Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.

1. How often should my elementary age child have music?
2. Do you just sing songs in music?
3. When should my child start taking piano lessons?

How often should my elementary age child have music?

All children should have music a minimum of 1 hour per week.

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Do you just sing songs in music?

I teach using the Orff method.  This is a combination of singing, playing 
instruments (pitched and unpitched percussion), movement, and 
drama.  Children are actively engaged in music from different eras, 
different countries, and develop the ability to read music.  Third through
sixth graders play the recorder.  I collaborate with classroom teachers 
when possible and reinforce ideas from math, language arts, social 
studies, and reading.

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When should my child start taking piano lessons?

Ideas on this vary from teacher to teacher.  I personally like for a child 
to wait until he/she is reading, or at about 2nds grade.  Although many 
teachers will start very young children and have some success, most need a 
great deal of parental help.  As parents, we all have the BEST intentions to 
assist our children, but sometimes fall short of what we plan.  If a child 
is reading on his/her own, they have a much greater chance to succeed and 
continue taking lessons for many years.

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