Signing Up with Harmony Music Studio - Saturday, August 1, 2009
If you wish to enroll in lessons or classes, you have several choices: You can call to schedule an interview with one of our teachers, or you can download, print and mail our registration packet, and someone will contact you to find a good lesson time for you and the appropriate teacher.
You can download the policy and registration form in PDF format by following the link below. To complete your registration and reserve your lesson with the studio, you must return these forms along with your registration fee ($50 annually for private lessons) to the studio. You can mail them or deliver them in person.
Email: msmargo @ harmonymusicstudio.com for all private lesson requests.
Email: kindermusik @ harmonymusicstudio.com for all Kindermusik requests.
Both email addresses have mobile access, so we can generally respond very quickly to emails - sometimes even quicker than to phone messages.
We try to have someone on the phones during regular business hours from 3-8 pm, but if we are not available, please leave a detailed message and speak clearly and we will get back with you as soon as possible.
A NOTE FROM THE OWNER PERTAINING TO CONTRACT UPDATES - Saturday, June 20, 2009
This post is important! Please Read.
Dear Students and Parents,
First, we would like to thank you for your continued business. Harmony Music Studio is proud to announce that we have more than tripled in size in the 2 years since moving to our current location. As we flourish, we continue to look for ways to fine-tune the areas that become obstacles in our path as we expand. We are a small business with limitations and we must make changes to protect the studio.
Music lessons are a luxury and opportunity that provide everyone involved the gift that lasts a lifetime. We want to continue to be an asset to our community by being more organized and efficient. We offer the most economical price of all music schools in the Bay Area, but our losses grow larger by the month as we grow, as well. In order for Harmony Music Studio to continue to survive and provide the best instructors in our area, we must reduce these losses by becoming more stringent about our policies. A copy of the renewed contract can be located at the front desk or down loaded from our Web-page at HarmonyMusicStudio.com. Beginning May 31, we are accepting registrations for our 2nd semester, which is from July —December 2009.
Rules and guidelines have a purpose and come about by trial and error. We greatly appreciate our customers who always have abided by the past contract and we take note of your courtesy and effort in honoring our past agreements. However, due to a large number of our customers who are not honoring the contract, some major changes in policy must be accepted by all who would like to be enrolled in our school beginning in July 2009.
Students who withdraw for a month or more must re-register when they return, including registration fees. We cannot hold time slots for students who withdraw for any length of time, as we now have a waiting list of students wishing to enroll.
If you have any questions about the new policy, please email me directly at msmargo @ harmonymusicstudio.com.
Music Lessons or Kindermusik? - Thursday, January 22, 2009
Should I choose Kindermusik or Private Lessons?
Q: My kindergartener or 1st grader shows interest in learning music.Should I enroll her in private lessons? Or Kindermusik?
As her parents, only you can make that decision, but here is some information that may help you to make the right choice for your child.
Q: What is Kindermusik for the Young Child?
Kindermusik for the Young Child is the culmination of early childhood musical development; in addition to movement, instrumental play, singing, and creating, YC students begin to learn musical notation (note and rhythmic), and begin learning to play a melody instrument, the glockenspiel. We also learn pre-keyboarding skills to transfer the knowledge of the glockenspiel to the piano. YC was designed for Kindergarten and First Grade students. Please be aware that Young Child is a sequential, two year curriculum - new students may join in second (Spring) semester as class space allows, with the understanding that the family and child will work with the teacher to catch up on concepts and learning covered in the first (Fall) semester.
Children in YC class are beginning to read, enjoy puzzles and games, and like to socialize with other children in their age range.They follow directions reliably, and can answer abstract questions, such as “how do you think a composer can make music sound like birds?” He or she enjoys singing, is eager to learn, and can work independently for short periods towards a set goal.These children are ready to begin understanding concepts of practice, proper handling of an instrument, and playing a tune as opposed to exploring ways of creating sound on an instrument.These fundamental ideas are the foundation for Young Child, and through them, we learn about music in a way that makes the learning more natural and easy than private lessons are for children just entering gradeschool.
Q: When Should My Child Begin Private Instrumental Instruction?
As a general rule, most children are not ready to begin formal instrumental training before the age of 6 or 7 for piano or string instruments, and most instructors will not accept students younger than 8 or 9 for other orchestral or band instruments. Before that, they tend to lack the size, stamina, and outcome-oriented commitment to make lessons an enjoyable and successful experience. Children are individuals, with a wide range of aptitude, but all children possess the ability to enjoy lifelong music making, and this ability can be greatly influenced by how we choose to approach their earliest experiences.From experience, most teachers will tell you that the majority of students do not begin to progress rapidly in piano lessons, for example, until they are at least 7 years old.
Kindermusik contains all if the needed elements to develop a child who is musically aware and who has the solid foundation to make lessons a natural and joyous next step. Children who grow up in Kindermusik have had chances to succeed, be nurtured and encouraged in their early creative explorations, and develop a core of music theory instilled through voice, body, and mind. Music for them is a natural part of their environment, and they have gained the language of note, rhythm, and expression to help them as they select which instrument they most wish to make their own. Many experts agree that early musical enrichment lays a foundation for musicianship which may accelerate later progress on an instrument.
Children who graduate from Kindermusik for the Young Child have a strong basis in theory, musicianship, and instrumental technique. More importantly, they have been allowed to develop the whole child through music, in a supportive and reassuring atmosphere, which lays the groundwork for a lifetime of positive outlook not only towards music learning, but towards learning in general.
Welcome to the Harmony Music Studio Web Log! Here you'll find information about upcoming events as well as nifty links to music-related content on the web. Enjoy!
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