Is Your Child Musically Talented?

Does Your Child:

* Love to listen to music?

* Notice types of sounds in music?

* Put on little "shows" for you?

* Continually sing and hum?

* Constantly tap fingers on surfaces?

* Express a desire to learn to play an instrument?

* Figure out little tunes and/or rhythms on their own?

* Sing on pitch at a very young age?

* Have parents/grandparents or other relatives that sing or play musical instruments? (Many times, musical abilities can skip a generation so it is especially important to check aunts/uncles, grand and great-grandparents.)

Note: If you or your child demonstrates three (3) or more of these characteristics, he or she needs to be tested for musical aptitudes. If your child is under 6, he/she may be eligible to participate in one of our teVelde Tots Semi-Private Piano or Violin Classes.

The teVelde School of Music now offers 8 week sessions, taught by a certified Suzuki Violin or Piano Instructor. Each class is limited to a maximum of 4 children, and is taught one day a week, for 30 minutes. The Cost for an 8 week class, 30-min per week, is: $160, plus a $15 materials fee. Student must have their own instrument for practice at home. For violin classes, the student must be "sized" at the music store, and we recommend that you wait to rent a violin until after the first 2-3 classes.

The classes currently offered are Violin and Piano

All classes are taught by certified music instructors in very small groups. These are "real" music lessons, requiring regular practice, and at least one committed parent or adult caregiver that consistently attends the class with the student. This class is being offered to identify truly talented children while they are still very young, so we can get them started in a positive, custom-tailored musical education program. For those students, it is critically important to learn a music labeling system while their minds are still open to intuitive input. If the student has "Perfect Absolute Pitch", it will surface at this time of life only. If not actively learned or listened for before age 6, the ability will be forever lost..

This is not a casual, "pretend to learn music", class. Even if the child does not have "Perfect Pitch", all children will actually be able to play a song on their instrument by the 4th week. It is these students that will have first priority on the teVelde School of Music's waiting list for follow-up intermediate and advanced classes, as well as private lessons.

It is suggested that you become educated on the Suzuki Method before you enroll your child in these classes, so that you know what you are getting yourself and your child into. There are links to books at the bottom of this page that more clearly explain what the Suzuki Method is all about. If you decide not to go with Suzuki, there are always less intense, traditional methods that your student can take when they are a little older, around age 7-8.

 

Beginning Suzuki Violin Class, ages 4-6

Taught by Holly McNeil - June 2007

Beginning Suzuki Piano Class for 4 year olds

Taught by Holly McNeil, July 2007

Here are essential books that anyone considering the Suzuki Method for their child should read. The Suzuki is a very intensive, parent centered method for very young students only. When taught in this manner, the Suzuki Method is extremely effective, and is the best method for children from families that have known musicians in them. This is because, contrary to what you will read in some of Suzuki's earlier writings, new research suggests that the gene for perfect absolute pitch is passed on from one generation to the next. Please see the research study on Perfect Pitch being conducted at San Francisco State University. Of course, there are those who believe that all children are born with the ability to identify pitches perfectly... see the study at Science Daily . Either way, the data suggests that the earlier music education begins, the more chance you will have of discovering a true musical genius in your family! Here are links to the texts we use with the testing that we do. When we use them,we retain a much higher percentage of happy students than in previous times, and that's worth it!