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About Little Timbre Studio
About Musikgarten Children today are bombarded with visual stimuli and entertainment (often falsely claiming to be educational) each day. Young children need time to explore, listen, play and just be. There are a number of early childhood music programs available for young children. A number of critical factors make Musikgarten truly outstanding in comparison with the others. Musikgarten is about learning music, but it is also about listening to the sounds around us, in nature and in our own neighborhoods. Musikgarten classes are structured to include singing, movement, instrument exploration, music-making, language development and quiet moments for just "listening." Musikgarten teaches music soundly, and at the same time clearly understands and respects the developmental needs of young children. The Founders Musikgarten was founded in 1994 by Dr Lorna Heyge and Audrey Sillick both of whom are internationally renowned specialists and innovators in the field of early childhood music education. In designing the Musikgarten program, they have incorporated the teachings of great thinkers / practitioners in early childhood education and early childhood music education namely Dalcroze, Laban, Gordon, Kodaly, Suzuki, Orff and Montessori. In addition, they have drawn from the latest research findings in language development, motor competence, brain development, learning theory, music memory, audiation, ethnomusicology, stages of play and parent-child bonding. Holistic Child-Centered Approach & Proven Method of Teaching A sound music program for young children must nurture every aspect of the child’s being. It must be designed around the principle of holistic, individual experience. Children achieve developmentally appropriate outcomes, not by practicing the skills in isolation but by actively engaging in activities designed to develop competency through the doing/learning process. Young children’s play is their work and they learn through doing. Musikgarten teaches music to young children experientially, through activities based on the developmentally appropriate, holistic child-centered approach. Proven Method of Teaching In Musikgarten classes, children are not expected to perform on demand. Rather, they are gently encouraged to participate at their own pace and at their own level of development. This approach ensures that the music lesson is a very enjoyable experience and that their participation is not hampered by performance anxiety. Therefore, children in a Musikgarten Class are not afraid to join in even if they know that they have not fully mastered an activity. Because of this methodology, the children expect to be successful just by being involved while still enjoying challenge of mastery. Success fosters self-confidence, persistence, the will to try again after failure as well as courage and initiative.
Music is the Primary Focus The aim of Musikgarten is to develop the skills, abilities, and talents necessary for a child to be physically and mentally ready before taking up an instrument. Music activities are designed to foster development of the whole child – body, mind and spirit. Family materials reinforce learning in the home environment. At every level, the emphasis of the program is on music and being musical – singing, dancing, listening and moving to music, learning tonal and rhythm patterns and using simple instruments such as rhythm sticks and scarves. The program does not require the parents to spend large sums of money on buying instruments, toys and books. Family Materials provide lots of suggested ways in which parents can spend their precious time with their children, singing, playing games and generally interacting through shared musical experiences. In short, Musikgarten leads the children to "Musical Literacy" which means they can "see what they hear and hear what they see". Music Notation and Keyboard Instruction For the older children (6 to 9 years old), Musikgarten seamlessly integrates music notation and keyboard instruction with the other components of its music program. Children up to age 9 continue to learn music through singing, dancing, listening, moving, reading/writing, playing and composing. For these children, using notation is simply an extension of their natural musicality. All the time spent in music class in earlier years has prepared the children to progress naturally and easily into these new areas of musical expression. The confidence and joy with which they read, write, compose, play and even practice, is a testimony to Musikgarten’s unique approach to the integration of music notation and keyboard instruction. For More Information: visit Musikgarten.org |
