By By JOANNA ARNETT / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- Amy Paxton was all smiles Tuesday afternoon.
A six-month resident of Buchanan, she had just completed teaching a widely popular young children's program called Kindermusik in the Colfax Center in South Bend, Ind. Starting Jan. 20, Paxton will be teaching lessons at Wesley United Methodist Church, 302 Cedar in Niles.
Paxton first heard of Kindermusik when she attended Northwestern University.
Kindermusik International, now headquartered in Greensboro, N.C., was founded by singer, college professor and administrator Dan Pratt more than 25 years ago.
Different instruments used in the classroom include glockenspiels, dulcimers, recorders, rainmakers, egg shakers, over a dozen different types of drums and many more. Musical styles introduced to the children range from Mozart to folk songs to popular tunes. Children also take home materials, such as CDs and instruments.
There are four stages of the Kindermusik program. Kindermusik Village is for newborns to one a half years old, developing vocal chords and object exploration. Kindermusik Our Time is for one and a half years to three years old, using rhythm, sound identification, and creative movement. Kindermusik Imagine That! is for three to five year olds and uses language, storytelling, and pretend play in a musical context. Kindermusik for the Young Child is for five to seven years old and continues the musical journey into multicultural music, musical notation, and instruments.
Becky Hamm, a lifetime resident of Niles, will be teaching alongside Paxton in January.
She lists its merits as not just being about music, despite the cute name.
There will be an open house at Wesley United Methodist on Tuesday, Jan. 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. There will be refreshments, demonstrations, video clips and an opportunity to talk with educators about Kindermusik.
For more information about the Kindermusik program coming to Niles, call (574) 250-3118.