Music Majors 1st year keyboard
Classes: Monday 5:30 + Thursday 4:00 or 5:30 + Saturday 2:30
Age: Must be at least 7 years old, older ages also welcome
Prerequisites: Access to a keyboard at home. Does not need to be a piano but at least a 5 octave keyboard with touch sensitive keys would be best. Also ALL Students and Parents are required to make a commitment to the course for the full year, as it would be very difficult to join the class mid year, thus the class size needs to be established from the beginning and maintained throughout the year. Appropriate-size guitars will be made available mid-year.
Materials: Book I of Music Makers: At The Keyboard which includes 2 CDs, a curriculum book, many other note and rhythm cards and packets, theory pages, organizers, and much more. Guitar books with a DVD and a CD and mid-year a properly sized guitar for the student to keep at home. Guitars will be provided for in class instruction.
Practice Commitment: 15-20 minutes 6 times per week (minimum). Small increments of practice many times a day, i.e., 2 times 10 minutes over the course of the day.
Adult Participation:
For all of the keyboard classes, . . . Adult Observation would be a better term and it is recommended that the accompanying adult would be able to sit in on the class (quietly, inconspicuously) so as to be aware of what the class is learning and to be better able to follow up with the student at home, As usual, there is an ADULT PARTICIPATION time at the last 15 minutes of each class, when all join in together for learning and activities ( not to worry, no solos expected).
Sibling Policy: Due to the specific design of the curriculum, it is necessary that each student have a set of materials thus a sibling discount is not available.
Academic Year (32 weeks)
September 19, 2011 - June 9, 2012
New Families-$1,200.00
Returning Families-$1,170.00
Fees consist of $235.00 for materials for the Year Term (includes $95.00 for the guitar outfit: a guitar, case, extra strings & winder, books and replacement insurance), $45 for New Family registration or $15 for Returning Family registration and the remaining for tuition.
Payment Options: Because the fees are for the entire year families may choose one of the following options:
One (1) payment only due with registration.
Two (2) payments, the first either $585.00 (new family) or $600.00 (returning family) due with registration. The second payment (same amount as the first) due no later than November 1st of the same academic year.
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This is an amazing four-year keyboard curriculum based on but not limited to Music Makers: At The Keyboard piano series that serves as a bridge from the early childhood music and movement experience to the introduction of private or school instrumental study. Regardless of the instrument to be studied, all children are most successful in playing an instrument (and sticking with it) when they have already had a strong aural and movement foundation.
This very special keyboard course incorporates this maturing child's love of social interaction among peers. An energetic, moving, shaking, dancing, drumming, not-your-parents piano method kind of class that captivates the minds and bodies of this age group. This is also a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to have the fun and excitement of the group learning experience. Private lessons are available the rest of a child's life, but in this developmental time of 7-10 years, the heart and soul of a child can be captured by nurturing the deep, deep love of music and music making so that it can continue for a lifetime.
We will continue the pursuit of Basic Guitar Skills, a great opportunity to have a more advanced experience with a very social instrument. This is a bit of a “side bonus” to be able to play a “non-formal” social instrument. As the students build their solid music foundations and before choosing a “formal” instrument to study, they will have the opportunity to learn basic guitar skills, picking, chords and strumming. It is always great to be able to have a portable instrument with which one can spontaneiously play and sing among friends. We will learn the classical guitar style as well as folk guitar.
The goal of the curriculum is to lead children to true music literacy: i.e. he/she can give meaning, phrases and styles to the notes on the page and not only just read them, but also improvise and compose with them. Music literacy is seeing what you hear and hearing what you see. The class environment follows the progression of body to mind and ear to eye pathway in learning to play the keyboard.
This age group is entering a new phase of physical cognitive development. They seek new challenges. Generally, this age child has a greater aptitude for refined movement. Patterns, codes, symbols are now much more interesting to this child's mind.
We will use the Music Makers: At The Keyboard curriculum books as our mainstay, supplementing with Dalcroze, theory pages, many, many games, extra movement and dances and of course fun at the keyboard. During the course of the 2nd year, Music Masters, we will add the Suzuki Guitar School and in the 3rd year, Music Maestros, we will transition into using the Suzuki Piano School.
The listening repertoire is greatly varied all four years, covering literature from the Baroque to the 21st century; from different cultures and continents; styles from classical to folk to jazz; instrumentation from solo piano to chamber music, full orchestra, jazz and folk ensembles. With such a great wealth of listening possibilities, students will experience so much music passively and actively.
Session Dates
Fall/Winter/Spring 2011/12 (32 weeks)
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September 19, 2011 |
June 9, 2012 |
Summer 2012
(9 weeks)
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June 17
| August 11
|
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