Review ~ HomeSchoolPiano

 

Piano music is something I have always loved to listen to. We listen to lots of classical music and my kids have occasionally said they would like to play piano like that. We were recently given the chance to review HomeSchoolPiano, a program that lets you learn how to play piano at your own pace through video lessons. 

We received a lifetime subscription for up to 5 students that included the HomeSchoolPiano Complete Set of Books. A lifetime subscription includes.....

Core Piano contains 30+ lessons that teach piano essentials

Book 1 which was written for the absolute beginner

Book 2 works on rhythm, techniques, music reading, songs, and improvisation

Book 3 is for advanced players. 

Plus over 20 hours of streaming lessons. You can also download the lessons for use when offline too.

To use this program you will need.....

*A computer, tablet, kindle fire, or ipad with high speed internet access. You can also use your smartphone but we found the screen size too small for our liking.
*A printer to print the books, or you can have them printed somewhere else.
*A piano or a 49 key keyboard.




I was very glad that we could use our kindle fire tablets to access our lessons. This made it very convenient for each child to log on their own kindle and stay logged in. I also didn't have to put the keyboard in the dining room where our family desktop is located. The kindle fits perfectly on the music stand.



Setting up our account was easy and fast. Each child has their own log in information, and once they log in they simply click the "Where You Left Off" button to continue.

 The teacher is Willie Myette, and I really like the way he teaches. At the top of the screen you will see two views of the piano keys. The top one shows what keys are being played by highlighting them in red, below you have a full view of his hands on the keyboard so you can see clearly what he is doing. Down in the left hand corner is a window with Willie at his keyboard where you can see him as he speaks and demonstrates.

My son tells me this really helps him to have the different views. He can get quickly overwhelmed and upset when he doesn't understand something. He also likes that he can watch the lesson over again and again if he wants to before he moves on.

We liked that the lessons are short, about ten minutes or less each, and daily practice is easier that way when you have a highly distractable child who doesn't want to sit and do lessons for too long. It is summer right now after all!

I tried using this with my younger children and they didn't have the motivation to sit and really get into the program at this time. My 11 year old son is who used it the most and because he does have interest he is working through it, although slowly. I tried out the lessons myself, and I do feel like it is more appropriate for older kids, 10 and up, unless your child really wants to learn it.

The website claims it is for all ages, but you know your child best, so go with what you know when deciding. The great thing about the lifetime subscription is that if my younger kids get interested later on we already have the program! It is so nice knowing we can go at our own pace as well and not feel rushed because our subscription will run out.

I would also like to add that I do not have any background in piano, so I am an absolute beginner just like the kids. Its been fun to do this with my son and learn the same things together. He sees me make mistakes just like he does and it encourages him to just keep practicing and its OK to mess up.

There are two ways to pay for your lifetime subscription to HomeSchoolPiano.....

Success Package (One payment of $299)
Unlimited life-time access to HomeSchoolPiano along with all bonuses (downloads, jam tracks, sheet music) for up to 5 students.

 OR

Payment Plan (Payments of $99.97 per month for three months)
Unlimited life-time access to HomeSchoolPiano along with all bonuses (downloads, jam tracks, sheet music) for up to 5 students.

Click on the banner below to read more reviews from other homeschool families!

You can connect with HomeSchoolPiano via.....

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HomeschoolPiano
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jazzedge
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jazzedge/

Review ~ KinderBach ~ Piano Lessons Online

We have been blessed to review an online beginner piano program for children. We received 6 months of access to The KinderBach Online Piano Lesson Membership With Teacher Corner.


When it comes to teaching music I can introduce them to many styles, composers, and even a lot of music history. When it comes to teaching how to play music I do not have those skills. I had music class in school as a kid but I have forgotten most of it, and wouldn't know where to begin to teach someone else what I do remember. Thank goodness for KinderBach! They have filled a need I felt we had in our homeschool. Best of all, they do all the teaching, we get have all the fun!

Since music is not a required course in our state it isn't something I put a lot of effort into, unless one of the kids had interest of course. As it turns out they had more interest than I thought. KinderBach introduced them to the art of reading music and beginning to play piano. Once you can read music then learning to play other instruments later in life is easier. Although I never learned to play piano, I did play flute in Junior High. Memories of the joy I felt when playing came flooding back as I "relearned" how to read music while the kids did these lessons.

There is nothing to download and take up space on your computer, all of the lessons are streamed from the website. A high speed internet connection is required to use KinderBach online. They do offer the same course on DVD for those who do not have access to high speed internet, have limited use of it, or just prefer not to do the course online. You will also need a printer, basic supplies such as crayons, paper, scissors, etc. and a keyboard. It doesn't need to be a fancy or expensive one.

There are workbook pages to go along with and enhance most of the lessons. These can be downloaded and printed as needed in PDF form. If you choose the DVD option your workbook pages can be printed from a CD.





