was all about."
Mom Annie Richman attended Kindermusik with her daughter Lucy, now six, and a recent graduate to piano lessons. "A long time ago, Cathy did a demonstration at the Shaker Family Center, and I saw it. My first impression was that it was going to be sort of commercial. But it turned out not to be. It’s warm and wonderful and the CDs are extraordinarily professional."
"In the beginning, you had to sit and participate with the children so you understood what the song was doing. They do all sorts of diverse things with repeated movements, and they are fun things to do at home. They are easy, short tunes with words the kids can handle. The music is diverse, from African music to Irish jigs with different instruments."
Richman enjoyed the program so much that she’s been through it with her son, Oliver, 5, and daughter, Sonia, three. "Now that they’re older, I wait in the hall. I’m not as involved, so it’s a little different. It’s not as much a part of the day for us. But I’ve certainly met a lot of people through this. Sometimes I’ll be somewhere and say to someone, ‘Gee you look familiar,’ and we work back and discover we were in Kindermusik together."
Huser’s been singing her way into youngsters’ hearts for six years, and some of her clients come all the way from Cleveland’s West Side so they can attend a class that she heads.
"Music has always been an important part of my life," Huser explains. "I still perform sometimes locally [in choirs and choral groups]. I worked retail for a long time and retired when my children were born. So I was looking for something musical for my kids to do when I got a mailing about the Kindermusik program. They were having a seminar on it and I went and thought, ‘This is wonderful; there’s nothing like this on the East Side.’ Not only did I think it would be great for my kids, I thought it would be something I could do. So I went for training - now they do it online -- and learned how to run the classes and the connection to child development. Then I called the Jewish Community Center and Shaker Recreation to list the classes, and it just took off like crazy! I had ninety students in no time!"
Recently the program grew to the point where Huser had to drop some teaching time to take over the administrative duties, including managing www.kindermusikofcleveland.com, where parents can register online. Ten other teachers help her bring Kindermusik to sites in Kirtland, Concord, Mentor, Highland Heights, Bainbridge and Solon as well as Shaker. Though she’s not overly fond of the paperwork, she’s happy the program has grown. As well as being rewarded with growing enrollment, Huser is also proud that her franchise has been named one of their ten best by Kindermusik International.
"I truly believe that it is the most complete music and movement program for children. It’s using music and movement to stimulate their brains and just to have fun," she says. The program is based on the theory that music nurtures cognitive, emotional, social, language and physical development—sort of a Mozart effect for pre-schoolers. Each session lasts fifteen weeks, and fees range from $128 to $164; there are also sibling discounts.
Throughout classes, Huser repeatedly reminds parents not to compare their child with any other, to simply enjoy their child’s developmental level where it is. She has found that the program is particularly beneficial for children with developmental delays. "One little girl with Down Syndrome learned to walk in this class because she wanted to get up and dance with everyone," Huser says. "For others, it’s a way to learn to connect with their parents and to socialize with others. But for most, it’s just plain fun."
Peggy Gries Wager’s daughters Carrie, three, and Susie, five, have been having fun at Kindermusik since each was eighteen months old. "I would say the result is that they love music, they love to sing, and they love to listen to the Kindermusik CDs. They look forward to the weekly classes. For me it’s been a wonderful opportunity to connect with each of the children in a loving and interactive environment. ‘Miss Cathy’ runs a great program and my kids adore her."
A self-described "musical nincompoop," Wager picked up something from the classes as well. "I’ve learned to sing with my children and delight in singing regardless of what my voice sounds like. We sing every day. One of our favorites is a song that Susie and I learned at her first Kindermusik class. We sing it every night before bed—May There Always Be Sunshine. I always sing it and sometimes they sing back to me. "That’s one of the things I love about the class—that part of it is playful and loud and there is still a quiet time. There’s always a rocking song, and I found it to be an incredible time to connect. I can remember particularly holding my daughter’s hands on my shoulders as she rocked behind me and feeling her little hands getting bigger as the classes went along. I will always remember that."
Kindermusik goes home not only in fond memories, but with take-home packs of CDs, instruments and books for each family. (These optional materials range in cost from $24 to $60.) Post-class chatter reveals that the harmonica can not only survive being washed, but has been put through a dishwasher with success. One parent decides to buy the take-home pack even though another child in the family already has one. Some siblings might not be so willing to share. Tiny ones tippy-tippy-toe out into the hallway to find their coats. Happy moms sing to their children as they wiggle them into jackets and shoes. There’s not a child musical prodigy in sight, but it’s been another great day for Kindermusik.
