Music
Workshop
Classes
Description of Music Workshop classes
- Music Workshop classes for children ages 3 to 6 develop musical abilities, listening skills, improve attention span.
- These classes teach children to appreciate and love classical music (children learn the music of great composers: Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Grieg, Schumann, Haydn, and others).
- Kids learn the names and sounds of instruments of the orchestra.
- I prepare children for private piano lessons by teaching them music theory: names of notes, names of piano keys, note values, time signatures.
- Children are divided by age: group for ages 3-4, and group for ages 5-6.
- Kids come to these classes without an adult.
Advice for parents of Music Workshop students
Ask the name of the composer your child is learning
We usually spend four lessons per composer. We learn 3 or 4, sometimes even 5 compositions by each composer. After the class children want me to tell the name of the composer to their parents. I never oblige.
I remind kids that it is their job to make sure that their parents memorize the composer’s name. They should “help” their parents to remember by repeating the name from time to time.
A good trick for parents: tell your child that you “forgot” the composer’s name. If your child does not recollect the name, pretend that you suddenly remembered the first sound or one or two syllables.
Read books about the composer
Most libraries have a collection of children’s books on classical composers. Also, you can give your child these books as presents for the holidays.
Let your children listen to classical music
Find the music by the composer your child is learning at the moment. Keep it playing in the background at home or in the car. Many parents bought my “Music with Miss Elena” CD, on which I play works by the composers whose music kids are learning in my Music Workshop program.
Play the guessing game “Hum the Song”
This simple game develops concentration and attention span. At age 3 kids can guess just a few songs: “Twinkle, twinkle little star,” “Ring around the rosy,” ”Mary had a little lamb.” 4-year-olds can guess a few more. Maybe “Hickory, Dickory Duck,” “London Bridge,” “Row your boat.”
At 5 they should be able to guess up to 10 songs. You can add “Itsy, Bitsy Spider,” “Bingo,” “Old MacDonald,” “Happy Birthday,” “This Old Man,” etc. You can play this game while driving. Pretty soon your child will want to hum for you!
Ballet “Nutcracker”
In December, all children in my Music Workshop classes are learning the story and music from the ballet “Nutcracker” by Peter Tchaikovsky. Parents comment on how well their kids sit through the whole performance of the “Nutcracker” after they had learned the story and the music in Miss Elena‘s class.
I strongly recommend to all parents to take their children to the theater to see this masterpiece. Your children will benefit from it even more if they watch the “Nutcracker” after they finished learning the story in my class.
Words from our happy
parents and students
“Dear Miss Elena, I gave you my three children to hold and to love. The gift of music you planted in their hearts will be forever with them! Thank you so much for everything you do! There are no words to thank you enough. All my love.”
– Marcela Schneider
