Class Descriptions

Music Makers: At Home (Ages 4-5 Years)

24-week class

“To teach a child an instrument without first giving him preparatory training, and without developing singing, reading and dictating to the highest level along with the playing, is to build upon sand.”    -   ZOLTÁN KODÁLY  

This is year 1 of Musikgarten's two-year sequence of Keyboard Preparation classes.

Musikgarten gives children a foundation in music literacy.  Music literacy, the ability to hear what you see, implies comprehension, not just the ability to decode the symbols.  This means that when you see notes on a staff they are aurally connected to their sounds and not simply a string of letters.

The Music Makers classes begin to connect sounds to their symbols.  The pattern work first experienced aurally in Family Music gives children a musical vocabulary they now will experience kinesthetically and visually.  This aural musical vocabulary will give notation meaning and eventually lead to the ability to figure out songs by ear, read music by others, play and write one’s own music, and self-correct when practicing. Music Makers: At Home introduces basic rhythmic notation and tonal staff notation.  Music Makers: Around the World covers more complex rhythmic notation, expands tonal notation patterns, and begins reading the simple songs the children will learn to play the following year in Keyboard 1.

With piano, the traditional downfall for so many children is having to learn to control the body, read music, and navigate the keyboard simultaneously.  That’s a lot to ask of a mature adult brain so it’s no wonder that piano can be frustrating for children.  Music Makers classes focus first on preparing the ears, mind, and body for music making and learning to read music, so that when we get to the keyboard we already have the aural foundation that allows us to focus on keyboard navigation and fine motor control.  These aural skills also transfer to any musical instrument or activity.  Parental support is vital and essential to your child's success in music class and at the keyboard.

Music Makers: At Home, the first year of the keyboard preparation sequence, cultivates the child's musical development through songs, rhythmic and tonal patterns, poetry, stories, movement activities, listening games, instrumental play, and manipulative games.  Rudimentary music skills such as pitch matching, steady beat competency, ensemble development, repertoire development, and music notation are dealt with, using themes taken from the child's home environment and natural surroundings.  Children receive 2 packets per semester and each packet includes a CD and parent book, a folder with game pieces, notation games, and instrument pages.  

24-week class

Begins September 3, 2024
Tuesdays 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

Begins September 9, 2024
Mondays 3:15 - 4:15 pm

Tuition:	$360
Materials:	$132
Total:	$492

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Keyboard Preparation: Music Makers Around the World (Ages 5-7 Years)

28-week class

“To teach a child an instrument without first giving him preparatory training, and without developing singing, reading and dictating to the highest level along with the playing, is to build upon sand.”    -   ZOLTÁN KODÁLY  

Musikgarten’s plan for keyboard is quite different from the traditional approach you may have experienced as a child.  For so many children the downfall with traditional piano lessons is having to control the body, learn to read music, and navigate the keyboard simultaneously, often with no previous musical preparation.  That’s a lot to ask of a mature adult brain so it’s no wonder that piano can be frustrating for children.  Musikgarten's keyboard preparation class Music Makers Around the World focuses first on aurally preparing the ears, mind, and body for music making and reading to reduce the overload that causes the frustration.  The key ingredients are listening, singing, playing instruments, moving, and working with patterns.  This aural foundation then allows children to focus on keyboard navigation and fine motor control when they get to the keyboard.  Once the ears and the body have been prepared, playing the keyboard becomes more manageable and enables reading, improvising, and composing.  

Only Musikgarten gives children a foundation in music literacy.  Music literacy, the ability to hear what you see and write what you hear, implies comprehension, not just the ability to decode the symbols.  Music Makers Around the World introduces basic rhythmic notation and tonal staff notation that begin to connect sounds to their symbols.  The aural pattern work we do gives children a musical vocabulary they now will experience kinesthetically and visually.  This aural musical vocabulary will give notation meaning and eventually lead to the ability to figure out songs by ear, read music by others, play and write one’s own music, and self-correct when practicing. Children begin reading songs they will learn to play next year in Keyboard 1 and play simple orientation activities at the keyboard.  These aural skills also transfer to any musical instrument or activity.  

In Music Makers Around the World children explore the music, dances, and stories of four different cultures:  British Isles, Amer-Indian, African American, and Germany.  Materials include a CD, a map, song pages, and notation games for each of the 4 cultures.  Parental support is vital and essential to your child's success in music class and at the keyboard.

28-week class

Begins September 3, 2024

Tuesdays  1:00 - 2:00 PM 

Tuition:	$476
Materials:	$140
Total:	$616

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Music Makers: At the Keyboard I (Ages 7-9 Years)

28-week class

This is a Parent and Child Keyboard Class.  

This program is the next step on the pathway to music literacy and is designed to teach children to play the songs they've been hearing, singing, and dancing to throughout the years of early-childhood.  An extension of the work done in Music Makers: Around the World, this class follows a  sequential approach to building piano skills and understanding musical notation as set forth in the books, Music Makers: At the Keyboard.  

Parents play a vital role in establishing good practice habits and attend class with their children.  Consistent, supervised at-home practice on a tuned piano or keyboard is required and essential for success (5 days per week, 15 - 20 minutes per day).  

Children receive 2 books, including 4 CDs and notation games, plus a Parent Handbook throughout the 28 weeks.

Begins September 3, 2024

Tuesdays  4:30 - 5:30 pm

Tuition:	$504
Materials:	$133
Total:	$637

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Music Makers: At the Keyboard II (Graduate of Keyboard I)

28-week class

This is a Parent and Child Keyboard Class.  

The class continues to refine and build on the aural and physical skills developed in year 1.   Introduces much-loved piano repertoire, refines body control and ear tuning, and develops and enhances comprehensive musicianship at the keyboard that provides a foundation for music literacy and life-long music making.

Consistent, supervised at-home practice on a tuned piano or keyboard is required and essential for success (5 days per week, 20 –30 minutes per day).  

Children will receive 2 books, including 4 CDs and notation games throughout the 28 weeks.

Fall 2025

Day and Time TBD

Tuition:	$532
Materials:	$122
Total:	$654

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Music Makers: At the Keyboard III (Graduate of Keyboard II)

28-week class

This is a Parent and Child Keyboard Class.  

The class continues to refine and build on the aural and physical skills developed in years 1 and 2.  It develops comprehensive musicianship at the keyboard that provides a foundation for music literacy and life-long music making.

Consistent, supervised at-home practice on a tuned piano or keyboard is required and essential for success (5 days per week, 20 –30 minutes per day).  

Children receive 2 books, including 4 CDs and notation games throughout the 28 weeks.

Begins week of September 3, 2024

Day and time TBD

Tuition:	$560
Materials:	$123
Total:	$683

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