July 4, 2001 - Our own Beth Alford who is a certified and licensed Kindermusik educator is featured in the July 4th issue of the Goose Creek Gazette.  She leads children and their families in music classes designed to develop the "whole child," while giving parents fun and developmentally appropriate activities to do at home with their children.

Over the last several years, rsearchers have found music has a strong impact on children's development and intelligence. Studies have discovered when children, even babies, are exposed to music, they tend to do better on tests and have higher intelligence levels.

Beth Alford knew all this. She had majored in music therapy at Florida State University. Her mother taught music at a preschool and was up on all the latest research.

When Alford had her first child, she wanted her daughter to have all the advantages and the best opportunities. Out of what she said were "selfish reasons," Alford discovered Kindermusik International, a company that, according to its mission, "creates and publishes innovative music and movement curricula that nurture the cognitive, emotional, language, social, physical and musical development of children and involve families in . their children's musical learning."

Based in North Carolina, Kindermusik provides curriculum for children from birth to 7 years old. The curriculum focuses on five components: singing, rhythm instruments, focused listening, movement and literature, said Alford, who is a licensed and certified Kindermusik instructor in Goose Creek.

"All these are combined in ways to help the child learn," Alford said. "(Kindermusik) is on the cutting edge of research of childhood development."

The program is much more than just some toddlers playing some toy instruments. Each activity is planned out carefully considering the children's development.

Now that her oldest daughter is a teen-ager and accomplished flutist, Alford knows Kindermusik works.

"I know Kindermusik helped get her that start," she said. 

Although Alford became a licensed and certified Kindermusik instructor as a way to give her daughters an edge, she now wants all children to participate in the program and have the same advantages, she said.

Last week Alford shared the Kindermusik program with eight area children and their mothers. During 

the summer, Alford teaches a week long program at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. During the fall, she will begin the 15-week sessions. Each class is 45 minutes.

Last Thursday, a group of children about 2 years old started their "Creatures at the Ocean" curriculum with a song welcoming each other to the class. They played with beach balls, listened to dolphin sounds, tried out a variety of instruments - maracas, tambourines and small bongo drums - and listened to a story about going to the beach.

Even the clean up time was a song. In the well-known tune of a child's sing-song chant, Alford leads the children. "Time to put the balls away, balls away, balls away . ," Alford sings.

Each activity has a purpose. The lessons are short and Alford moves the children succinctly from one to the other to keep their attention. 

Kindermusik is broken into four classes based on age. As the children advance through the program, so do they advance through the world of music. They eventually learn high/low, fast/slow, composition, the notes of a treble staff, the instrument families and how to play the glockenspiel (keyboard preparation), the dulcimer (strings preparation) and the recorder (winds preparation). 

One of the primary goals of Kindermusik International is to bring music back into the home. 

Parents or guardians come to class with the children, learning the songs and playing the games. Parents are required to purchase take-home materials, which in last week's class, included a daily book with songs and suggested activities, a CD and castanets made of plastic seashells. 

"In this day and age, people don't do a lot of singing at home," Alford said. "People today are listening to music but not making it. Kids can increase their intelligence by being exposed to music at an early age." 

" Children have windows of development for walking, talking and even music", Alford explained.

If those skills are not developed early on during those windows, they are more difficult to learn later. 

Alford attended the Kindermusik training workshops in 1993 and 1994. Once instructors become licensed, they purchase the curriculum and materials to start their own business. Alford's Navy husband was stationed at the Naval Weapons Station when she launched her Kindermusik classes. The family lived for a while in Hawaii, where Alford continued to teach. The family returned to Goose Creek more than a year ago for their final assignment. Last fall, Alford started teaching Kindermusik in Goose Creek. She also is looking for a location in Summerville for classes. 

Alford is the director of music ministries for St. Timothy Lutheran and teaches music at the preschool, St. Timothy Children's Center. 

"I feel like (Kindermusik) is a ministry we offer because we want to encourage families to be together," Alford said. 

Most importantly, Alford said she wants the classes to be fun, allowing the children to associate music with lifelong experiences. 

"Music should be something that frees their spirit," she said. "I want them to have that 'Oh, I love music!' feeling." 

For more information on Kindermusik International, call (800) 628-5687 or visit www.kindermusik.com. 

To register for fall classes, contact Alford at 572-0555 or at kbke.alford@worldnet.att.net. Fall classes range in price from $130 to $203 including tuition and materials for the 15-week session.