Kindermusik

Many children are first introduced to music at Northwestern in lively Kindermusik classes, where they explore music through moving, singing, and playing instruments. The focus is on whole-child development, not on musical entertainment or performance. A rich variety of activities promotes music and language development, symbolic thinking, coordination, and social interaction.

Please contact Jennifer Merry at kindermusik@northwestern.edu with any questions.

Summer 2023 Classes
Fall 2023 Classes
Kindermusik Faculty

Summer 2023 Classes Top

Level 1 (ages 12-24 months with parent/caregiver)

This 45-minute class is a lovely way for babies and parents to interact. Multi-level activities that are appropriate for each stage of a baby's development give lap babies, crawlers, and walkers a chance to experience music, touch, sound, and movement. Home materials include an instrument and a family guide related to the theme of the unit which provides additional ideas for sharing the class experience at home. Each session includes digital materials that contain all the songs used in class, a story that can be enjoyed on a digital device, as well as activity suggestions and developmental information for parents to use at home when engaging with Baby.

Session 2, Level 1: July 1-22, 2023 - 4 weeks

Tuition: $105
Theme: Rain or Shine
Course time: Saturdays, 12:30 p.m.
Instructor: Jennifer Merry

Level 2 (2-3 year-olds with parent/caregiver)

A lively 45-minute class that invites parents/caregivers and children to sing, move, listen to and play instruments while enjoying literature. Home materials include an instrument and a family guide related to the theme of the unit which provides additional ideas for sharing the class experience at home. Each session also includes digital materials that contain all the songs used in class, a story that can be enjoyed on a digital device, as well as activity suggestions and developmental information for parents to use at home when engaging with Toddler.

how do you feel
Session 2, Level 2: July 1-29, 2023 (no class 7/22) - 4 weeks

Tuition: $105
Theme: How Do You Feel?
Course time: Saturdays, 8:45 or 9:45 a.m.
Instructor: Tamara Sarajishvili Dominiguez

Level 3 (3-4 year-olds with parent/caregiver)

Children's imaginations are engaged during this 45-minute class with activities that capture their creativity. Music concepts are experienced through moving, singing, listening, creating, and playing instruments. Home materials include an instrument and a family guide related to the theme of the unit which provides additional ideas for sharing the class experience at home. Each session includes digital materials that contain all the songs used in class, a story that can be enjoyed on a digital device, as well as activity suggestions and developmental information for parents to use at home when engaging with Preschooler.

Session 2, Level 3: July 1-22, 2023 - 4 weeks

Tuition: $105
Theme: Animals a-Dancing
Course time: Saturdays, 10:00 a.m.
Instructor: Jennifer Merry

Level 4 (4-5 year-olds with parent/caregiver)

In this 45-minute class, we engage your child in music and movement activities that also promote language, social and emotional skills, early math and literacy, physical coordination, creativity, and more. Your child will learn basic music vocabulary and notation, setting the stage for future school success and formal music lessons. Children come without parents for the first 30 minutes of class, then parents join the fun for the final 15 minutes. Home materials include an instrument and a family guide related to the theme of the unit which provides additional ideas for sharing the class experience at home. Also included are digital home materials which extend the benefits all week long with music from class, a story, and activities for the whole family.

Session 2, Level 4: July 1-22, 2023 - 4 weeks

Tuition: $105
Theme: Rhythms of the Land
Course time: Saturdays, 9:00 a.m.
Instructor: Jennifer Merry

Level 5 (5-6 year-olds with parent/caregiver)

Through storytelling, children will develop an early awareness of rhythm, movement, singing, and drama. Each session features new tales from around the world, explored through multi-instrument and multi-cultural elements. All told, it’s an around-the-imagination adventure of the greatest stories from Europe, Malaysia, South Africa, and more. Classes are 60 minutes long. Home materials include a pair of Lummi Sticks, a book and CD, all packed in a Kindermusik bag.

Session 2, Level 5: July 1-22, 2023 - 4 weeks

Tuition: $125
Theme: Tell Me a Tale, Part 2
Course time: Saturdays, 11:00 a.m.
Instructor: Jennifer Merry

Fall 2023 Classes Top

The fall Kindermusik term is 15 weeks, beginning Saturday, September 16, 2023, and ending Saturday, January 13, 2024, with January 20, 2024, reserved as a make-up week.

A deposit of $100 is required to reserve your spot in class.

