We’ll be at the annual Midland Center for the Arts Camp Kickoff on Saturday, March 23.  Click here for more info.

I found this video on YouTube, and it is SPECATCULAR!  Please share it with your children.   Who knew that drinking glasses could make such beautiful music. Maybe we’ll have to try making our own glass harp someday

This professional Glass Harp duo is playing “Sugar Plum Fairy” from the Nutcracker Suite by P. Tchaikovsky.

Enjoy the video, and enjoy your Holiday! We’ll see you back in classes the week of January 6,
Miss Georgia

We follow the Harmony Road Method of teaching music with our early childhood students.  It is the best we’ve found for establishing a musical foundation, which children are so very capable of when they are preschoolers.   Children are like sponges at this age, and its the perfect time to teach them a new language, the language of music!  (Learn more about how our program benefits 3-5 year olds).

Below is a sample video produced by Harmony Road Music.  It is representative of the classes we teach right here at The Children’s School of Music in Midland.   “Music in Me” and “More Music in Me” are full year programs meeting once each week September through May.

Learn More about our Classes

Learn More about Harmony Road

View our Class Schedule.  Our Fall semester begins in September, and our Winter Semester begins in January, but children may begin and integrate into a class at any time.

If you have any questions about our programs, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Learn More About Harmony Road
Learn More About TCSOM Toddler Tunes Classes

View our current schedule here. Children may begin a 6 week Toddler Tunes session at any time!

The Children’s School of Music prides itself on building musical SKILL in early childhood…all the while, creating a joyful, first musical experience. The musical skill level of pre-school age children accelerates between 3-5 years old. Like learning a new language, children are truly “sponges” for musical aptitude at these ages and have the greatest capacity to explore, question and absorb musical concepts and foundational geography.

In the Music in Me (and More Music in Me) curriculum, we move to a 45 minute class with a colorful workbook and musical song book (CD included). We explore and become competent at several musical skills:

• Identifying 2 and 3 black keys in patterns which leads to identifying Do (Middle C) and the first 5 note scale, Do through Sol.
• Playing the keyboard using a “tracking”, one finger process – matching the singing pitch of eachnote to what they play. We use tracking, one finger play because the fine motor skill of the 3-5 year old is not yet developed for full hand play at the keyboard.
• Identifying and playing rhythmic patterns- to recognize RESTS, sometimes playing, sometimes resting and also how to draw quarter notes, recognize half notes and whole notes
• Writing and identifying Do through Sol and understanding that notes “live” on lines and in spaces.
• Conceptualizing the musical staff, treble and bass clef, high and low notes and the basic breadth of music pedagogy.

While our Toddler Tunes program is a great first beginning, it remains an experiential and exploratory curriculum, joyful, fun and active! The move to our preschool Music in Me program starts to move toward an essential musical skill set needed to play keyboard, all other instruments and reading music.

View Class Schedule

If you were already in our Fall session, you don’t need to sign up again for Winter.  Your classes will continue at the same days and times.

We’re excited to add several *NEW* classes to our schedule.  Please help us spread the word to families who might be interested.   View the entire Winter Class Schedule Here!

*NEW CLASS!*

Piano Street! – Adults

Especially for adults and young adults who have had some piano experience.   These classes are taught in a group setting, with a workshop format.  Just $21 per 50 minute class!  Classes will be held Mondays at 5:00 p.m.

*NEW on WINTER SCHEDULE*

Young Musician 1  – Ages 6 and Up

Welcome new students! The Young Musician course introduces beginning students to keyboard performance and note reading in a holistic program, including the organized development of pitch, rhythm, solfege singing, keyboard and movement activities. Parent involvement in class and at home.

Students are placed in Young Musicians 1 or 2 based on age and experience. $21/class. 50 minute classes.

*NEW on WINTER SCHEDULE*

Harmony Road 1 – Ages 4 1/2 – 6

The Harmony Road course is carefully constructed for children to learn the basic building blocks of music. Emphasis is on ear training, solfege singing, keyboard playing, ensemble and rhythm activities, movement and music creativity. This exceptional course gives the student “inner hearing,” which makes transposing, improvisation and composing easily accessible in their musical studies. Parent involvement in class and at home.

Classes advance with age groups.  $21/class, 50 minute classes.

View Class Schedule

Watch her in action in this educational video about the program.    In brings back memories of her visit to Midland in the Fall of 2010!

Each week we send home a lesson for children to work on during the week, and we ask them to play either individually or as a group the next week to measure progress.

Just like group lessons, piano practice at home is more fun if shared with others and can be lonely and very different than class when children practice alone.   Sharing practice and music activities also builds confidence in musical abilities and performance in front of others.  In fact, you may want to also use the terms “sharing music” in addition to “practice”.

Learn more about the elements of successful home practice and musical activities you can do share with your children at home.  Have fun, enjoy, and make musical development a family activity!

Links:

Elements of Home Practice

Sharing Music at Home -  Activity Ideas

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In our Harmony Road program, we focus on developing “total musicianship” in children rather than just teaching them to play an instrument.

Just what is “total musicianship”?   We layer several techniques together as children progress through our programs.  Here are a few that introduced to our toddlers and preschoolers, and then are continually built upon throughout the program.

Solfege

Solfege singing becomes the means for internalizing pitch.  The solfege notes become the child’s musical language. The use of fixed DO solfege encourages the development of a strong sense of tonality and relative pitch.  Tracking pitches on the keyboard while singing the solfege makes an ear, voice, and tactile connection.  As the child begins to read music – he or hears the patterning when he sees the notes.

Finger Awareness

An awareness of finger numbers, right and left hands and hand position is developed through enjoyable finger activity songs.  We teach children how to finger play with a relaxed, soft, curved hand shape, preparing them for an appropriate hand position on the keyboard.

Layering Concepts

Students of all ages are most confident when learning experiences go from familiar to unfamiliar.   Repetition is critical to set musical patterns and concepts.  To set patterns in the ear (melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic), the student is provided with the opportunity to experience such patterning through physical movement, singing, rhythm activities (body rhythms and percussion instruments), and by copy activities for singing and play keyboard.  The layering process prepares the student for later playing, reading, and creative activities.

Rhythmic Concepts

Even our youngest students first develop a feeling for pulse and various meters through movement activities.   Through movement, specific rhythmic patterns are experienced, such as quarter notes and rests, half notes, whole notes, eighth notes and equivalent rests.

Reading Readiness

Very young children can’t understand the concept of reading notes, but they can be introduced to easy reading readiness activities to develop certain concepts, such as high-low, up-down.   We teach reading readiness with concepts of movement, voice, and even simple keyboard patterns.