A melodious learning curve
YOUR child may be singing his/ her solos in the shower or humming to himself/ herself while playing or even imitating his/ her favourite idol with a makeshift instrument. After laughing in amusement, what is the next thing you do? Do you brush it off as a phase in childhood or do you take this as sign to nurture the talent of a future star in the making?
Did you know that learning the do- re- mis can help children excel in ways beyond the basic ABCs? Studies have shown that learning music facilitates learning other subjects and enhances skills that children inevitably use in other areas. Learning music promotes an easier time learning math, practising good manners ( including patience) and becoming a team player.
There’s more. Have you noticed that a screaming baby tends to calm down when soothing music is put on, or how the rhythmic nursery rhymes on television attracts the attention of toddlers and makes them sing along? Well, when this happens, the brain is stimulated. It is proven that when one interacts or learns music, more parts of the brain are stimulated compared to any other body functions.
Music lessons mould the cognitive skills and increases one’s memory and concentration.
“A music- rich experience for children of singing, listening and moving brings benefit to children as they progress into more formal learning,” says National Association of Music Merchants ( NAMM) Foundation executive director Mary Luehrisen. NAMM is a not- for- profit association that promotes the benefits of making music.
Making music a part of your life- long education brings many benefits. It improves academic skills and develops physical skills. Besides that, it also enhances one’s social interaction skills. Attending group classes requires one to participate in teamwork and interact with one another. Music provides an avenue for this.
Furthermore, it refines discipline, patience and is known to boost self- esteem. Participating in group music lessons may enable children to understand that nobody, including themselves or their peers, is perfect, and that everyone has room for improvement. In addition, music also helps children learn about other cultures. The inquisitiveness to find out about the origin of the instruments played introduces them to various types of music genres from different parts of the world.
Now, if you have decided to cultivate your child’s musical talent and want to start right away, you need not look far.
Yamaha Music School needs no introduction. Acknowledged as a renowned music education centre in Malaysia, the school caters to the musical needs of children as young as the ages of three and above.
The array of courses offered
They say that since birth until the age of four, a child’s brain is like a sponge and absorbs information at a fast pace, hence it’s the right time to teach a child a new skill as it will be grasped fast. Yamaha offers a few courses for children from the tender age of three up to six in a classroom environment; a. Music Wonderland ( MW) Inculcates interest for music in children while developing their concentration. This course teaches them of the various elements of music through listening, singing and playing. b. Junior Music Course ( JMC) Enables children to garner the fundamental music capabilities through listening, singing, playing, reading, writing, and creating music. Focus is mainly on developing the listening skills as this is the perfect time in the music learning era where the hearing develops.
After the completion of the JMC, students will move on to the Junior Extension Course ( JXC), Junior Ensemble Course ( JNC), Advanced Ensemble Course ( ANC), and finally the Senior Ensemble Course ( SNC).
For children aged six and above, Yamaha Music School offers an array of Electone, Piano and Yamaha Popular Music courses that varies in accordance to age. These courses are offered either in an individual or group class environment.
The Electone is a musical instrument that allows players to explore their creativity and innovation in choosing and applying various instrumentation and rhythms, and combining them to create a complete, musical orchestral performance. a. Junior Step Fundamental Course ( JSFC) A course for children aged six to eight, this course teaches students the fundamental process of listening, singing, playing and reading. The course’s main aim is to enable students to enjoy playing the repertoire pieces in the textbooks.
b. Junior Electone Course ( JEC) and New Electone Study Course ( NESC)
Introduces students to a variety of musical subjects that builds a firm music foundation and strengthens their abilities to play various repertoire pieces from different musical genres. They learn the art of performing, improvising, arranging repertoires and even composing.
Yamaha believes that music is the pathway to create a holistic, creative and fulfilling journey that enables the potential and talent of each individual to surface. The school believes in starting early but, at the same time, it also believes that it’s never too late to start your musical journey.
For more information, call 03- 7803 0900, visit http:// my. yamaha. com/ or find them on Facebook: Yamaha Music Malaysia.