Times Advocate, 1995-07-05, Page 11COMM1 Th1TY
Happy habit of learning music
Teaching children music at a young age has its benefits, say Music for Young Children teachers
MYC is already introducing chil-
dren to the world of reading, a def-
inite long-term gain.
DeVree believes another ad-
vantage of teaching kids music
when they're young is to develop a
habit rather than a chore. Music is
made fun when a stuffed anteater
slurps ants off the A pi-
ano keys and when Edith
the Elegant Elk must find
the E keys. And it's even
more fun when mom or
dad is involved.
MYC requires parents
to help with their child's
music education by attending the
classes and participating in music
practises at home.
"Some parents like it because
they never had a chance to learn
music," DeVree said. "It takes a
commitment on the part of the par-
ent..If they don't want to sit down
and practice with them every night
then we don't want them in the pro -
Brenda Burke TA Staff
ZURICH- What do moonbeams,
turtles and keyboards have in com-
mon?
They're all part of Music for
Young Children (MYC), a largely
home-based school of music with
over 500 teachers and 10,000 stu-
dents across Canada and the United
States.
The Kanata-based school, found-
ed by Frances Balodis 15 years ago
when looking for music education
for her own children, offers three to
eight -year-olds a unique music ed-
ucation available locally in Zurich
and Nairn.
After teaching privately for 25
years in the London area, Sharon
De Vree decided to teach MYC
from her home in Nairn last Sep-
tember. She teaches between four
and six children per class which in -
chides instruction in piano, theory,
rhythm, singing, ear training and
composition.
During hour-long weekly lessons
students are placed according to
their ages, into the Sunshine group
- foe three and four -year-olds, the
Sunbeams - for ages five and six,
and the Moonbeams - for ages sev-
en and eight. Each student may
graduate with Grade I piano and
preliminary rudiments, in other
words, basic Conservatory theory.
"If they've got this program
they've got the basics for any other
musical instrument," said DeVree.
But kids are learning much more
in MYC classes; they're also pick-
ing up other important skills such
as math and phonics. Using large
staffs drawn on bed sheets, MYC
teachers place toys and stuffed an-
imals on the lines and spaces to
create simple sequences of notes. A
one -beat note is called a 'hop'
while a two -beat note is referred to
as a `tur-tle'. These terms are used
to help children distinguish the
rhythm of notes.
"(Children) are just like little
sponges," said Laurie Erb, a MYC
teacher in Zurich. "They want to
learn so much and they are so re-
ceptive. It's nice to get them at that
age."
Erb began teaching music with
MYC 10 years ago when looking
for music instruction for her own
daughter, Stephanie, now 12. Both
of her daughters, including Ashley,
8, have graduated from the pro-
gram.
Erb feels parents these days are
more open to music lessons for
younger children.
"1 think people are looking into
quality education for younger
ages," she said. "There's more
awareness now about the benefits
of music lessons. There have been
proven studies that children taking
music do better in school."
Music training at an early age
also helps boost a child's self-
confidence.
"I think it's
important for
parents to
choose things
for their chil-
dren that are
going to ben-
efit them in the long run," said Erb.
"A lot of people look at the short-
term effect."
Of her 80 students this year, Erb
has enrolled more younger be-
ginners, a situation she finds some-
what unusual since the traditional
age for beginning music lessons is
seven or eight years old.
Erb believes some traditional mu-
sic teachers don't understand how
MYC can teach a four-year-old pi-
ano since most at that age can't yet
read. But by teaching letters of the
alphabet with phrases such as 'Big
Bird Bouncing' and introducing left
to right progression on a page with
simple following of staff notes,
"There's more
awareness now about
the benefits of music
lessons"
•
gram.
But DeVree stresses the im-
portance of avoiding force when it
comes to children and music les-
sons.
"If a child doesn't want to do it,
don't make them hate music... Par-
ents need to he creative...It's a
lonely thing sitting at a piano
bench.
Methods of teaching music have
changed over the years in an effort
to make kids more interested. Hav-
ing the chance to play modern
songs from Disney movies such as
the Lion King, for example, make
playing more fun. The MYC pro-
gram depends on a large variety of
modern teachers' aides.
"I could spend my whole summer
just making up games," said DeV-
ree.
Although most MYC teachers
take July and August off their regu-
lar teaching schedule, they keep
busy preparing for their 36 -week
program which runs from ap-
proximately the end of August to
May.
Times -Advocate, July 5, 1995
Page 11
Contest winners announced
EXETER -'lite Exeter Business Association held a flamboyant bicy-
cle decorating contest for the energetic youngsters eager to participate
in the Canada Day celebrations on Friday. Fun was had by all and eve-
ryone went home with a prize and a patriotic bike.
Winners are:
Pre -Kindergarten first Garrett Alexander
second Emily Loosley
third Evelyn Richard Johns
Kindergarten first Kelse Fender
second Karla Musser
third Jonathan Barbeau
Grades 1 and 2 first Jordan Darling
second Mark Seip
third Cameron Robertson
Grades 3 and 4 first Rebecca Devries
second Emily Barbeau
third Jason Roy
Grades 5 to 8 first Amanda Brooks
second Sarah Hamilton and
Megan Straw
third Cecile Macs
i
Shipka resident graduates
from Fanshawe College
Julie Kaak finished
her studies in Hotel
and Restaurant Man-
agement.
Annie Morenz
SHIPKA - Congratulations to Ju-
lie Kaak, daughter of Joe and Diane
Kaak, on her graduation from Fan-
shawe College, in June, in the Ho-
tel and Restaurant Management
Program.
Father's Day visitors with Lorne
and Dorothy Fenner were two of
Lorne's daughters, Virginia Cates
and Pat Gilliard, both of Forest, and
Murray and Ruth Harlton and chil-
dren, of Granton.
Fermon and Leota Snyder, in-
cluding their family, Jim, Judy and
children, Keith and Nancy, Green-
way, Edwin and Gail and sons, Mt.
Brydges, and Suzanne and Otto
Plein and children, Elmira, were
guests on Father's Day, Sunday,
with the Snyder's Sr. daughter, Es-
ther and Ric Story and sons in Lon-
don.
Sympathy is expressed to Pat
Schroeder and her family on the
death of her sister Dorothy Waun;
of Exeter, on June 22. The funeral
service was held Monday, June 26.
Last Monday evening, Hugh and
Annie Morenz hosted a reunion for
visiting U.S. cousins. Those attend-
ing were Donnie and Louis Gable.
Pittsburgh, Art and Mary Finlay-
son, Seaforth, Bill Coleman, Kip -
pen, Donald Jackson, Hensall and
Verna Hay of Exeter.
Get well wishes to Lori Finkbein-
er and Earl Ratz, both patients at
St. Joseph's Hospital, London.
Tickets for the pork barbecue are
available from Sheona Baker or
any community member for July
26 at Shipka Community Centre.
Happy July birthday wishes l'b
Ken Baker.
Music for
young
children
Above, 'B' is for Barney,
MYC teacher Sharon
DeVree with her musically-
inspired
usicallyinspired animal helpers at
her school in Nairn.
At right, 'A' is for anteater.
MYC teacher Laurie Erb
in Zurich.
Below, eight-year-old Ash-
ley Erb demonstrates how
Music for Young Children
uses stuffed animals and
toys to teach the notes
of the scale.
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