All About Our Merry Musicians

-Meredith Manley

I’m so excited to announce that this year we have TWO Merry Musicians classes happening at St. Joseph Catholic School! Merry Musicians is a 40 minute group class for preschoolers that covers everything from the orchestra, instruments, types of sounds, elements of music, and basic rhythms. The class curriculum was created by our very own Ms. Stathia, who has been teaching early childhood music classes for over 15 years, so our curriculum has been tested, tweaked, and approved over the years! Each class has a theme based on a letter of the alphabet and includes singing, music making with instruments, listening, craft or coloring, movement, and story time. Students will get to take home a handout listing everything we did in class that week so parents can stay in the loop and talk with their child about what they learned. Parents will also have the opportunity to observe a class at the end of each semester so they can witness all of the action firsthand!

What’s so great about Merry Musicians is that our students really do learn an incredible amount about music! Every class is well thought-out and all of the activities in class are chosen with a purpose. Students will be able to draw and identify different notes as well as read short rhythm patterns within just a few weeks. Another big focus is developing and strengthening a sense of steady beat through movement and instrument play. These skills are definitely important for later success in private instrument study, but they are also linked to cognitive development. We’ve all heard about music being great for math, but there is also quite a bit of research linking language development to music, particularly the ability to keep a steady beat. Most parents are truly amazed about what their children learn and even see them drawing notes or singing songs from class at home. As a teacher, I love being able to help lay the foundation for music appreciation and watch them continue on their musical journey as they begin private lessons. Sharing the joy of music really is a gift and it’s a win-win for both student and teacher!

Interested in signing up? You can register here on our website or feel free to email us at [email protected]. Our Tuesday class is from 2:30-3:10 with Ms. Stathia and our Wednesday class is from 2:30-3:10 with Ms. Meredith (space is limited to 8 students per class, but we do have a few openings still!)