A typical Music for Young Children™ class

So, have you ever wished you could listen in on what happens in a typical Music for Young Children™ class? I could tell you that, in the Music for Young Children™ classes, we sing songs, play rhythm ensembles, play keyboard solos and ensembles, play theory games, play scales (harmonized, in most levels). We “play” a lot !!! Young children learn music best through play!

What happens as a result of this holistic approach? In MYC music lessons, children learn to train their musical ear, build memory skills, improve problem solving skills, learn to cooperate, develop a positive self-image, broaden their attention span, develop physical dexterity and hand-eye coordination skills, develop a sense of beat through ‘ensemble’ playing, learn to read and understand the language of music, develop time management skills through their practice at home, and spend quality time with their parent or guardian who participates with them.

These are some of the benefits observed by parents and teachers. It’s enlightening to listen in on a class though, so listen - and watch - as Mississauga music teacher Gwen Fedorowich provides an overview of the Music for Young Children program in this interview with Rogers Cable. Observe, also, as her music students and their parents express how they feel they have benefited: First Local – June 3, 2010. If you would like to participate with your child in this wonderful music program, contact the Music for Young Children teacher nearest you. Music Lessons Registrations are currently taking place.

Perhaps you have been in an Music for Young Children class this past year. How do you feel your child has benefited from the music class?

Solfège

Have you wondered why we sing in our Music for Young Children class? Especially the Solfège? Mrs. Chandrika here will introduce us to the benefits of singing Solfège as a musician!
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In music, solfège (also called solfeggio, sol-fa, or solfa) is a technique for the teaching of sight-singing in which each note of the score is sung to a special syllable, called a solfège syllable. The seven syllables normally used for this practice in English-speaking countries are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and ti.

The Kodály approach emphasizes the importance of learning how to sing on pitch. In the 18th century, John Spencer Curwen drew upon an earlier music teaching system known as Norwich Sol-fa, which had been devised by Sarah Glover, and developed hand signs to go with the solfege syllables (do re mi, etc.). Kodály integrated these hand signs into his teaching methods.
Hand signs are a way of giving a physical placement for a vocal pitch. The low "do" begins at your midsection. Each pitch is then above the previous one. Thus, you have the hand signs going up when the pitch goes up. The upper "do" is at eye level.

Solfege is the language of the well-educated musician. .When we sing the solfege syllables while reading notes or playing the keyboard, we develop a strong sense of tonality and relative pitch. Each solfege note sung strengthens the connection between what is heard, what is seen and what is played. Singing solfege teaches us to internalize the music. With time, and practice, you and your child will begin to hear the notes that you read before those notes are even played on the keyboard.