Derrek Vaughn | The Valdsota Daily TimesSeveral Kindermusik students perform the hello song in the morning at Kindermusik with Mrs. Adrienne. 

VALDOSTA — After Adrienne Reissiger quit her full-time job as a music educator to focus on her family, her efforts as a part-time music educator eventually led to a new business: Kindermusik with Mrs. Adrienne.

Kindermusik with Mrs. Adrienne is a studio that offers private voice lessons and Kindermusik classes.

Kindermusik is an international program that teaches age-appropriate curriculum to babies, toddlers and more through music and movement, Reissiger said.

Reisigger began singing at a young age and would sing in local cantatas and musicals, she said. She later took took private piano lessons to help with her musical knowledge. She was in chorus in school, attended All State with a perfect score, sang at different churches and performed with the Valdosta State University Chamber Singers, VSU Opera and Symphony Choir while pursuing her bachelor’s of music education with an emphasis in voice.

She served as the soprano intern for the Valdosta Choral Guild from 2009-2011, was the children’s music director at First United Methodist Church, Madison, Fla., for several years before becoming the choir teacher at Pine Grove Middle School. She is currently the Valdosta Choral Guild director and the minister of Music at Hahira United Methodist Church.

When Reissiger was getting her bachelor’s of music education at VSU, she knew she eventually wanted to open her own studio, she said.

After graduation, she got a job at Pine Grove Middle School to teach choir and “really enjoyed it,” she said.

When she became pregnant with her child, Paisley, she decided she didn’t want to be a full-time teacher anymore.

“I decided to stay at home and continue to teach voice lessons from my home,” she said.

It was a year after her child was born when Reissiger was first introduced to Kindermusik.

“It was so different than any other program that I had heard of for little ones and it was all about music,” she said. “I also loved the fact that you take the class with your child, so there is a lot of bonding in the classes. I knew it would be the perfect fit for me to continue to raise my little girl while still doing the things that I loved.”

In 2015 she decided to become certified to teach Kindermusik. And while she holds teaching certificates in music education for K-12 and early childhood education for K-5, she was still required to take classes to be certified to teach Kindermusik.

“To be certified, you must go through online courses with the guidance of a mentor teacher,” Reissiger said. “You take tests, submit lesson plans and even ‘student teach.’ It was very similar to my experience student teaching at VSU. My very last assignment was to hold a free one-month class for five students and (I) submitted class videos to my mentor. She would respond and I’d correct my mistakes for the next class.”

The first year after becoming certified, she taught a few classes at a local church, but the demand for more classes warranted opening a new studio.

“So, my husband and I took the plunge and rented out our current space,” she said. “We did all the renovations ourselves and got it ready for its grand opening. I currently teach five Kindermusik classes ranging from birth to age 6 and voice lessons to all ages and abilities at my studio.”

A typical Kindermusik class begins with gathering time. Gathering time is when the students and families first get to the class and socialize with one another and become acquainted with their surroundings, she said. Then Reissiger and the students get into a circle and sing a hello song to every student in the class.

“We sing the same hello song every class as a ritual, which makes kids feel comfortable and safe in their surroundings,” she said.

Then the students will do a lap bounce to help with vestibular stimulation and do a series of activities.

“We will play instruments such as shakers and bells, we will dance, we will have story time, have a focused listening exercise and a relax and snuggle time where we wind down from the day and bond with our caregiver,” she said.

The class ends with the same goodbye song each week, which also helps with establishing a ritual that makes children feel safe, she said.

The private lessons are offered to residents of various ages and abilities, she said. A typical lesson begins with a series of warm-ups that help extend vocal range and work on technique. Then, the student performs sight reading, “which consists of learning the basics of music.”

Each student participates in a winter and spring recital where family and friends can hear the student perform.

Reissiger partners with Easter Seals Southern Georgia to offer classes to students with special needs.

Kindermusik classes are currently available three days a week, though she may add more in the future. 

Monday: sing and play for ages 0-2 from 9:30 a.m.-10:15 a.m. and wiggle and grow family for ages 0-4 from 10:30 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Tuesday: sing and play for ages 0-2 from 9:30 a.m.-10:15 a.m. and wiggle and grow for ages 2-4 from 10:30 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Thursdays: laugh and learn family for ages 0-6 from 5:30-6:15 a.m.

Residents can register on Facebook at Kindermusik with Mrs. Adrienne, or at kindermusikwithmrsadrienne.kindermusik.com.

For more information email adriennesmusicstudio@gmail.com.

Jason Smith is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1256.