Why choose a Colourstrings / Kodaly music class?

As a professional violist and a mother, I did a lot of research before deciding to become an Associate Colourstrings teacher. There are a number of benefits that make Colourstrings unique: 

• Classes are carefully structured to develop the musical skills of each child to a high standard whilst still maintaining playful enjoyment.

• Exceptional instruction - We are professional musicians and trained specialists with the highest early childhood music and child development training in Canada.

• Groundbreaking - We offer the ONLY proven music education program that can take a child from the earliest playful music experiences all the way through to instrumental study at university level (if they wish to).

• Age specific classes that meet the developmental needs and activity levels of each individual child.
• We are not a franchise so every lesson is carefully planned each week to suit the individual needs within the group. We aim to  maintain the highest quality music education based on the latest proven methodology.

 Why begin music classes at such a young age?
If a childstarts Colourstrings under 3 years (and preferably earlier), we can do anenormous amount to help foster musicality and enjoyment of music for the future.Research on braindevelopment suggests that children develop musical intelligence more easily intheir early years, and with more difficulty later on. Neuroscientists have found that when young children have repeated experiences withrhythm, pitch, and other aspects of music, their brains are more receptive and‘wired’ for musical learning later in life.


Why are our classes taught in specific age groups?
Preschoolers have a much longer attention span, can handle more verbal directions and need much more challenging material, than a baby or toddler. Our classes are directed byt he children and change to meet their interests, developmental needs andactivity levels.  

3-12month classes represent the beginning of a solid musical progression. The focus is on enjoyment and bonding with the parent.

1-2 year classes become more active as babies begin walking and our activities inspire their curiosity as we explore different instruments, sounds and ways to move.  

2-3yr classes focus on developing the young child’s imagination, confidence and independence. Rhythmic movement stories are introduced.

3year old+ classes take the children on an imaginary adventure using singing games to develop vocal, aural and rhythmic skills with accuracy. It would be very difficultly for older children to develop rhythmic skills for example particularly on an instrument if there is a mass of background noise from younger toddlers who may not developmentally be capable of keeping a steady beat or rhythm with accuracy.  


How do children develop specific musical skills?
Colourstrings teaching is always play-based however a great deal of thought has gone into each level of Colourstrings classes, sothat as a child goes through our program they continually add musical layers tofamiliar songs. Based on 3 stages of learning a lot of work with children underthree emphasizes the pulse of the music. We pat or play an instrument, marcharound as we sing the song while the pulse is experienced unconsciously.

In thethree year class musical concepts are explained in a semi-conscious way;children will say the rhyme, clap the rhythm of the words and then play therhythm on a drum.

In the 4 & 5 year classes, learning is made consciousthrough games and musical stories and the children will be able to write downthe rhythm that they have just played (which they work out aurally and don'tjust copy from the board!). All musical ideas and concepts are introduced inthis progressive way through games. The child experiences the concept longbefore articulating what the concept means. There are no exceptions and no failures,thanks to the quality and depth of the unconscious learning that the childrenhave had in our younger classes.


What should I expect from my child inthe first few weeks?
Remember, with any newexperience, including music, it often takes children a few weeks to warm to anew environment, new group and songs. Whileall children are encouraged to participate, toddlers are not expected toperform during the class. At this young age, most children will simply observe& enjoy the activity and take everything home to try out in front of theirfamilies. After severalweeks your child will become more accustomed to the class routine andclassmates and their participation is likely to increase.  


My child finds it hard to sitand wanderers around in class!
Young children are learning to move and movingto learn! Please remember that children join Colourstrings at different ages; someattend from as early as 3 months, and accustomed to the class routine whichdefinitely helps them to focus and anticipate what is coming next.Every class has a balance between sitting and moving and playinginstruments, which meets the needs of most children. As the children grow our classes change to meet the activitylevels, developmental needs and interests of each individual whenever possible.

Some toddlers have justlearned to walk, and they do it almost constantly and at a high speed! Otherchildren may quietly watch, observing but not participating for weeks on end. Allchildren are learning if they are in the room! As long as your childis not posing a major distraction to other children, let them wander, but model for them the activity we aredoing.

All we ask from our parents is that you actively show them howmuch you enjoy the class and encourage your child to participate wheneverpossible. Weknow that very youngchildren have a very different way of learning than adults. They are capable ofabsorbing songs whilst seeming to pay no attention. Some children settlequickly, others take a little longer.Once your child is familiar with the songs and their peers their interest and focus islikely to increase.
Most children eventually join in when they see how much fun you arehaving!   


Can I bring my husband/grandparent etc.?Yes, Any number of adults can attend.        

Can your classes help my shy child?Our classes offer a safe, nurturing environment where very shy childrenoften flourish. We believe in the Montessori principle of “Follow the Child”,so your child is never forced into an activity they are not ready for. Manychildren come out of their shell over the course of the semester and enjoy the communitymusic making our classes provide. Children are especially motivated if theiraccompanying adult is participating in a relaxed, pleasant manner. Forcing achild to participate may negatively color his perception of music and musicclass. With patience and understanding shy children flourish in music classes.
I have no musical backgroundand have been told I’m tone deaf. Will this effect my child’s development?
No it will not! Researchindicates that all children are born with musical ability, but if it’s nottapped into early enough then it can fail to develop. Being ‘unmusical’ is morelikely to be an outcome of poor training or lack of opportunity than it is fromlack of ability. We believe that everyone can learn to sing in tune and becomemusically competent at any age!

Sing!  no matter how you may think you sound,your baby will be you're most eager and adoring audience. Infants who are sungto by their parents will have a much stronger emotional bond to them. Bysinging songs throughout the day, you are helping them to begin to identify andrespond to the sounds, pitches, and patterns of language. Parents oftenfind that their own musical skills improve from attending our classes. Throughour approach virtually all children, even those who would once be thought of as‘tone deaf’, can learn an instrument and become competent players.


What is the best age for children to learn an instrument?   Instrumental lessonsbegin when the child is ready musically and expresses a desire to play. 5 or 6is considered to be the best age for starting an instrument, so long as thechild has attended at least one year of Music Kindergarten.  When childrenbegin to learn an instrument and are faced with not only the instrument butalso many key music skills at the same time they have less chance of success.With the basic musicianship skills learnt in the music and movement classes atthe child’s disposal, they will be free to concentrate on the technical aspectsof instrumental playing and are usually found to progress more quickly. 

Do you have other questions? Send us an e-mail — We’d be happy to answer! We love finding out what people want toknow about our program!