Ms Aimee is learning to blog
Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? There is so much to learn in this big wide world and I find I am always learning something new. This summer has been especially full of learning.
Welcome to my very first blog!
When I began teaching piano lessons about 17 years ago, I was so excited to hear my students master the pieces I was assigning them. I was teaching at the same time that I was a student myself. My teaching tools included a piano, textbooks, stickers, flashcards and a handy dandy metronome. (my kids call it a tick tocker) My main focus was “can the students play the songs from week to week”. You will find many people have this attitude about music lessons. They forget to look at the larger picture. After many lessons and many students, my purpose for teaching has evolved and my tools have outgrown their toolbox! I still want my students to be able to play their pieces, but now my focus is on “do they understand the music and will they be able to apply this lesson to music down the road…or other instruments? Do they feel a sense of accomplishment and pride for what they have learned ?” This is why I began to teach Music For Young Children.
Music For Young Children is a learning system that teaches children music through group instruction. This opens up many opportunities for learning that never exist in private piano instruction. Children become performers as each week they are playing in front of a small group of people. Children become cheerleaders as they encourage each other to work hard and to feel confident about their work. Children become accepting of the abilities of class mates and learn from their peers’ mistakes. Children learn while having fun with their friends. Many times children are learning a difficult concept without even knowing it. MYC teaches young musicians using every learning style; visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and analytical. We do this through hands-on learning tools like puppets, games, crafts, movement, ensembles and the list goes on. The variety of activities in each class provide every child a chance to be successful and comfortable while encouraging them to flex the muscles of learning modalities in which they may not be as strong.
While teaching Music For Young Children in my home studio for the past 6 years has been a rewarding and successful experience, this summer I decided to pack up my many teaching aids, games and instruments to move to a commercial space….and so, The Music Box is born!
At the Music Box families will find music classes for every age group from babyhood to adulthood.
- Music Pups music and movement classes for babies and their parents
- Sunrise music classes for toddlers and their parents
- Sunshine keyboard classes for 3 &4 yr old beginners
- Sunbeam keyboard classes for 5 &6 yr old beginners
- Moonbeam keyboard classes for 7 -9 yr old beginners
- My Choice keyboard classes for older beginners
- Music Your Best Choice for adult beginners
- Private piano and theory lessons for intermediate/advanced students
The Music Box is a place dedicated to students and their families exclusively. It is a place where students will feel a sense of belonging and pride. I look forward to sharing that with them.
The Music Box grand opening is only 9 days away! Friday, Aug. 21 from 6-8:30pm and Aug.22 from 9am-3:30pm you can come to the box to see “where learning music is FUN”!! On Friday evening you can stick around town to view the Bean Festival fireworks display, classic car cruise night and midway for the children. Saturday there are entertainment and vendors on the streets all day. The largest classic car show in Ontario and the tastiest brown bean and porkchop dinner you can find anywhere! (of course if you’d rather not partake in the beans, there are lots of other wonderful foods to sample!) Hope to see you soon at The Music Box!
For info on upcoming fall classes contact Ms. Aimee at themusicbox@hay.net
Visit me on twitter and facebook – Aimee Rau