Early Orff Program (18 months to 4 years)

Program Info

• All classes with parent/caregiver
• Multi-age groupings (ages 18 months to 3 years) (2-1/2 and 3 years) (3 and 4 years)
• Minimum 14 classes
• 45-60 minutes each week
• 8-9 children per class.

Fees

• Tuition is $350 per term
• Payment by cheque or cash
• Susan is flexible with monthly payment plans.

We invite you to join our musical community!

Susan has studied with many of North America's most respected and honored teachers in music and dance for children. She has taken the best bits of every program/theory she has studied and incorporated them into a unique and balanced program for your child's optimal development and musicality. The program itself changes a little every year to reflect creativity, freshness and liveliness!

Research based curriculum

• Current research suggests that learning and developmental activity done through rhythm and movement is most enjoyable for very young children and is precisely the way the brain wires itself most effectively
• We nurture all areas of development through music and movement
• A huge variety of activities are offered in ways that reflect the growth occurring in the different age groupings.

Researched benefits include

• Speech and language development thru singing, chanting, creative movement, whole body movement patterns, games, puppetry
• Musical ear-training and musical eye-training through melodic patterning, rhythmic patterning, vocal play, instrument play, mime, listening activity, book and storytime, creative baby music notation
• Increase attention, memory and auditory perception
• Coordination, language and joyful socialization through dancing, free dance, creative dance, folk dance, circle and line dances, instrument play, bouncing games, fingerplays and partner play using childhood rhymes, puppetry
• Increase fine and gross motor skills, spatial relationships, agility and balance
• Increase self-esteem and ability to cooperate with other children
• Development of beat competency and rhythmic play with an enormous variety of small percussion instruments and movement props. These kinds of activities directly affect a child’s ability to learn in school and also affect their small motor control...for instance...using scissors and pencils
• Nurturing a natural confidence through imaginative play, conversation, sharing of ideas, exploration of instruments from around the world and ensemble playing.

Equipment

Musicalia is packed with a lifetime’s collection of quality child-size instruments for your child. Your children will experience playing real ukuleles, a tiny violin and a giant cello. Your child controls their own experience with loving guidance from Susan in your nurturing presence. This is intended to playfully build pathways in the brain and in body memory to set the stage for later instrumental learning.

World Percussion

Explore unique world percussion instruments. Have you ever played a donkey-jaw? How about a 5-foot rainstick or a giant ocean drum? Giant gathering drums? Temple blocks?

Orff Orchestra

Develop a sense and feeling for ensemble performance from babyhood through fun and simple songs sung and played during our orchestra time with the Orff instruments. Ever heard of a contra-bass instrument...they are GIANT!! You'll play them at Musicalia and feel the vibrations. It's a unique physical/musical experience.

Movement Tools

Props and other cool things keep us active and focussed. (Stretchy bands, hoops, scarves, balls, microphones, parachutes, hand puppets, unusual percussion instruments).

The Listening Library

Each program at Musicalia has a dedicated Listening Library. The Early Orff Library houses dozens of titles available for weekly loans including World music, Classical music, Kindermusik, Music Together, Putumaya and wonderful selections by well-known children's performers.

Early Orff for 3 & 4 year old children is a more advanced program for children who...

• Are developing capability in more cooperative kinds of activity
• Are increasingly vocal in making choices for themselves
• Are ready to explore specially designed creative music writing experiences
• Are ready to increase their use of musical terminology (crescendo, decrescendo, piano, forte...).

Classes are planned to reflect these developmental changes.