Level 1 (12-24 months with parent/caregiver)

Get ready to sing, play, and move with your little one in this high-energy music class designed for very young children. This 45-minute class focuses on your child’s beginning movement, helping to build the muscles your young toddler needs to walk, run, and climb; and on vocal development, helping to nurture your child’s speaking and singing voice. With a mix of both parent-child joint activities and child-focused activities, you’ll be able to join in on all the singing and dancing while also getting the chance to observe how your young toddler learns on his or her own. Experience singing, swaying, laughing, and playing, along with early-childhood vocal play and language development, together time, music and movement activities!

Each semester includes digital materials that contain all the songs and stories used in class, plus fun activities to keep the learning happening all week. You'll also receive instruments and books to begin building your child's collections of these items.

Themes: Big Red Barn, Playtime, Yum
Class time: Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. with Jennifer Merry
Price: (approx. $325)

Level 2 (2-3 years with parent/caregiver)

This music-filled class celebrates the unique joys of your growing child. Each week your child will love singing, dancing, and playing instruments with you and their new friends and you’ll love helping them practice a wide variety of abilities such as gross and fine motor skills, turn-taking, social skills, and active listening. In class, we’ll also share tips and ideas for using music throughout the week. Plus, the fun (and learning!) continue with the Kindermusik at Home digital home materials, including music from class, musical activities, and each month’s story. You'll also receive instruments and books to add to your child's collections of these items.

Themes: Colors & Shapes on the Farm, Family & Friends, Time for Lunch
Class time: Saturdays at 8:45 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. with Tamara Sarajishvili Dominiquez
Price: (approx. $325)

Level 3 (3-4 years with parent/caregiver)

Each week in class we combine your preschooler’s natural love of music, storytelling, and imaginative play with age-appropriate activities that introduce early music concepts and foster independence, social and emotional skills, language growth, and self-control. We also connect you with other parents who share in the wonder of parenting a preschooler. The Kindermusik at Home digital home materials bring the music, activities, and each month’s story everywhere you go. The repetition enhances the learning—and the fun! You'll also receive instruments and books to add to your child's collections of these items.

Themes: Around the Farm, Home Sweet Home, Outside My Window
Class times: Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. - Instructor TBA
Price: (approx. $345)

Level 4 (4-5 years with parent/caregiver)

From the moment you became a parent, you wanted the best for your child. In class, we engage your child in music and movement activities that also promote language, social and emotional skills, early math and early literacy, physical coordination, creativity, and more. Plus, your child will learn basic music vocabulary and notation—all setting the stage for future school success and formal music lessons. The Kindermusik at Home digital home materials extend the benefits all week long with music from class, activities for the whole family, and each month’s story. You'll also receive instruments and books to add to your child's collections of these items.

Themes: Jazz Kitchen, Under the Rainbow, Join the Parade
Class times: Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. - Instructor TBA
Price: (approx. $345)

Kindermusik Musicians (formerly Young Child) (ages 5-7 years with parent/caregiver)

Kindermusik Musicians prepares the young child who is eager for first experiences with musical symbols and instrument discovery but is not yet ready for formal lessons and traditional music reading with an instrument. This is a 4-semester curriculum taught over 2 years. Each class is 60 minutes.

What a Parent and Child Will Experience in Class

Singing and vocal development — It may sound like a foreign language when a child sings “ta” and “ti-ti,” but this is the language of professional musicians and composers, and helps young children get ready to read and write simple rhythm patterns.
Movement — See children dance expressively to music, giving them the opportunity to coordinate their body movements to the sound of music. This kind of musical play not only improves musicianship, but physical coordination as well.
Reading and writing — Young children will learn melodic notation and identify pitches such as the C, A, and D notes on the treble clef, plus rhythmic notation. Eventually they will even compose their own music.
Focused listening — Children will learn to identify a range of orchestra instruments and their sound qualities, while also gaining an early awareness and knowledge of composers and masterworks in the Western arts tradition.
Exploring and playing musical instruments — Authentic percussion, string, pre-keyboard, and woodwind instruments expose children to the many choices for future musical study, and at the same time provide them with the opportunity to musically succeed before taking on more formal instruction

Class time (Year 1): Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. with Jennifer Merry
Class time (Year 2): Saturdays at 10:15 a.m. with Jennifer Merry (FULL)
Price: (approx. $390)

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Kindermusik Faculty

Jennifer Merry

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Tamara Sarajishvili Dominguez