Congratulations and thank you for your interest in Musikgarten! By considering music education for your child at an early age, you have taken the first step towards bonding musically with your child and enriching your family life with active music-making.

Children are naturally drawn to music, which will make your time with them in Musikgarten both fun and beneficial.

Benefits of Early Childhood Music:

• Music immerses the child in language

• Evokes movement

• Stimulates the brain (left & right)

• Fosters physical co-ordination

• Develops self-discipline, co-operation, concentration, memory & listening skills.

Why send your child for Musikgarten Classes?

The Plan - only Musikgarten offers a comprehensive sequential plan for the musical development of your child from birth to age 8. Each of our four courses stands on its own and fits the developmental needs of the child. Class time is educational, fun and purposeful.

The Teachers - Your Musikgarten Teacher is a highly trained professional with classroom and field experience in early childhood music education and child development.

The Curriculum - Musikgarten's programmes are based on meeting the development needs of children as they grow. Favourite songs, stories and dances are revisited throughout - building on what each child has mastered and enjoyed - making successful learning easier.

Family Involvement - As part of the Musikgarten programme, you will be able to obtain CDs, family activity guides and instruments to continue the bonding and fun of music with your child at home.

What will the children learn in Musikgarten?

In this program, the children will participate in singing at the right pitch, focused listening, simple composition / improvisation, playing songs on the keyboard using major and minor keys, drumming, dancing, ensemble playing of instruments as well as acquiring a basic understanding of melody, harmony, rhythm and form. The objective is to build a strong musical foundation for the children before they take up individual piano, violin and other instruments later on. The love for music is inculcated and will stay with the children for the rest of their lives.

Upon completion of the final course (Music Makers at the Keyboard), the children would have learnt the following:

• Keyboard exploration through notation games.
• Sitting Posture, Hand & Finger Positions are properly established.
• Keyboard Playing Skill acquired through a self-discovery process. Singing and playing of melodies of songs using either the right hand or the left hand or both with or without harmony accompaniment.
• Transposition concept is introduced by playing the same songs in several different keys D, G, C, and E Major; d, c and e Minor
• Recognising Rhythm Patterns: Simple to Complex
• Tonal (major and minor) recognition is further developed through aural / oral activities leading to reading of Tonal Patterns in the key of D Major.
• Harmony is introduced through aural / oral and ensemble activities.
• Composition Skill is introduced through exercises of reading and writing simple Rhythm and Tonal Patterns.
• Sight-reading Skill is introduced in a sequential manner leading to the ability to identify familiar - Mystery Songs.
• Forms in music (AB, ABA, ABC and Rondo) are introduced by analyzing recorded repertoire through dancing, movement, drumming and notation games.
• Dynamics, Phrase Lengths, Micro/Macro beat, Upbeat, Accents understanding is developed through drumming, movement, dancing and playing of appropriate instruments.
• An appreciation of Classical Music of Haydn, Bach, Schumann, and Kabalevsky and Tchaikovsky is introduced through listening, drumming, dancing and movement activities.

Is there a  Trial Class? How much are the fees and what materials must be purchased?

Yes, most participating Certified Licensed Musikgarten Teachers offer a Trial Class for a fee. Please contact the nearest Musikgarten Teacher in your neighbourhood (click here to view the full list). She will also inform you on the class fees, terms of payment and the family materials which are compulsory upon enrolment of your child for the class. For the first 3 courses ("Babies", "Toddlers" & "Cycles of Seasons" ), the family material comprises a parent book, a  CD and either a set of instrument or picture cards. For the Music Makers At the Keyboard course, it is a music workbook with 2 CDs for the child.

Parents Testimony on Musikgarten

Please click here to read the comments from parents who have sent their children to attend Musikgarten classes.