Let’s Play Music classes capitalize on the benefits of group lessons for kids. It’s tempting to believe that one-on-one instruction provides the ideal setting for music instruction. To the contrary, young children thrive in small groups. In fact, the group instruction format stimulates learning in ways where private lessons miss the mark. In what ways IS learning in small groups so effective?
1. Group learning is fun!
Imagine a teacher performing a puppet show for a single student. Now picture a group of seven children, each with a puppet representing a different melody in a classical music piece performing that same puppet show. Or how about a game where an entire class lines up like a train and moves their feet to the beat of a tambourine. Can a private teacher successfully coordinate a game of “Frog in the Middle” or “London Bridge” with a single student?
There are simply some things that can only be done in a group setting. Let’s Play Music is aptly named – because “play” is how children learn. And “play” is possible within small groups. Once you’ve experienced the energy and fun of a Let’s Play Music class, you’ll easily see why group lessons are where it’s at.
2. Children learn and build confidence as they observe one another.
Some children hold back and let others make the first move. Others jump in with both feet, always wanting to “go first”. There’s room for both type of students in a Let’s Play Music classroom. I love to see how watching others encourages hesitant participants to try. As kids observe one another, they learn new ways of doing things. They also more easily learn the “correct” way of playing music, due to the repetition of watching other classmates perform the same activity.
3. Group lessons help train the ear and prepare students for ensembles.
While private lessons set up a students as solo performers, group music lessons require the kind of teamwork required for band, orchestra or choir. As a private piano teacher, I encourage my students to learn and practice at least one duet per semester. Why? Because it requires students to listen to one another. They are then better prepared to accompany a group.
In Let’s Play Music classes, we learn to sing in tune together. In the first year, students play the Autoharp as the rest of the class sings along. Accompanying the group requires that the accompanist listen to the singers and vice versa. We train our ears to match pitch and rhythm as we do so. As children further train the ear, they will be prepared to sustain their own part as they sing in a choir or perform in an instrumental group.
While I acknowledge the individualized instruction that is inherent in private music lessons, when it comes to young children, especially, I see stronger growth in my Let’s Play Music students. My younger (private) piano students would benefit from the pace and fun that accompanies learning in a group setting.
The benefits of group music lessons for kids exhibit loudly in the Let’s Play Music classroom. Children have fun as they play with others, they build confidence as they watch their peers performing alongside them, and they prepare for future success in ensembles as they perform together. Let’s Play Music offers group music classes for kids ages 0-12. Click here to find a teacher near you. I teach Let’s Play Music classes for kids ages 4-6 in Boise. If you live in Boise and want to try out a free sample class, click the link below.