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-Stathia Orwig  I am super excited about our offerings this summer! There really is a little bit of something for everyone! This summer, we are hosting weekly classes for babies all the way up to big kids and summer camps for preschoolers and school-aged kids!  Our Baby & Toddler classes are an extension of what we do in our daily music classes at Little Disciples Early Learning, but WITH parents. My favorite moments of my own kids from when they were little were in our weekly music classes. There will be 8 classes from the beginning of June through the beginning of August. We’ve placed classes on Monday afternoons at the end of the workday, and on Friday mornings. Ms. Meredith is teaching a group piano class for kids ages 4 & 5. This is a perfect way to introduce your child to the piano during the summer. The class size is small, so there will be a lot of individual attention. For students who take this class, there is an option to participate in a morning music camp with lunch in between!  Ms. Meredith is also teaching a group beginner guitar class! We’ve had a few inquiries about guitar lessons, so we thought a little intro to guitar class would be awesome during the summer! Preschool camps are being offered 5 different weeks during June and July. Sign up for 1 or all 5- your child will love learning about any and all topics! Camp topics are Musicals, Music Around the World, Famous Composers, the Orchestra, and our ever-popular Disney Camp! Students will be learning notes, rhythms, doing crafts, and activities. These camps are definitely on the “educational” side- you won’t be disappointed!  For our bigger kids, we are offering 3 different types of camps. Musical Theatre camp is going to be a great one for anyone who loves to sing and dance! No previous musical knowledge is necessary. For our students who have been taking piano for a couple of years and want to try something different, Rhythm & Key Masters and Fun with Chords are going to be a fabulous way of taking their musical knowledge to the next level!
Are you ready to sign up yet? We are offering an incentive to sign up early before March 1st- you will receive $25 off per camper. So, don’t wait! You won’t be sorry!
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-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 info@musicsosimple.com. 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!)  -Meredith Manley Teaching in a big city like Dallas has its pros and cons: on the plus side, we have more potential students, more connections, and more resources. But with a larger population, that also means we have more competition. There seems to be a teacher with space in their studio around every corner. In a competitive city, it is important for us to make sure that our studio stands out amongst the rest. One thing that differentiates us from other studios is our reward system. We’ve written about music bucks before, but I can’t say it enough- they REALLY work in helping students progress and reach their yearly goals. Students can earn Music Bucks for practicing, memorizing pieces, participating in classes outside of their lessons, or doing extra theory work. At the end of the month, they can spend (or save) their bucks to buy prizes. I’ve seen a lot of studios do prizes every 3 or 4 months or once a year, but in my experience the more often they receive rewards, the better!  Another unique feature of our studio is that our early childhood curriculum was created by us based on our teaching experience and expertise. We’ve taken the favorite songs and activities from over the years and put them into a successful program. Ms. Stathia has been teaching these classes for over 15 years, and Ms. Meredith has been teaching Music Together for over 10 years, so we really know what works. Our preschoolers learn about different instruments, cultural music, and learn to identify notes and rhythm patterns. It’s a great program that is not only educational, but helps prepare them for private lessons later.
Ms. Stathia and Ms. Meredith are also both board members of the Dallas Music Teachers Association. We feel it’s important to be active in this organization, and we make it a priority for our students to participate in DMTA events. We also encourage our students to take the state theory exam each year. Being involved in DMTA helps us stay connected in the teaching community, and elevates our expectations for our students. And last but certainly not least, our strong relationships with our students set us apart. We really feel that building trust and a friendship with our students is what really helps them blossom, and they want to make us proud. If there is no attachment, students typically don’t care about how well they do and tend to quit. We strongly believe in the teacher/student relationship and taking time to place each student with a teacher. Our students are very special to us and it’s this bond that we cherish the most.  Not that other studios don’t feature these things, but it’s hard to find a studio that has ALL of these. If you are searching for a studio, please be sure to think about other things besides proximity and price- it is the quality of the teacher that it most important.
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