Today, most parents like their children to learn music from a very young age and they have high expectations when they send the children for music lessons. Many wish their child to be another “Mozart” which is not unreasonable. But the sad truth is that not all children are gifted. Statistics reveal that 8 out of every 10 young children who are sent to learn piano drop out after taking lessons for 6 months.
The reasons cited are:
(a) the children do not enjoy the music classes after the initial fad is over
(b) too much pressure on them to perform.
So much so, they end up hating music for their rest of their lives. How tragic and sad for both the parent and the children! The question then is what is the right approach to teach music to very young children. Can the children be nurtured so that the love for music is instilled whilst at the same time building an essential foundation so that they can readily take up piano or violin lessons later on?There are a number of early childhood music programmes available for young children. So, what makes Musikgarten so special? A number of critical factors make Musikgarten truly outstanding in comparison with the others.
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The Founders
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Musikgarten was founded in 1994 by Dr Lorna Heyge and Audrey Sillick both of whom are internationally renowned specialists and innovators in the field of early childhood music education. In designing the Musikgarten program, they have incorporated the teachings of great thinkers / practitioners in early childhood education and early childhood music education namely Dalcroze, Laban, Kodaly, Suzuki, Orff and Montessori. In addition, they have drawn from the latest research findings in language development, motor competence, brain development, learning theory, music memory, audiation, ethnomusicology, stages of play and parent-child bonding.
Holistic Child-Centred Approach
A sound music program for young children must nurture every aspect of the child’s being. It must be designed around the principle of holistic, individual experience. Then only can it be considered as truly educational and not just an expensive child entertainment program. Children achieve developmentally appropriate outcomes, not by practising the skills in isolation but by actively engaging in activities designed to develop competency through the doing/learning process. Young children’s play is their work and they learn through doing.
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Musikgarten teaches music to young children experientially, through activities based on the developmentally appropriate, holistic child-centred approach. As such, it is not focused on making children achieve performance outcomes. Put simply, it is designed to allow children to acquire musicality at their own pace, encouraging involvement, not expecting or insisting that the child acquire certain skills or develop certain behaviour within a given time frame.
Proven Method of Teaching
In Musikgarten classes, children are not expected to perform on demand. Rather, they are gently encouraged to participate at their own pace and at their own level of development. This approach ensures that the music lesson is a very enjoyable experience and that their participation is not hampered by performance anxiety. Therefore, children in a Musikgarten Class are not afraid to join in even if they know that they have not fully mastered an activity. Because of this methodology, the children expect to be successful just by being involved while still enjoying challenge of mastery. Success fosters self-confidence, persistence, the will to try again after failure as well as courage and initiative.
Music is the Primary Focus
The aim of Musikgarten is to develop the skills, abilities, and talents necessary for a child to be physically and mentally ready before taking up an instrument. Music activities are designed to foster development of the whole child – body, mind and spirit. Family materials reinforces learning in the home environment. At every level, the emphasis of the program is on music and being musical – singing, dancing, listening and moving to music, learning tonal and rhythm patterns and using simple instruments such as rhythm sticks and scarfs.
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The program does not require the parents to spend large sums of money on buying instruments, toys and books. Nor are parents required to engage in large-scale projects such as making things at home to being to music class. Instead, Family Materials provide lots of suggested ways in which parents can spend their precious time with their children, singing, playing games and generally interacting through shared musical experiences. In short, Musikgarten leads the children to “Musical Literacy” which means they can "see what they hear and hear what they see”.
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Music Notation and Keyboard Instruction
For the older children (6 to 8 years old), Musikgarten seamlessly integrates music notation and keyboard instruction with the other components of its music program. Children up to age 8 continue to learn music through singing, dancing, listening, moving, reading/writing, playing and composing. For these children, using notation is simply an extension of their natural musicality. All the time spent in the of music class in earlier years has prepared the children to progress naturally and easily into these new areas of musical expression. The confidence and joy with which they read, write, compose, play and even practise, is a testimony to Musikgarten’s unique approach to the integration of music notation and keyboard instruction.
Quality of Musikgarten Teachers and Teaching Materials
In Malaysia, Musikgarten is offered as a licensed program and aspiring music teachers must meet stringent entry requirements before they are allowed to take up the training program. They have to attend training workshops where hands-on practice-teaching is a must and to re-attend training yearly in order to keep themselves updated on the latest research findings and developments in the Musikgarten syllabus.
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Upon Obtaining Musikgarten certification, it is compulsory for the teacher to sign up for the Musikgarten Trademark License for her classes conducted in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia or Brunei. All Musikgarten Workshops are approved by the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association in the U.S. (ECMMA). The ECMMA is an umbrella organization that recognizes training according to the qualifications of the instructor and the content of the course.
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This high level of teacher expertise combined with the use of Musikgarten’s world class teaching materials ensure that the children attending Musikgarten classes are participating in the finest early childhood music program available today.
Musikgarten Trainer in Malaysia
Ms Jenny Ong
M. Education (Early Childhood Development & Music Education),
Lesley University, U.S.A.
Certified Musikgarten Teacher Trainer
Founding Director, Musikgarten Malaysia & Singapore
Affiliations:
Musikgarten Malaysia is an institutional member of the following organisations:
National Association of Early Childhood Care and Education Malaysia (NAECCEM).
Association of Registered Childcare Providers Malaysia (PPBM), Persatuan Tadika Malaysia (PTM)
A Cross-Cultural Music ProgramMusikgarten was born out of the desire to nurture the natural musical ability of all children, to have them experience and maintain their rich cultural heritage, to foster creative musical expression in society. By developing and making available the highest quality curricula materials and musical instruments at reasonable prices, and by holding regular workshops to train teachers, Musikgarten has created a unique opportunity for parents to provide young children with an affordable comprehensive music education for the first eight years of their lives – a music education program that will prepare and equip them for a lifetime of loving, listening to, playing and sharing the joy of making music.
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The songs, languages and cultures may be different but the way children grow and learn, the joys and benefits of shared musical experiences and the need for an early childhood music education program at affordable price are the same all over the world.
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The Musikgarten program is now being used in countries as culturally diverse as United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, South Africa, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.
