Music Fundamentals or "Pick an Instrument" Class Ages 5-7

Experience first, then intellectualize.

Carl Orff - Composer, Teacher

One of the most common questions we get is:

”When can my child take private lessons?".

Parents of musical children are eager to get started thinking they will be giving their child a head-start if they can start instruction at 4 or 5 years of age. This is actually counter intuitive to the way children learn music and goes against the science behind learning music.

Young children learn concepts through their bodies first. It's an essential brain-body connection. It doesn't make sense to give a child an instrument, tell them to sit down and learn from an adult and expect an exciting positive outcome. More often than not, this becomes more of a chore than anything else for parents and students alike. This is because they are being made to learn in a way that is not natural to them- it's actually very robotic and in turn, the brain is not engaged in a way that furthers musical thought. In the end, the younger they start, the younger they quit.

Music Fundamentals "Pick an Instrument" class for the 5-7 year old.

In this class, students will be well prepared for private lessons; thus making the switch a very exciting time for them. Not only are they ready and willing, but they also know which instrument they would like to learn.

Piano, violin and guitar will all be demystified before they move on to private lessons on the instrument of their choice. The following will outline our goals for this class to give you an idea of what we set out to accomplish in our classes. It's important for all of these to be learned before going into private lessons. So when will your child be ready for private lessons? When they can understand and perform the activities listed below. They will become bored and restless and ready to stretch out into private lessons with confidence!

Musical Skills Acquired in Music Fundamentals

1. Taking, marching, tapping, clapping and playing to the beat with different styles of music - classical, jazz, world, latin etc.
2. Playing their instrument as part of an ensemble without losing their place
3. Sing and echo on pitch
4. Echo Rhythms
5. Beat Competency in duple and triple meters while tapping. marching, walking, clapping and playing
6. Know the difference between rhythm of the words and beat
7. Demonstrate knowledge of big and little beat (macro and micro)
8. Move body freely as well as in time to music
9. Perform a rhythmic canon
10. Read Rhythmic Notation (NOT learned by rote)
11. Write Rhythmic Notation- make up their own rhythms and play them
12. Play instrument and sing at the same time
13. Be able to move up and down the staff understanding the relationship of lines and spaces
14. Know and write the musical alphabet forward and backwards while starting on any letter
15. Navigate alphabet through steps and skips
16. Understand difference (by ear) of notes stepping up and down repeating
17. Know and express up/down, fast/slow, crescendo, diminuendo, forte/piano
18. Improvise/compose on instruments
19. Find the resting pitch (V-I)
20. Form- understand the difference between the the A and B section of a composition.