Kinderbach

Looking for a pleasant introduction to music for your younger children, without the trek out of the house for lessons? With a teacher other than Mom or Dad?

Live somewhere where access to lessons for the really "littles" is non-existant?

Kinderbach is a fun and "lightly instructive", interactive website where children from ages 2-7 can learn:
Basic rhythm
Note names, Intervals, and placement on the piano(or keyboard)
To play simple, yet recognizable songs

The course is offered via dvd for those with slow internet connections, or those who would rather not tie up the computer.
Prices range from $7.16/month(one time yearly payment) - $14.95/month(payment on a monthly basis) for the website version. There are a number of packages for the DVD option that you can check out here.

While my kids were not at the optimum ages for this product, I can give you a couple of comments. My youngest at 16 months was riveted to the screen. The individual lessons are well-geared to the 2-5 year old crowd in my opinion. Sophisticated 6 and 7 year-olds will likely balk at using them, and based on my 8 year-old's reaction, you probably won't want to try it beyond the target age for sure(even if he DID actually learn some things! ;) ).

I think this is engaging in the same way that "Blue's Clues" is. (As a matter of fact, I was thinking this would be a good fit for a PBS program, until I remembered one major difference. These lessons build on one another, so a child just dropping in on a random lesson wouldn't get the full benefit.) They are a well-produced mixture of teacher and animation. There are pages to print up and color, and a variety of activities to go along with the lessons.

Not a true replacement for one-on-one weekly piano lessons, but a fun extra for those that would like it.

Be sure to try out the first two weeks "Free Sessions" to see what you think!

Blessings~
Lis