Young Musicians For 5.5-8 y/o
What is Young Musician Course (YMC)?
Young Musician Course (YMC) is designed for children of ages 5.5 to 8 who are looking to start their musical journey. With parental involvement in the beginning years, YMC provides a perfect opportunity to learn and enjoy music as a family! Given the students of the YMC program are older, the pace of the program is faster with students to cover the entire foundation program within 3 years as oppose to the 4 years of JMC. While ear training is still a big part of the program, students of the YMC program will learn by reading the notes first.
Listen, Sing, Read, Play, and Create!
♬ Listen
In the Young Musician Course every new song begins with a model performance by the teacher, where students have a chance to listen and appreciate the musical elements of each song. All audio tracks played in class are provided with the course material (via QR code) for students to immerse in a comprehensive learning environment anywhere and at anytime!
♬ Sing
Our voice is our natural instrument. Through singing, students imitate all the musical expressions from what they hear in the model performance. Young Musician Course works with solfege singing, our do-re-mi’s. Each solfege is associated with a specific pitch. Solfege singing teaches students to actively memorize each pitch. With practice, students would be able to pick up melodies by ear!
♬ Read
Learning music is just like learning a new language. We learn the basic intonations by ear, then we learn to read. Once students learn how to read, they will be able to hear how the music should sound by heart only through reading the notations. Music notes are like the alphabet, and all other notations are like punctuations. Through the process of reading, students correspond each notation to the expected sounds in their listening and singing.
♬ Play
Well, anyone can just press on piano keys and make sound, but what makes sound become music is the expression. When students fully understand how the music should sound like and what every notation in the piece means, they can recreate it through their own playing. Once students know what to expect after listening, singing, and reading, the music comes out full of expression.
By playing in a group setting, not only do students develop playing techniques, they also gain experience in ensemble-playing. Ensemble playing is unique to the Young Musician group lessons. It trains the musical ears and sense of rhythm. Through ensemble-playing, students also become attentive listeners to their peers, which is not only an essential skill in the music world, but also an important interpersonal skill.
♬ Create
Music is a universal language that connects us together. Starting in the second year of Young Musician Course, students delve into the world of harmony, which introduces them the tools of composition and improvisation. Through composition, students can freely express their imagination and creativity. What a rewarding experience!
What to expect for homework?
Review activities from each lesson
Nothing comes without practice. Think about it like any other subject in school. Start with 5 to 10 minutes a day to review the activities done in class. This includes listening to the songs, singing along with the soundtrack, and finding the notes on the keyboard or piano. As the course progresses, you will be looking at a consistent 20 to 30 minutes a day to cover all the homework.
Parents involvement
Students in the Young Musician Course program typically have started primary school, so they are becoming more independent in getting their work done. However, parents are the child’s best role model. Practicing can be fun with interaction. Remember, it’s not only playing that’s for homework. Singing and listening should take up 50 percent of practicing, especially at the early stage. Take on the musical journey together, learn together, and grow together with your child!
Have lots of fun!
Enjoy everything music brings you. You won’t regret having music by your side!
Course Progress
♬ In 3 Months: Play hands together with melody in the right hand and single notes in the left hand.
♬ In 6 Months: Play comfortably hands together with chords in the left hand and be able to play in two positions.
♬ End of Year 1: Play comfortably hands together with chords in the left hand and be able to play in four keys. Students will have an opportunity to take Yamaha Grade 11 exam
♬ End of Year 2: Learn basic composition and improvisation techniques. Play in more different keys. Students will have an opportunity to take Yamaha Grade 10 exam
♬ End of Year 3: Learn more complex harmony, compose more complex music, and more improvising technique. Students will have an opportunity to take Yamaha Grade 9 exam
Located in York Region, on East Beaver Creek Drive near the border of Richmond Hill and Markham, our music classes for infants, toddlers, school-age children, and adults, offer world-class music lessons from talented instructors and research-based programs. Call us at 905 881 2893 to book a free trial music class or visit our Home Page for age-appropriate programs.