CLASS HIGHLIGHTS

• Course Length: Up to four 8-week semesters
• Class Schedule: One 30-45 minute class per week
• Parent Participation: Required
• Student Age: Children must have reached their 3rd birthday by September 1st for a Fall semester start or February 1st for Spring semester start.

Music Wonderland (MW) is designed to provide children with an introduction to music in a positive and enjoyable atmosphere. Together with their parents, children experience singing, introductory keyboard activities, movement, and listening to music. Music Wonderland lays the foundation for a lifetime of enjoyable music making through these carefully planned activities.

In this course, your child develops a musical foundation through the experiences of music. Listening to music, feeling rhythm with their bodies, creating sound images with the keyboard. Your child will discover the joy of music through these playful musical experiences.

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

Listening Ability
As this is a most significant period of aural development, a rich and varied array of listening activities develops sensitivity and listening ability and enables students to perceive music’s power to vividly express images and emotions.

Social Development
Because of the importance of the parent in the life of a child this age, interaction between parent and child is an important focus in the group lessons. Also, through the group lessons children develop the basic skills of relating to other children and adults.

Keyboard Experience
Children experience sound through the keyboard and are introduced to the fun of keyboard playing. Appropriate to this stage in their physical development, initial playing activities engage the use of large motor skills.

Cultivation of the Imagination
Recognizing the significance of fantasy, play, and the imagination in the learning of children of this age, the activities, textbooks, and music are filled with suitable colorful, playful imagery, sounds, and subjects.

Upon Completion of the Course
For students and parents, the course establishes an outstanding foundation and motivation for enriched study and skill development in the Junior Music Course.

CLASS HIGHLIGHTS

• Course Length: Up to four 18-week semesters
• Class Schedule: One 45-minute class per week
• Parent Participation: Required
• Student Age: Children must have reached their 4th birthday by September 1st for a Fall semester start and January 1st for a Spring semester start.
• Keyboard Access: All students must have access to a keyboard or piano for practice

Junior Music Course (JMC) is 2 year program for children beginning at ages 4 or 5 that provides an incomparable foundation for future musical study on any instrument. Children experience singing, music reading and writing, playing the keyboard, ear training, and creating music.

In this course, your child develops a musical foundation through the experiences of music. Listening to music, feeling rhythm with their bodies, creating sound images with the keyboard. Your child will discover the joy of music through these playful musical experiences.

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

The in-class musical experiences nurture creativity and help instill the basis for playing and expression through feeling and understanding music. Lessons include:

Hearing
Listening to wonderful music helps children to develop emotional sensitivity, an ear for music and to feel and express music in time rhythmically

Singing
Children love to sing! Singing develops self expression, correct tempo, rhythm, pitch and understanding of note names

Playing
Performing songs introduces children to the joy of expressing music by themselves. Playing also helps students to become familiar with the five-line staff and keyboard and express music with both hands

Creating
Junior Music Course experiences cultivate children’s musical creativity and sense of harmony

Listening
Four years old is a period of rapid development of children’s listening ability. This period is used to cultivate comprehensive musical sensitivity and creativity through in-class musical group experiences.

Singing
Through singing, children develop skills in tempo, rhythm, and intervals through imitation and repetition of melodies and lyrics. Children learn to sing what they hear, to play what they sing and to read what they play, using the keyboard as a learning tool.

Reading & Composition
In this course your child will begin to learn to read musical notes of songs they have become familiar with. As the children progress, they are encouraged to create basic compositions, starting with completing simple musical phrases and expressive harmonies.

Upon Completion of the Course
For students and parents, the course establishes an outstanding foundation and motivation for enriched study and skill development in the Junior Music Course.

Once your child has completed the Junior Music Course, he or she will take part in a “Fundamental Skills Survey” to confirm his or her musical achievement. Teachers refer to Survey results to correctly place students in advanced courses of study such as the Junior Extension Course and Junior Special Advanced Course. As the children develop more advanced musical skills, they are also encouraged to express themselves by performing and composing their own music through programs like Junior Original Concert.

CLASS HIGHLIGHTS

• Course Length: Up to six 18-week semesters
• Class Schedule: One 55-minute class per week
• Parent Participation: Encouraged, but not required
• Student Age: Children must have reached their 6th birthday by September 1st for a Fall semester start and February 1st for a Spring semester start.
• Keyboard Access: All students must have access to a keyboard or piano for practice

By age six, children have developed better motor skills. Children can play and sing with greater confidence and expressiveness and show an increasing enjoyment of music.

The Young Musician’s Course is structured very similar to the Junior Music Course, but moves more quickly and keyboard skills play a more prominent role in the lessons.

Young Musicians Course (YMC – beginners age 6-8) is founded on the belief that every child loves music. During this three-year program, children participate in activities that teach basic musical skills and encourage independence, creativity and self-expression. The course appeals to the imagination of a young mind and becomes an integral part of your child’s growth. Class activities include ear training, keyboard repertoire, keyboard harmony, music theory, exposure to arranging, singing, ensemble playing, and improvisation.

