Why choose Colourstrings music education?

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).

Our classes are age appropriate and meet the developmental needs and activity levels of each individual child.  Children develop at different rates, particularly when they are very young. The motor skills of a six month old are different from a 20 month old. Preschoolers have a much longer attention span, can handle more verbal directions and need much more challenging material, than a baby or toddler.  Therefore, we structure our classes to specific age groups.

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 child starts Colourstrings under 3 years (and preferably earlier), we can do an enormous amount to help foster musicality and enjoyment of music for the future. Research on braindevelopment suggests that children develop musical intelligence more easily in their 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.

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, so that as a child goes through our program they continually add musical layers to familiar 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, march around as we sing the song while the pulse is experienced unconsciously.

In the three 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 in the first few weeks?
Remember, with any new experience, including music, it often takes children a few weeks to warm to anew environment, new group and songs. While all children are encouraged to participate, toddlers are not expected to perform 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 their families. After several weeks your child will become more accustomed to the class routine and classmates 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; some attend from as early as 3 months, and accustomed to the class routine which definitely 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 activity levels, developmental needs and interests of each individual whenever possible.

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

All we ask from our parents is that you actively show them howmuch you enjoy the class and encourage your child to participate whenever possible. We know that very young children have a very different way of learning than adults. They are capable of absorbing songs whilst seeming to pay no attention. Some children settle quickly, 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 are having!   


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 children often 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. Many children come out of their shell over the course of time and enjoy the making music. Children are especially motivated if their accompanying adult is participating. Forcing a child to participate may negatively color his perception of music and music class. 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! Research indicates that all children are born with musical ability, but if it’s not tapped into early enough then it can fail to develop. Being ‘unmusical’ is more likely to be an outcome of poor training or lack of opportunity than it is from lack of ability. We believe that everyone can learn to sing in tune and become musically 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 sung to by their parents will have a much stronger emotional bond to them. By singing songs throughout the day, you are helping them to begin to identify and respond to the sounds, pitches, and patterns of language. Parents often find that their own musical skills improve from attending our classes. Through our 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 lessons begin when the child is ready musically and expresses a desire to play. 5 or 6 is considered to be the best age for starting an instrument, so long as the child has attended at least one year of Music Kindergarten.  When children begin to learn an instrument and are faced with not only the instrument but also 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 at the 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 to know about our program!

laura@colourstringsvan.com