Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
Are you looking for a way to connect with your young child and build a foundation in music? With Musik at Home Membership your children, from babies to age seven, can get top-notch music education in the comfort of your own home. My first grader and I have been experiencing music time together with this exciting program for the past month.
What is Musik at Home?
Musik at Home is an early childhood music online music studio that helps children build a strong foundation in musicianship. Participating in the classes provides a special bonding experience for parents and their children. Kathryn Brunner, the teacher, is an early childhood music educator and certified Musikgarten instructor with lots of passion for helping families have shared musical experiences, especially at an age when children’s brains are so receptive to learning music.
With a membership you get access to over 400 activities, singing games, musical stories, and more. It’s easy to navigate all the video options that are included. You can select a video series or search for a specific topic.
Musik at Home Family Music Video Series
- Mixed Ages, Ages 1-5
- Ages 4-7, Pre-K-1st Grade
- Preschoolers
- Babies and Toddlers
Musik at Home Videos by Topic
- Instruments
- Dance/Scarves
- Singing Games
- Call and Respond
- Graphic Notation
- Songs for Special Days
- Rhythm Sticks
We found it handy to have some rhythm sticks, shakers, and scarves for each video, as well as paper and markers. We already had these items, but if you don’t you can make your own, or purchase them separately on the Musik at Home website.
Supplemental Resources
You can also get the posters, notation cards, CDs of songs, poems, sounds, stories, games, and dances, and parent booklets of song lyrics, instrument information, and activities for an additional cost. These items are not necessary for the class, but they will help you make the most of your experience. I would have appreciated having the lyrics so I could learn the songs faster.
Musik at Home Membership Verdict
As a six-and-a-half year old on the higher end of the recommended age, I wasn’t sure how my son would respond to the classes. Would he think they were too babyish? or boring?
I had nothing to worry about. He enjoyed Musik at Home, Family Music for Ages 4-7 series, so much that he asked to do music class any time he saw my laptop. He told me he loved it. I could tell by his energy level and by the smiles on his face, that it was a great fit for him. He’s an active boy and the musical activities in the program were varied enough to keep him participating.
His favorite part of each class was dancing with scarves. He loved the freedom to move about the room, swinging his scarf in the air. I loved how he connected with me during those dance times too. He loved to grab my hand and spin or make his scarf move with mine. As a parent I found it rewarding to see pure delight on his face. Musik at Home really does help you bond with your child.
I saw my son progress musically in just the short time we used our membership. He got better at echoing rhythm patterns and singing to match the notes. What I enjoyed most are the times when he’d snuggle on my lap as we joined in the fun. It was a very positive bonding experience to make music together.
Class Components
The video classes move at a quick pace, keeping kids’ interest. Length of class varies by age, but the Family Music for Ages 4-7 classes are about 25 minutes long. There are many different activities in the Musik at Home program, but here are some of the class components we experienced.
Greeting Song
Every class begins with one of several greeting songs. These greetings involve motion and usually each child’s name.
In Who Are You? the teacher chooses something about the child to sing about and that child responds with his name. “I see a boy with a blue shirt on, a blue shirt on, I see a boy with a blue shirt on, who are you?” The boy sings, “I am Eli.”
After greeting the two children in the room, she turns to us at home “I see someone who’s watching us, watching us.” That’s your cue to sing your child’s name. Finally, to close the song, she greets the grownups.
Another greeting song, called Let’s Sing Hello Together, children are greeted a different way. The teacher claps hello to Priscilla and pounds hello to Ezra, while the children sing along doing those motions too.
Tonal Patterns
The teacher plays a game of “be my echo” with the children. She sings out a tonal pattern and has them repeat it. Sometimes after practicing in unison she’ll have the two children take turns doing the pattern. I like how she gives a visual cue with her hands to help you know when it’s your turn to echo.
Stationary Movement
Stationary movement is when the children are seated and tap on their knees during the song. The teacher introduces other hand motions to do with the lyrics, like swimming fish tails.
Instruments
Instruments like resonator bars and rhythm sticks are played by the children while the teacher sings a song. Sometimes they learn to play particular notes, other times they’re playing to keep the beat.
Listening Time
Children are also introduced to different musical instruments through pictures and listening to their sounds. The videos show close ups of the instruments for viewers at home.
Ensemble Development
Ensemble development is done with instruments and singing. In one class one child rattled his bell on the beat while the other child made an up and down motion with hers. They played their bells in this way while singing a song together, making an ensemble.
On a more advanced video we heard the children singing Row Row Row Your Boat while the teacher sang a different song at the same time. In the photo below, my son is participating in an ensemble of drums, spoons, and shakers.
Rhythm Patterns
Similar to tonal patterns, the teacher sings rhythm patterns for children to repeat. She has them keep a steady beat by tapping on their knees while saying the “do da de” patterns.
Graphic Notation Activity
Children move to a table and use paper and markers to show what those sounds or patterns they learned look like graphically. For example, after learning about forte and piano, they draw the musical symbols and practice “reading” their papers.
In the photo below, the girls are preparing to draw what a bee sound might look. They draw in the air before drawing on paper.
Poster Activity
Family Music for Ages 4-7 covers four themes that are illustrated in posters: My Home Place, Tree Homes, Woodlands, and Cattail Marsh. Gathered around the poster, the teacher and children talk about the different animals they see and add other animal stickers. The teacher tells a story related to the poster. Then they listen to the sounds of a few of the animals and try to imitate them.
Scarves and Dancing
This is a time for children to get up and move about the room. They dance and move their scarves while listening to a classical piece or other type of music.
Singing Game
The children participate in singing games, like Zum Gali Gali where they hold hands in a circle and move in different directions. They swing hands while stationary and add in some marching and freezing motions.
Closing Song
Every class ends with a closing song, like See You Next Time or Wave Goodbye. In these songs the teacher and the children all wave and look directly at the camera, making you want to come back next time and be a part of the fun with them.
Why I Think Parents Will Love Musik at Home
Excellent Music Instructor
Kathryn Brunner, the teacher, is amazing. She has an infectious smile and radiates a positive vibe in every class. I could see her demeanor rub off on my son as he matched her enthusiasm for music. I love how Kathryn gives frequent eye contact to the viewers at home so you feel like you’re right there with her.
Her voice is beautiful and she’s clearly a talented musician. She can sing all around a scale and play several instruments. It’s a pleasure to listen to her.
Kathryn is very skilled with working with early childhood ages. She teaches with confidence, knowing how to move smoothly from one activity to the next to keep kids engaged.
Builds a Foundation in Music in Clever Ways
Musik at Home builds a musical foundation in clever ways. Concepts that seem hard to grasp are presented in ways that make sense to little ones. An activity that appears simple on the surface, is brilliantly training children in musical skills and concepts.
For example, a game of “be my echo” that kids love, teaches them to listen for different tonal sounds and reproduce them. They’re learning to develop an ear for music.
One of my favorite examples of this clever teaching is the graphic notation and composition piece. After teaching two different rhythm patterns, the instructor shows the kids how to draw them. For example, “Do do-dee” would be written as a quarter note and two eighth notes. And “do do” would be written as two quarter notes. Then they put their papers in a line, in any order, and sing the rhythm. The students are actually reading music!
If you want to hear more about the Musik at Home membership from other homeschoolers, check out their reviews at Homeschool Review Crew.
