Kindermusik Program Starts in Fall at BMCA

Once again the Black Mountain Center for the Arts, located at 225 W. State Street in the original City Hall, will offer Kindermusik classes, a form of music/rhythm play and learning activity for infants and preschoolers with a parent or other adult. BMCA offered this program several years ago, enriching the lives of over one hundred families in the Valley. Current classes will be offered on Tuesday mornings beginning September 21: “Our Time” for newborns to 18-months will be 10-10:45, and “Village” for 18 months through 3-years will be from 11:15-noon. To register, call BMCA at 828/669-0930. Certified Kindermusik teacher for the program is Maria Wood, who also teaches in Asheville on Wednesdays. A non-refundable deposit of $35 is required at registration. Cost for the 15-week classes, which include CD’s, books, and other materials and deposit, is $250. Spring classes will start in late January.

A lifelong passion for music and the connections it nurtures brought Maria Wood to Kindermusik. Growing up in a house that revolved around a passion for music, with a pianist mother, a father who played guitar, and an aunt who lugged her harp on train journeys to play with the Boston Symphony, Maria’s life was destined to have music at its core. She started with playing clarinet in middle school, but also learned flute, piano and guitar, and has sung in choirs and choruses both in school and as an adult.

Maria had planned a career in theater, but in one of life’s unexpected twists, found herself working with nationally known, award-winning musician David Grover and the Big Bear Band, and fell in love with bringing music to families and children. She spent over a decade traveling throughout America as Road Manager/Artistic Consultant visiting schools, theatres, and community groups from coast to coast, helping to bring the joyful experience of live, participatory music to kids and families of all kinds.

In 2002, along with David Grover, Maria founded The National Children’s Music Project (NCMP), a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing education through music to children and families, for which she now serves as President. Maria wrote classroom curricula to accompany two children’s CDs, one sponsored by the United Way for distribution in Head Start classrooms, and another teaching tolerance and multiculturalism, used in elementary schools throughout the country. Another project Maria spearheaded was the formation of a Family Folk Chorus in Western Massachusetts to give adults and kids of all ages an opportunity to sing and learn about music together.

After Maria had a daughter of her own she became immersed in music for kids from the parent’s side. Teaching Kindermusik is a natural extension of Maria’s love of kids, music, and her conviction that the two together create something that is more meaningful than mere entertainment. Wood states, “The facts are well-documented. Listening to and participating in music helps kids (and adults!) learn in nearly every area. Music ‘lights up’ the brain and creates neural connections at an astonishing rate in babies and young children, and it leads to more proficient readers, improves mathematical skills and pattern-recognition, improves language skills and even improves physical coordination and athletic performance.” What parent wouldn’t want those rewards for their child?

Maria brings to her Kindermusik classrooms the belief that singable, fun, and thoughtful music makes a difference in the lives of families, and she is eager to share her excitement with as many kids, parents, and friends as possible! To learn more, visit www.kindermusikinthemountains.typepad.com.