Carnegie Hall and Kiwi Crate Collaborate on a Music-Themed Crate Designed To Encourage Creativity and Introduce Young Children to the Joy of Music

NEW YORK and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Oct. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kiwi Crate (www.kiwicrate.com/music), the creativity company that delivers fun hands-on learning and activities to kids ages 3-7, has partnered with Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (www.carnegiehall.org/education) to create a "Making Music" crate designed to introduce young children to the joy of music

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121019/NY96607 )

The "Making Music" crate features two hands-on projects—one that invites kids to make a xylophone, the second to make rhythm bells.  These projects were designed to encourage creativity and expression.

• With My Xylophone, children create their own xylophone with bamboo slats, rubber bands, beads, and wooden sticks and then play it, exploring and learning about music composition. Additionally, kids can easily convert the xylophone into a stringed instrument.
• With My Rhythm Bells, children create musical cuffs out of the wooden beads that they can decorate and string together with bells. Children are encouraged to learn about dance and rhythm.

Also included is a set of Music & Sound experiment cards, designed with Carnegie Hall.   The cards encourage kids to continue making music by thinking creatively and utilizing different objects in their homes. Each card describes how an instrument is made and played, and includes an activity related to the instrument for the child to explore. For example, the violin card teaches kids how to make sounds similar to a violin by using a paper clip, long string, and a plastic or paper cup. The flute card has instructions on how to make a pan flute with drinking straws.

The "Making Music" crate will be delivered to existing Kiwi Crate subscribers in November, and new customers can subscribe beginning October 17 through November 17 to receive this crate.  Please visit www.kiwicrate.com/music for further details. Kiwi Crate is also donating crates to Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute for use in its music education and community programs.

"Since many of us at Kiwi Crate have grown up appreciating and playing music, we fell in love with the idea of creating a music-themed crate. We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Carnegie Hall's team of educators to bring this to life," said Sandra Oh Lin, CEO and founder of Kiwi Crate. "With their expertise, insights, and creativity, this crate is designed to get young children excited about making music; it offers fun and enriching activities that both parents and children will love!"

"We are excited to collaborate with an organization that approaches music-making activities for young children with the same engaging, thoughtful, and authentic approach we try to build into all of our educational work at Carnegie Hall," said Sarah Johnson, Director of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute.  "We are thrilled to be working with Kiwi Crate on this project as a way of supporting the growth and creativity of young musicians everywhere."

Projects from Kiwi Crate are complete with all the materials, instructions and inspiration for children and parents to create, discover and explore the arts, science, crafts and more. Every month, a different theme is introduced, like Ocean Exploration, Colors, and Dinosaurs. Packages are delivered to subscribers monthly so parents can spend quality time with kids without the stress of pre-planning or shopping for materials.

About Kiwi Crate
Launched in 2011 by executives from eBay, PayPal, YouTube and BabyCenter, Kiwi Crate sparks creativity and curiosity among children ages 3-7. Kiwi Crate projects are developed by parents, reviewed by early childhood experts and tested by kids.  Each project is designed to encourage key developmental skills, such as problem solving, creative expression, gross and fine motor skills and communication. The Kiwi Crate website provides resources for additional discovery around each month's theme. Kiwi Crate subscriptions are available atwww.kiwicrate.com for $19.95 per month including shipping. Subscriptions are billed monthly and may be cancelled at any time. Gift subscriptions for 3, 6 or 12 months are also available.

About Carnegie Hall
Founded in 1891, New York City's Carnegie Hall presents exceptional performances by the world's finest artists on its three stages—the renowned Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, the intimate Weill Recital Hall, and the innovative Zankel Hall—ranging from orchestral concerts, chamber music, and solo recitals to jazz, world, and popular music. Extensive music education and community programs developed by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute play a central role in Carnegie Hall's commitment to encouraging people from all walks of life to engage with great music. WMI's programs annually serve more than 350,000 children, students, teachers, parents, young music professionals, and adults in the New York City metropolitan area, across the country, and around the globe, including many who take advantage of WMI's online music education resources. For more information on Carnegie Hall or other Weill Music Institute national/international music education programs, please visit carnegiehall.org/education.

Press contacts:
Margie Cader (for Kiwi Crate)
[email protected]
416.519.8340

Samantha Nemeth
[email protected]
212.903.9753

SOURCE Kiwi Crate