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

Children are immersed in:

• Singing
• Ear training
• Repertoire (keyboard pieces)
• Ensemble playing (group performance)
• Keyboard harmony
• Arranging
• Keyboard technique
• Sight singing
• Sight playing
• Theory

Upon Completion of the Course
Once your child has completed the Young Musicians Course, he or she can take the Yamaha Student Grade 9 Exam to confirm his or her musical achievement. Teachers refer to the exam results to correctly place students in advanced courses of study such as the Junior Advanced Course. As the children develop more advanced musical skills, they are also encouraged to express themselves by performing and composing their own music through programs like Junior Original Concert.

We offer advanced courses for students who complete our Junior Music Course or Young Musicians Course.

Junior Extension Course

CLASS HIGHLIGHTS

• Course Length: Up to six 18-week semesters
• Class Schedule: One 55-minute class per week
• Parent Participation: Encouraged, but not required
• Prerequisites: Children must have completed the full four semesters of the Junior Music Course.

This course builds on the skills and musicality learned in the Junior Music and Young Musicians Courses. Students will continue to develop keyboard technique and music reading skills. Greater attention is paid now to nurturing musical sensitivity and composition and creativity take a larger role in the lessons.

JXC students are encouraged to develop independence in judging and choosing musical ideas. They are encouraged to practice independently, to think about the proper way of practicing each piece.

Junior Advanced Course

CLASS HIGHLIGHTS

• Course Length: Up to six 18-week semesters
• Class Schedule: One 55-minute class per week
• Parent Participation: Encouraged, but not required
• Prerequisites: Children must have completed the full four semesters of the Junior Extension Course.

CLASS HIGHLIGHTS

• Course Length: 4 weeks
• Class Schedule: One 45-minute class per week
• Parent Participation: Encouraged
• Student Age: Children will need to be either ages 4-5 for Take Off for Junior Music Course (JMC) or 6-7 for Take Off for Young Musicians Course (YMC) and considering enrolling for the Fall session.

New students are invited to join us for introductory Summer classes with take Off for Yamaha! In these classes for beginning students, parents and students will learn together, play piano, sing songs, make friends, and get to know the FUNdamentals of the Yamaha Method! Take Off for Yamaha is a great opportunity to try out our Yamaha Group Class environment for those considering enrolling in the Fall.

CLASS HIGHLIGHTS

• Course Length: 4 weeks
• Class Schedule: One 45-minute class per week
• Parent Participation: Not required
• Pre-Requisites: Children will need to have completed the corresponding course to their Summer Keys class. For example, Summer Keys Pre-JMC 3 will be for students who have completed the regular Junior Music Course (JMC) 2 previously and plan to advance to JMC 3 in the Fall session.

Summer Keys is designed to provide current Yamaha Group Class students a way to continue their learning experience through the Summer months. Students will work on repertoire, note reading and continue to build skills while having fun in the classroom. This summer program will supplement the regular Yamaha classroom by working on challenging favorite pieces as well as preparing for the next level in the Fall.

Designed to meet the unique needs and developmental stages of each age group, Yamaha programs develop each student’s comprehensive musical ability in an environment that inspires a love of music and a lifetime of active music participation.

We believe that all children can learn and are ready to begin music training at a young age. Our programs are carefully designed to meet the unique needs and developmental stages of each age group.

Parents do not have to have a musical background to support their child’s learning. In the first few years, parents are deeply involved and learn right along with their child. Parent support and commitment are the most important.

Parental attendance facilitates accelerated growth. The parent/child partnership is active, not passive. Each partnership develops into a mini-ensemble, where co-learning, co-practicing and co-discovering can be enjoyed in class and at home.

The Yamaha curriculum and the Suzuki Method share some core concepts, such as teaching music like a language (introducing music in a manner similar to native language acquisition, or ‘mother tongue approach’), timely education (training at a young age) and a belief that all children can learn.

Some general differences include:

• Group or Private Lessons
  Yamaha: emphasis on an immersion into the musical community through group classes, ensembles, parents, teachers, friends and concerts.
  Suzuki: while the musical community is valued, the emphasis is on the individual lesson.
• Early Emphasis on Comprehensive Musicianship or Instrument Technique
  Yamaha: systematic and comprehensive training model includes singing, ear training, movement and music appreciation. In the beginning, the keyboard is a tool to confirm a broad range of musical abilities. While private lessons are an important part of the curriculum, they are added later when the student is more physically and mentally mature. Yamaha students develop melody and harmony simultaneously.
  Suzuki: students acquire fundamental musical skills. However, there is an early emphasis is on specific instrument technique (violin, etc); during the lessons, time and effort is spent on holding the instrument, bowing, and producing a sound. The student develops a keen sense of melody, one line of music, rather than melody and harmony together.
• Curriculum Materials and Assessment
  Yamaha: broad range of materials: method books and workbooks, audio and video digital files in a variety of musical styles; integrated use of repertoire and tools to develop the child’s musicianship. After two years, children may take the Yamaha Fundamental Skills Survey (FSS). As they advance through the curriculum, students may take the Yamaha Grade Exam.
  Suzuki: in general, students learn musical concepts and instrument technique with a reliance on listening to and playing a single piece, rather than multiple pieces and styles.