Preparatory Music Literacy and Private Lesson Preparation for Ages 3- 8

The ultimate aim of this approach is the enrichment of students' lives through the development of their inherent musicality...what makes the 'ORFF Music for Young Children' Method special is the way it develops the idea that the child learns musical behavior through behaving in musical ways; by creating, listening and performing. The end result is a musically independent student.

Course Length: Full school year (very limited space available so your full commitment is necessary)

 Goals for Mini Musicians 1 & 2; (generally level 1 = 3 & 4 years, level 2 = 5 years) Level 1: Mondays 4:10 - 5:00, Wednesdays 5:10 - 6:00, & Thursdays 6:10 -7:00 Level 2: Mondays 5:10 - 6:00, Wednesdays 6:10 - 7:00, & Thursdays 4:10 - 5:00

• to have fun while fostering a love and enjoyment of music as part of everyday life.
• to develop an ear for music as well as a sense of rhythm, movement and dynamic expression.
• to enjoy singing and the ability to sing in tune with others.
• to aid in the development of language through the use of stories, poems (set to music and movement), songs and listening activities.
• to set the stage for future involvement in music making through an introduction to fundamental music literacy.

 Goals for Mini Musicians 3; Private Lesson prep 1 (generally for ages 5 and 6) Mondays 6:10 - 7:00, Wednesdays 4:10 - 5:00

• to have fun as well as to introduce a rudimentary music vocabulary in spoken and written form.
• to further develop beat competency and rhythmic independence.
• to learn a variety of accompaniment patterns that can be used in conjunction with one another to create a full ensemble experience.
• to explore simple musical forms such as binary, rounded binary, rondo, verse/chorus and canon.
• to foster an interest in music composition through improvisation.

Goals for Mini Musicians 4; Private Lesson prep 2 (generally for ages 6, 7 &8) Thursdays 5:10 - 6

• This course is a culmination of all that was learned in Musical Munchkins and Mini Musicians 1. In this level, we begin to use all the musical tools to create our own compositions and orchestrations. Children will not only invent the music that they play, they will learn how to write the correct musical notation including the pitch and the rhythm. This is the final step towards Private Lesson Preparation and choosing an instrument.
• This course will focus on the recorder and note and rhythm reading. The children will learn how to use the recorder in both the lower and upper ranges by the end of the year.
• Prerequisite: Mini Musicians 3 or an interview with the director or administrator.