Hi! You are on 88 Keys blog site. 88 Keys is dedicated to giving children the very best musical beginning and seeks new and innovative "non-traditional" ways of educating children.
88 Keys is pleased to announce the addition of the new Suzuki Violin and Cello classes – string instruction for children ages 4 – 8, linking early childhood classes with individual instruction and ensemble participation. Suzuki Violin and Cello classes will be taught by Fabiana Aiko Mino, who completed her Suzuki teacher training at the Chicago Music Institute in 2006 and also teaches Kindermusik at 88 Keys.
The Suzuki curriculum is based on the mother tongue method; most children learn to speak their native tongue with fluency and comfort, and music is a language that can be learned in the same manner. Musical ability is developed though listening and imitating the teacher and parent, so that students become comfortable with the instrument before learning to read music. Shinichi Suzuki, founder of this method, was the first to suggest that pre-school age children could begin to play the violin given the right environment, a combination of individual and group instruction, and appropriately-sized instruments.
For folks who do not know what instrument to choose or decide whether or not their child will like it, parents can also take the 10 week Ìntro to Stings. A combination of cello, violin and musical games for parents and children. Classes are small groups of 4 to 5 participants with parents and children both attending.
No, not the commercial space, no, not the wide range of instruments, props and puppets, but the experience and the “know how”.
When I started this business 10 years ago, I wanted to create a great musical beginning. You don’t choose music, it chooses you. I knew this was my calling so when I decided to teach Kindermusik and set prices, I had to factor in the cost of doing business, professional development and sustainability, that is what we charge.
This September will be our 10th season, what a milestone! I had a live on site intensive training for a week before Kindermusik changed to its online training. The face to face training gave our group an advantage of being able to observe other seasoned veterans teach classes while we took notes, then we had to teach in front of our colleagues and they had to give us feedback. That was very daunting! I basically lived and breathed Kindermusik and I`m still learning every day. My humble beginnings started at a dance school and the local library and the first year I had 40 students and by the second semester it doubled. I was so nervous when I taught my first Kindermusik class but I volunteered at Chapters a couple times for a free musical storytime in the kids section to non-paying clients to get all the jitters out! Since I`m a pianist, I took up singing lessons on my day off for two years to help me sing properly, learn breathing techniques, and preserve my voice, so here I am! I won an award from Kindermusik in 2006 for teaching over 2000 families, that`s pretty exciting! So now maybe its 4000. This afternoon I heard my Kindermusik teacher having her weekly singing class with our voice teacher, it feels good that we can do this for our teachers. It’s all because of the support of our loyal families.
I`ll tell you next time about my big drum story…..
We are proud to inform you that 88 Keys has now become an official Yamaha Music School! Yamaha is a world renowned company who is known for their excellence in music education and production of musical instruments, so we are very honoured to be associated with such an amazing company.
The Yamaha philosophy of music education is based on the belief that all people have the potential to develop musical ability. Yamaha believes that everyone has the capacity to create, perform and enjoy one’s own music, and that through this joy of music one can enjoy a richer life. We hope to influence the greatest number of people to enjoy music.
Beginning this September 2010 we will be offering the Junior Music Course and the Young Musicians Course:
Junior Music Course – Ages 4 to 6
Early childhood is the ideal time to start music lessons. At this age, the ear is at its peak of sensitivity. Learning music is as natural as learning to speak. The creative approach centers on developing the three essential elements of pitch, harmony, and rhythm. The Junior Music Course develops the musical child from within.
Young Musicians Course – Ages 6 to 8
The Young Musicians Course is a great way for children to begin a lifetime enjoyment of music. The three-year curriculum develops musicianship and keyboard playing skills with wonderful materials written specifically for beginners of this age.
88 Keys is currently accepting students for this upcoming September.
Please contact us at our school for more information.
Telephone number: 905-881-2893
Email: info@88keys.ca
To learn more about Yamaha’s Music Education Program please visit their website at:
I was watching Kitchen Nightmares the other night and saw Chef Ramsay and how much they hate him. But you know what, I see him as a highly passionate individual that wants everything to be right from the moment the client walks into the restaurant. Chef Ramsay is all about fresh ingredients, a clean kitchen, and a continuous desire to upgrade his skills as a professional. What’s wrong with that?
I am an individual that needs everything to be right. Some people call it a “Type A” personality, but I call it passion. A client asked me the other day, “How do you run a business and have three kids? You’re a supermom!” I answered, “Oh, you’re so sweet! Actually, I don’t consider what I do work, it’s passion.” By the way, I am writing this entry at 10:00pm and watching CSI at the same time. I think it’s called, “multi-tasking”, which is something women are really good at, but that’s another topic.
So have fun whatever you’re doing, you can’t have the TGIF mentality, or you’ll be on autopilot all week. I had a teacher a few years ago that got so stressed because she had trouble with the classroom management of the Imagine That kids. I told her, “Kids are kids, so you can’t expect them to be any different. You just have to understand them and get down to their level.” So I observed her the week after and she said, “It didn’t work, they’re still not listening to me.” Then I told her, “You forgot to have fun.” And then she told me she forgot about that because she was too busy teaching. So, go take on the day, and don’t be afraid to always take your skills to the next level.
The past few days have been amazing with the weather and I’m sure we are all loving it! Studies have shown that the weather has an impact on our mood, well music has an impact on our mood as well.
In the same way that the sun can make us happy and rain can make us sad, different genres of music can evoke the same emotions. This can be a useful tool when dealing with the different emotions that our children have and can teach us how to use music to set the mood with our children. Music can be incorporated during play time, study time, meal time, and of course nap time. It’s all about choosing the right songs for the right time.
Here’s a song that I like to listen to when I’m cooped up at home and dreaming about the sun, it makes me feel all warm and tingly inside:
