Orff for Maestros (ages 6 to 10 years)
General Info
The Maestros program is designed to build on skills and knowledge gained in the Musical Child program. Please contact Susan to discuss placement in this program if your child is new to Musicalia.
Maestros classes give older children opportunities to build skills in a group setting playing many instruments so they don't have to choose just one...just yet!
Maestros classes include:
- Minimum 25 scheduled classes (this is a year-long program)
- 90 minutes each week, all classes are afterschool
- 4 to 8 children per class
- Parent involvement is last 15 minutes weekly
- Up to 5 additional classes are scheduled each year that act as make-up classes for students and the teacher in case of illness or class cancellation. If there are no class cancellations or illness then we all enjoy extra classes free of charge
- Tuition is $1250 & $1275 for the year, depending on the program
- Payment by cheque or cash. Monthly plans available.
Instrument rentals and purchases
- Instrument purchases or rentals are not included in the tuition
- Fees for violin, guitar and harmonica are in addition to the yearly fee
- Susan provides information to each family regarding instruments
- Susan also will organize bulk purchases in advance to keep prices as low as possible for quality instruments for each family.
What instruments do the children learn to play in the Maestros program?
- Maestros Year 1 – Recorder, ukulele & fiddle
- Maestros Year 2 – Recorder, fiddle, guitar & harmonica
- Maestros Year 3 – Recorder (sopranino, alto, tenor, bass exploration), fiddle, guitar & harmonica.
Each year of the program also includes:
- Percussion play
- Improvisation
- Dancing
- Puppetry
- Drama
- Music theory
- Listening to wide variety of music from specially prepared listening libraries
- Group singing in unison and in harmony.
Do we learn piano in the Maestros program?
Piano instruction is not offered as part of the Maestros class time. Private piano lessons are available though. If a child is enrolled in the Maestros program and wishes to learn piano, they have the option to add a 15-minute private piano lesson to their weekly music time with Susan.
Some families add a 15 minute private piano lesson to their child's class time.
Your child may enjoy 1, 2 or 3 years in the Maestros program having fun and learning. This is the only program of its kind in Canada. All children in the Maestros program learn to play violin, guitar, recorder and harmonica, in addition to the dance, percussion play, singing, speech work and drama activity.
Classes incorporate whole body learning as much as possible to keep experiences connected to play and improvisation the way “real” musicians experience music.
Each year deepens intuitive abilities to play in musical ensemble.
Is there an opportunity for children to move and dance in the Maestros program?
Absolutely! Science keeps telling us how important it is for children to move when they are learning. The brain retains information and new skills more easily if there is variety and also if movement is part of the learning environment.
Learning through the body anchors knowledge within the body
- Creative movement games & whole body rhythm games anchor conceptual learning in the body
- Folk dances & games around the world
- Musical terms and literacy
- reading & writing in treble clef
- understanding scales, notation, chords, key & time signatures thru movement games and hands-on play
- Listening games and ear training activity
- Playing in a world percussion orchestra including xylophones, glockenspiels & metallophones
Playing in a world percussion orchestra including xylophones, glockenspiels & metallophones
- Simple & complex Orff Orchestra ensemble pieces
A few instruments from the amazing and beautiful Orff Orchestra set up and ready for an improvisation!
Singing
- Singing and singing games to motivate and build self-confidence
- Singing in 2 and 3-part harmony with other children.
Puppets & musical plays
- Creating and participating in musical plays, musical puppet shows and musical stories
- Maestros children love to create and Susan gives them the opportunity to create musical plays working with their own ideas and creating their own scripts.
Shadow puppetry!
Fantastic music parties to celebrate our learning
- Music parties 2 or 3 times each year to celebrate our learning, play & work
- Each year parties become more elaborate with children participating in each theme, making props, costumes, backdrops, masks, etc…
- Above all we like our parties to be fun, active and child-centered
- Children LOVE them…and the parents have fun too!
Celebration themes in the past have included:
- Medieval Christmas
- Christmas in Narnia
- Twas the Night
- Musical Mimes – The Silent Zone
- Venetian Carnivale
- Halloween with Hogwarts
- Nightdancer
- Mortimer
- Rainbow Goblins
- The Enormous Turnip
- The Night of the Goat Children
- Shadow Puppet Plays
- Tikki Tembo with dragon dance
- Musical Mermaids and the Undersea Gardens
- A Dragon, A Disco-dancing Hot Dog Army and a Meditating Sushi Chef
- Alien Orchestra
- Dreamcatchers.
What happens after Musicalia?
Children develop confidence and firm roots in at least one area (instrumental, voice, movement, composition). They take these skills to all kinds of new experience and study.
Some children join other musical groups such as fiddle orchestras, choirs, drama groups and dance troupes. Some pursue their favorite instrument through private study.
Family Jam
Some classes (parents and kids) have bonded so that they are organizing family jam nights at one another’s homes to keep playing together!
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