Educational Philosophy
At Milder Musical Arts, our philosophy holds that young children need to be active in the hearing and the participation in music as they learn the language and develop skills. They need to have kinesthetic experiences such as singing and moving to music – which builds brain connections that are hardwired for life. Moving to music integrates the right and left sides of the brain, which enables children to learn faster.
This holistic approach to music is preferable because students learn experientially, which is different than just learning to play pieces. Many adults who trained by learning pieces don’t remember anything they learned!
Early exposure to music through a holistic approach is better than beginning an instrument without any background. Moving to music, singing, and experience with a keyboard instrument exposes children to a new language. Beginning a specific instrument at a young age is comparable to asking children to read a book and learn letters without having ever heard the language. Meanwhile, learning to play beginner pieces by reading notes can be a negative experience when the child hasn’t been exposed to music as a whole. We use “music to teach music.” We recommend that young beginners attend a music class (instead of private lessons) with a parent or caregiver, to give them the right start on a life immersed in music.
Music as a Second Language
Music is quite literally a language, and like most languages it is most naturally learned early by hearing, repeating and then using. Research has found that all children are born with musical ability, but if that ability is left uncultivated, it diminishes with age. By age 11, the neuron circuits that permit this sensory discrimination, such as identifying pitch and rhythm, become closed. When children begin early, they can begin with kinesthetic experiences, which are then integrated into their minds and bodies. When begun early, music improves the reasoning ability crucial for complex challenges when children are older. When music is begun early, it can last a lifetime.
Toddlers and Preschoolers
Group music classes are perfect for toddlers, and we offer several nationally recognized music programs for very young children. Our classes include active parent participation in class and at home. Partners participate in singing, body movement, listening activities and the pure joy of experiencing music. Children learn to feel the beat internally and begin to match pitches with their voice through these early experiences. Using solfege (do, re, mi) is a benefit in early ear development.
Voice and Piano as the First Instruments
The voice is our most personal instrument and should be developed along with the ear. Keyboards are a natural instrument to start with, since the key that is pressed plays the note on pitch. Children don’t have to guess what is in or out of tune before their ears become trained. Keyboards are also the most visual instrument: it is easy for the child to understand that going to the right makes notes higher; to the left, they become lower. The distance between notes – half steps – are easily seen and understood on a keyboard. And the piano is the only instrument that uses both treble and bass clefs, giving students a firm foundation in music reading.
At Milder Musical Arts, children are first exposed to keyboards as a way to explore and apply music concepts. When they sing songs about high and low, reaching their bodies high and low, the keyboard serves as a tool to let children create their own high and low sounds on the piano.
As children develop, they are ready to continue classes and play simple pieces. Their ears continue to be trained and they begin reading music. Many children will learn to read notes before they read books.
Students often stay in these classes for many years. When they complete the program, they cannot only play pieces on an intermediate piano level, they can also be creative with their music because they learned total musicianship rather than just pieces. Students can write their own music and improvise thus making music a creative endeavor.
Parents as Learning Partners
Parents need to be involved in musical training. We do not believe that children should be dropped off and picked up. Young children need to learn how to develop the skills necessary to develop the discipline needed for practice. And it’s important to bring music into the home and have the entire family participate. This includes playing CD’s – all varieties of music – and taking children to live performances.
Additional Instruments after Music Foundation
Our classes and curriculum serve as a wonderful introduction for every musical instrument. When students are ready and interested in expanding beyond their musical foundation, they can specialize or branch out in several ways.
Many schools offer strings in the third or fourth grade. Recorder can be played in preparation for beginning the wind instruments, such as flute and trumpet, for which students need a certain amount of lung capacity. Guitar lessons can also begin at this time.
Music Study Can Benefit any Child
Why give children music lessons if there is no interest or talent? Because children can develop interest and talent as they play with music. Some students will learn more easily than others, some will enjoy it more, but all children will benefit from the advantages that music study offers.
Early exposure to music lessons appear to strengthen the brain’s cells and build new neural bridges needed to perform tasks requiring spatial reasoning. In other words, music students will show greater potential in math and science. Studying music has also been found to improve general listening and the ability to follow directions, while learning an instrument helps musicians develop and hone their analytical skills, motor skills and intellectual skills. Some studies even indicate that music study raises a child’s IQ.
The discipline and parental encouragement required to study music can be an opportunity for children to learn the benefits of consistent practice and delayed gratification. The best music teachers will also help your child understand these tools necessary in all learning, which will better prepare your child to tackle any academic subject.
