Well, the short answer is because it's more fun!
Actually, I believe children learn the basics of music best through play. Most of what young musicians need to learn is how music works. The building blocks of music (rhythm, pitch, form, harmony, timbre, and texture) are easy to play with using games and creative activities. Those are more fun with other children. So beginning piano lessons make sense in small groups.
The idea behind these group lessons is to give students a basic working knowledge of rhythm, pitch and form, let them explore and create, and help them understand how their hands can work to play simple accompaniments and then melodies on digital pianos with headphones so they can focus on their own work. Then we can play as a group, first in unison or sharing melodic ideas, then layering sounds to make interesting accompaniments. The sense of ensemble is often missing in private lessons, so this provides a rich experience of music making to prepare children to make more sophisticated music as they progress.
There are two levels at this point, depending on a child's music reading ability. Yes, they will definitely learn to read some music, though not in the traditional way. We will explore patterns first then figure out how they look on paper. As children progress, groups may change to accommodate the progress, and the music keeps up with their increasing abilities. Some children stay in groups for several years. Serious students use the group experience to prepare for the rigor of private lessons.
Four students will meet in a group, and levels will be organized by ages and abilities of children who register. See this page for more information and email me to get started.
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