There are 6 levels of lessons, each level contains 10 weeks worth if you use 4 lessons a week.

KinderBach was designed to be used with children ages 3 to 7. I used it with my 5 and 7 year old mainly, I tried to get my 9 and 10 year olds interested but they thought it was a bit babyish looking and balked until they heard their little sisters playing their first song. I think they may be willing to give it another try, minus the coloring sheets.

We started out at the very first lesson, but if your child has already had some music instruction you can begin at whatever level you wish. I loved how the lessons started out slowly and built upon each other, they were not overwhelming at all. In fact my girls often asked to do another lesson because they wanted to keep going. This is fine, you can go at whatever pace you like. If you miss a few days for some reason it is easy to start right where you left off.



 Karri is a great teacher. Her face is very expressive and her voice very soothing. She sings songs as she teaches, my girls just loved this because they sing all day long no matter what they are doing.




I found the teacher corner useful but we did not use it much.  The lessons are self guided really, just print the corresponding workbook pages, play the video, and go. It did a lot of explaining about how the program works, and offered many suggestions for extra activities. There are a lot of suggestions and help for teaching a group if you have the desire to do that sort of thing. This is also included with your subscription.

Below is a sample of one of the songs kids eventually learn how to play. (We aren't there yet, but with perseverance we will be!)

 

Overall we have really enjoyed using KinderBach and plan to continue with it as long as the girls have interest. We had just one simple thing that would have made using KinderBach easier for us, bigger screen size for the video. Since the two girls were watching it together at the computer they had to squeeze in to get the best view. Of course this always leads to arguing. Enlarging the screen did not help, it became blurry. We tried using the desktop computer because the screen is bigger but it didn't solve this problem. Otherwise the video quality is excellent and the sound perfect.




Right now a One Year Online Membership Plus Teacher Corner starts at just $7.99 per month, or $95.88 per year. This special price may not last for long, a regularly priced subscription is $130.00 per year. This is very affordable in my opinion, and if you are using it with more than one child in your family it is an even greater deal!

They also offer a free trial and a 30 day money back guarantee. So give KinderBach a try if this sounds like something your kids would enjoy.

Connect with KinderBach.....

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/kinderbach
Facebook for Teachers:  www.facebook.com/classroomkinderbach
Twitter: @KinderBach
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/KinderBach/
YouTube: KinderBach Preschool Piano

Review ~ MusIQ Homeschool Piano Lessons

 Learning to play the piano has always been a dream of mine. My 9 year old son started having a real interest in learning to play piano last year but we live so far out and lessons are so expensive it has never happened. I jumped at the chance to review the MusIQ HomeSchool program from Adventus. We do all of our other learning from home so why not piano lessons too?

What a blessing MusIQ has turned out to be! We used Children's Music Journey which is recommended for ages 4-10. We started at the very beginning with Volume 1 since none of us have ever had a lesson before. I love how this program starts assuming you know nothing, it was the perfect way to start for my kids.

Each child has their own login, so they can progress at their own pace. To my surprise my 8 year old daughter, River, who showed very little interest in learning to play piano has been the one who begs to go first each morning. She has already gone through lesson 20 and can play a few simple songs. My 6 year old daughter, Skye, has also taken a liking to music and is more than glad to have her session each day and practices faithfully.




MusIQ is a complete music curriculum and has programs available for ages 4-18. See what each year teaches here.

 

You can purchase MusIQ via download or on CD-ROM for $69.95 each level or use the monthly subscription plan for $10.95 per month and get access to all the levels at once. I feel like this is the best option for families of multiple children like us.

You MUST have a keyboard with either a USB or MIDI output to use the program. A keyboard can be purchased through Adventus if you do not already own one. Most modern keyboards already have this output, all that is needed is a cable to connect to the computer which costs about $6.00. You also must have an internet connection to use the software. System requirements are: Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000 or Macintosh OSX  for the Early Curriculum and Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000 for the Multi Level Curriculum.

See what a sample lesson looks like .....




Each lesson begins with a famous composer acting as the teacher. The composer tells a little bit about themselves and some of their music is played. I like that this is included, my kids have always liked listening to classical music and this added to their learning experience. After the lesson they go to Miss Melody's practice room to play music themselves. There are games to play, and a place to compose and even record your own songs using many different instruments.





If you want to further your lessons Adventus also offers homeschool lesson plans and printable worksheets.

There is so much to this program it would be nearly impossible to write it all down in one review. If you have a keyboard at home already I highly recommend you try out the free 7 day trial and see for yourself just how much this program has to offer!

Here's my little confession...I have been using the program to learn piano too. I started at lesson 1 just like they did. I have been learning right along with them. I really enjoy music, I always have, and I hope to be more musical as I get older. Just for the JOY of it!

We all give MusIQ two thumbs up! It is enjoyable, easy to use, and we are learning together. I highly recommend it!