Immediately upon meeting Valerie Rhymer you “get” why she’s a Kindermusik teacher. Her natural smile, focused attention, and vibrant personality is precisely what you’d want in a music teacher for young children.

The classroom is a community all its own, but representative of the greater Matthews community as well: neighborly sharing and easy kindnesses.

After spending nearly two decades working with Children’s Theater, Valerie decided it was time for a shorter commute. Now she spends her mornings teaching Kindermusik at the Community Center, and the commute is much better. In fact, her new commute is a couple of minutes on foot—she walks to work from her family’s downtown Matthews home.

Valerie moved to Charlotte in 1998 from Montana and moved to Matthews five years ago. The cozy community and walkability brought her family of three to town. The good school system helped, as well.

Visit one of her classes, and you’ll see how she weaves her attentiveness into what could otherwise be a chaotic (yet fun) playgroup. What do such small children gain from the experience? Watch the interactions between parent and child, and it’s obvious; they learn in countless ways: from simple acts like sharing and taking turns, to developing awareness like shape recognition and sensory exploration. They even learn a little bit of American Sign Language.

For those who don’t believe they are musically inclined, Valerie quickly dispels that idea, “Your voice is your child’s favorite sound! Give yourself some credit!”

Above all, the class emphasizes the importance of togetherness. That active engagement between families and friends makes her classes a success. The classroom is a community all its own, but representative of the greater Matthews community as well: neighborly sharing and easy kindnesses. You get the feeling that’s Valerie’s approach in all aspects of life.