School-age children will head back to school in the next few weeks, but what about their younger brothers and sisters?

With school-aged children soon going back to the classroom, this fall is the perfect time to introduce their younger siblings to the excitement of lifelong learning through music. Kindermusik with Susan offers a complete music program where both children and parents learn through music and movement.

Located at Southern Pines United Methodist Church, Kindermusik with Susan, now in it's ninth year, offers classes for newborn through age three, and is now accepting registration for the upcoming fall semester, which begins on August 29.

Kindermusik is a comprehensive music program where both children and parents learn through music and movement.

The upcoming fall semester will include the following classes: Kindermusik Village for newborns to 1 1/2 years and Kindermusik Our Time for children 1 1/2 to 3 years old.

Classes will be taught by Susan Wright, a veteran teacher. Wright is a licensed educator who holds a master's degree in reading and a bachelor's degree in early childhood development; Wright is certified as a Kindermusik educator, teaches early childhood development courses full-time at Sandhills Community College and is a former director of the Southern Pines United Methodist Church's preschool, Little People Loving and Learning.

Kindermusik's Year

Kindermusik with Susan offers a two-semester year in which each semester is 16 weeks in length. Upon registration, each child will be placed in an appropriate class for the year.

Early Start to Lifelong Learning

Created by early childhood music educators and informed by the latest research in child development, Kindermusik programs provide early childhood learning opportunities through innovative music and movement curricula and involve families in the joy of their child's development. Kindermusik curricula are designed to be developmentally appropriate, encouraging each child to learn at his or her own pace.

Each Kindermusik class is a world of discovery and adventure. In every class, parents witness their child's developmental evolution in language skills, literacy, listening, problem solving, social skills, self-esteem and musicality. And it happens within a nurturing environment - full of energy, imagination, music, dancing, and playful delight.

Kindermusik provides the time and tools to help bring the power of music into your home and your child's life forever. An integral part of every Kindermusik program, the Kindermusik at-home materials include the highest-quality music CDs, creative activities, beautifully illustrated children's books and specially designed instruments - created to complement the music and Kindermusik classroom experience.

By adding new concepts and challenges along the way, each age-appropriate program acts as a stepping stone to the next - paving the way to a musical journey that can last five magnificent, musical years.

Research Shows

Current research on brain development confirms that early learning and stimulation such as activities performed in Kindermusik class greatly enhance a child's overall development.

Language Development

"Playing with objects such as the scarf play in Kindermusik Village encourages a baby to make sounds and words and helps her anticipate outcomes which are central to conversational development and language acquisition. Varying pitches between high and low in Kindermusik class stimulates these first foundations for a baby or young child's learning the variety of sounds of language."

- Dan DeJoy, Ph.D., speech-language pathologist

Attention and Inhibitory Control

"Kindermusik addresses a child's development in many various and powerful ways. Repeated exposure to musical activities develops important cognitive and behavioral skills. Some musical activities can help develop inhibitory control - the ability to control or stop one's movements. Also, changing volume, rate and pitch in songs and activities teaches a child discrimination, a crucial factor to listening and language processing."

- Ed Dougherty, Ph.D., neuropsychologist

Movement and Physical Development

"Children learn through movement and music is movement. Repetition of movements, demonstrated in the Kindermusik Movement Chart, is important for brain and motor development. Movement requiring both horizontal and vertical tracking of the eye facilitates language development for reading readiness."

- Anne Green Gilbert, movement specialist, author, "Creative Dance for All Ages," and director, Creative Dance Center

A Nurturing Environment

Each Kindermusik class nurtures a child's cognitive, emotional, social, language and physical development while providing a fun learning experience that brings music to life.

For more information or to learn how to register, call (910) 639-0712 or visit www.susan.kindermusik.net.