West Music Company is celebrating being 70 years strong this year! Here’s some background on how the West Music Catalog Department started……

Dreading that next kindergarten (or pre-school) music class? Simply placing a puppet on your hand (no voice, just shaking the head up and down or side-to-side) will transform your room. A puppet works magic in lower elementary classes! It doesn’t need to be Freddie, any puppet will do that you build a story around. Obviously, I use Freddie, so here is what I do at the beginning of every year. It works like a charm! I use this lesson plan EVERY year with the kindergarten music class. It works with Pre-School, too!

We've digitized the new 2011-2012 West Music catalog, and released it for free download! Now you can take a portable, digital version of the catalog wherever you go, or get a free copy anywhere that there's internet access. Every product is linked to a web page where you can place an order. Simply click on the product's Item number (i.e. 800965) to view an even more detailed description, along with options to add it to your shopping cart and place an order.

As the weather and the excitement of summer begin to heat up, why not take your music activities outside with our great selection of movement props! Plan some favorite songs to sing, or take an outdoor CD player with you to add more fun to the event.

With the start of the fall semester of Kindermusik classes, I am reminded once again of the many ways that music participation helps children grow and learn. A few years ago, one of my Kindermusik parents came to the first class of the new fall semester with tears in her eyes. Her son, Michael, was 2 ½ years old, and had been in Kindermusik since he was an infant. He was a quiet child and rarely participated in class, but would show his mom how much he had learned when he was at home—often singing the songs and playing his instruments as we had in class and more. Though I frequently remind parents that every child is different in how he or she experiences class, this mom still wished Michael would actively demonstrate in class how much he enjoyed coming.

Music Advocacy: Music Matters! Let your voice be heard about the importance of music education for every child! Find out more from the links on this page.

“You mean a professional singer has to take voice lessons?” This was a question asked of me not long ago. My response to that question is this, “Even a major leaguer has to go to batting practice.” Just because I get paid to do something, does not mean I am perfect at it. In fact, I think that because I am paid to do something is all the more reason to make sure I am as accomplished at it as possible.