MUSICAL MINDS
Our Philosophy
Our Philosophy
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | |  | |  | |  |
OUR PHILOSOPHY
We believe that the key to a successful student is a high level of motivation, so we have done everything
we can to create a highly energized, engaging, and fun experience for our students.
We believe that the key to a successful student is a high level of motivation, so we have done everything
we can to create a highly energized, engaging, and fun experience for our students.
Music, like art, is something that we humans engage
in for pleasure, whether as musicians and artists, or
simply as music and art enthusiasts. It is unfortunate
that many music teachers have forgotten this fact.
More oftentimes they teach music as if they were
teaching accounting or trigonometry, subjects that
most students have trouble warming up to.
If you really think about it, though, teaching music
should be easy. After all, I have not ever met a
single child who doesn't love music. In fact, the only
differences between them are the particular musical
pieces that they like. But it's just a matter of taste,
really. Each and every child has some song or tune
or recording artist that excites him or her.
in for pleasure, whether as musicians and artists, or
simply as music and art enthusiasts. It is unfortunate
that many music teachers have forgotten this fact.
More oftentimes they teach music as if they were
teaching accounting or trigonometry, subjects that
most students have trouble warming up to.
If you really think about it, though, teaching music
should be easy. After all, I have not ever met a
single child who doesn't love music. In fact, the only
differences between them are the particular musical
pieces that they like. But it's just a matter of taste,
really. Each and every child has some song or tune
or recording artist that excites him or her.
Bearing this in mind begs the question, why are so many music teachers so boring? Surely it should not be
that, say, a math teacher has, teaching a subject that few to none of their students have any real love for.
Surveys have shown that the average private music teacher in this country retains his or her students for
less than six months, yet any of these same teachers will tell you that it takes considerably longer (perhaps
between two and four years) for students to develop a fair level of proficiency on most musical
instruments. So, what is going wrong? Why are the music teachers losing their students so quickly?
Students who loved music when then signed up with that teacher, and who go on loving music after they
quit, yet are no longer willing to continue learning to play?
Here are the three simple answers:
Motivation, Motivation, Motivation!
Music teachers will often blame outside circumstances as to why their students quit; schedule conflicts,
the student's busy schedule, the cost, etc. Rarely will the teacher address their own shortcomings - the
teacher was too strict, the teacher presented the materials in a way that was confusing and complicated,
the teacher did not offer enough positive encouragement, the teacher was boring, the teacher was weird
(yes, kids quite often find certain teachers to be weird, believe it or not!).
The Musical Minds approach addresses these issues with the following solutions:
that, say, a math teacher has, teaching a subject that few to none of their students have any real love for.
Surveys have shown that the average private music teacher in this country retains his or her students for
less than six months, yet any of these same teachers will tell you that it takes considerably longer (perhaps
between two and four years) for students to develop a fair level of proficiency on most musical
instruments. So, what is going wrong? Why are the music teachers losing their students so quickly?
Students who loved music when then signed up with that teacher, and who go on loving music after they
quit, yet are no longer willing to continue learning to play?
Here are the three simple answers:
Motivation, Motivation, Motivation!
Music teachers will often blame outside circumstances as to why their students quit; schedule conflicts,
the student's busy schedule, the cost, etc. Rarely will the teacher address their own shortcomings - the
teacher was too strict, the teacher presented the materials in a way that was confusing and complicated,
the teacher did not offer enough positive encouragement, the teacher was boring, the teacher was weird
(yes, kids quite often find certain teachers to be weird, believe it or not!).
The Musical Minds approach addresses these issues with the following solutions:
- Make the learning process fun! Use laughter, humor and friendly interaction to create a learning friendly environment. Lots
and lots of encouragement and positive reinforcement. - Use books and materials which are extremely user friendly for kids, so that they will not be intimidated by trying to read or
use them. - Give the students the music that they want to learn, music that they already know and love. Kids will be far more
motivated to go home and practice music that they listen to all the time than an obscure étude or minuet. What do they
listen to? Turn on Radio Disney or listen to the music of the movies they watch. Listen to the music on the television
shows on Nickelodeon channel. If you get into their world you can find out what motivates them. - Make learning music be about more than just learning to play the instrument. Relate the music to real life. Nothing that we
do is experienced in a vacuum. Neither is music. Musicians write music as a reaction to their life experiences, and the feeling
and subject of the music is something that should be taught along with the notes that are being played. - We do not assume that the best musician is the best person to teach music. Rather, we seek individuals who know how to
motivate first. The positive energy which certain individuals project in a classroom is far more valuable than extremely
advanced playing skills.
THE BENEFITS OF LEARNING MUSIC - They are much greater than just playing an instrument.
kids who are learning to play a musical instrument such as piano or guitar will achieve better results in subjects like science and math. How does this work?
Well, it turns out that music improves a child's spatial temporal reasoning abilities. Visual learners have an easier time understanding abstract concepts when
University studies have shown that including music in a child's curriculum will improve his or her scholastic aptitude. Wow, what a revelation! So in other words,
music is introduced as a learning subject. If your child is in elementary school now, you might want to consider ways to make sure that he or she does well on
their SAT or AP college exams in a few years. Music might well be a key to this. College is now extremely expensive, and becoming more so each year, so the
money that you invest in your child's education at the elementary level might save you a fortune on college tuition if academic scholarship comes into play.
We urge all parents to include a fair amount of music and art in your child's academic workload, especially in the fact that schools have been offering less and
less of these subjects in the last few years due to federal, state and local cut backs in funding the arts in schools. The benefits of the arts in a child's life are
tremendous, and are much more far reaching than just improving their science and math scores. They benefit academically, socially, emotionally and
spiritually in all aspects of their lives.
kids who are learning to play a musical instrument such as piano or guitar will achieve better results in subjects like science and math. How does this work?
Well, it turns out that music improves a child's spatial temporal reasoning abilities. Visual learners have an easier time understanding abstract concepts when
University studies have shown that including music in a child's curriculum will improve his or her scholastic aptitude. Wow, what a revelation! So in other words,
music is introduced as a learning subject. If your child is in elementary school now, you might want to consider ways to make sure that he or she does well on
their SAT or AP college exams in a few years. Music might well be a key to this. College is now extremely expensive, and becoming more so each year, so the
money that you invest in your child's education at the elementary level might save you a fortune on college tuition if academic scholarship comes into play.
We urge all parents to include a fair amount of music and art in your child's academic workload, especially in the fact that schools have been offering less and
less of these subjects in the last few years due to federal, state and local cut backs in funding the arts in schools. The benefits of the arts in a child's life are
tremendous, and are much more far reaching than just improving their science and math scores. They benefit academically, socially, emotionally and
spiritually in all aspects of their lives.
