Musikgarten: Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will HAA offer any other early childhood music classes?

No. Starting September 2011, HAA will offer exclusively Musikgarten classes. We feel it would not be fair to offer classes in other programs, when we clearly know Musikgarten achieves better educational results with the children.

2. Why not?

We are committed to providing our members the best available music education and are excited to have found a program that can take our students and families to the next level of music-making and music appreciation. The Musikgarten authors have made huge leaps in early childhood music education research compared to its competitors. As a result Musikgarten has become the best early childhood music program currently available to us. We are convinced that you will greatly benefit from taking Musikgarten classes. We as a team stand behind this decision 100%.

3. Is Musikgarten more expensive than other early childhood music programs?

4. How much is the family involved in music-making and learning?

Family involvement is crucial in any music education program, and strongly emphasized in the Musikgarten curriculum. As Jill Hannagan--the Vice President of Musikgarten, teacher trainer and author of the Musikgarten Keyboard curricula--urges all parents: "The most important things you can do are: dance with your child, sing with your child, play with your child." It is so simple, though still not nearly practiced enough. We will help you learn how to do it and have fun in the process.

5. What are the age-groups in the Musikgarten curricula and how long are the classes?

Between the different classes, there is some overlap in age groups to allow for greater flexibility in placing each child in the class that best fits his/her needs. Your instructors will help you choose the appropriate level for your child. Here is a general overview:

• Family Music for Babies  (entire class with a parent or a caregiver): newborn to 18 months (45-minute class)
• Family Music for Toddlers (entire class with a parent or a caregiver): students must be 16 months old by September 2011 (30-minute class)
• Cycle of Seasons (entire class with a parent or a caregiver): students must be 3 years old by September 2011 (45-minute class)
• Music Makers: At Home in the World (50 minutes without adults+ 10 minutes with adults): students must be 4.5 years old by September 2011
• Music Makers: Around the World (50 minutes without adults+ 10 minutes with adults): students must be 5.5-6.5 years old by September 2011
• Music Makers: At the Keyboard (not offered at HAA yet)

6. Can I try the Musikgarten class before signing up?

Yes. If you are interested in taking a Musikgarten demo class over the summer, please stop by our office or call 908-782-4943. We will contact you once the demo dates are available. Also, your teachers are already incorporating some of the Musikgarten activities in their teaching this semester to give you a preview of how Musikgarten works.

7. What if I sign up for Musikgarten and don't like it?

The chances of that are slim, since you will see some amazing results during your class. However, our newly revised policy allows you to withdraw from the program up to 4 weeks into the semester (fall or spring).

8. Can siblings join the class?

Yes, during "sharing time." Families are invited to join the last 10 minutes of the class for the Music Makers curriculum. However, for all other classes, siblings should not be in the classroom. Sibling sitting is provided for a nominal fee on Fridays. If you cannot find childcare on your own, please register for one of our Friday classes.

9. What are the main differences between Musikgarten and other early childhood music programs?

Although Musikgarten shares some common elements with certain other programs, one of the main differences lies in Musikgarten's special Path to Music Literacy.  Only Musikgarten teaches the building blocks needed to become a successful young musician by using a thoroughly researched learning sequence.

10. What are some of the specific tools in the Musikgarten program?

The music recordings contained in your home materials have been carefully chosen to develop specific musical skills. Each song and activity in this program teaches children--and even babies--to refine their listening skills, internalize a specific musical interval, chord, meter, rhythmic pattern, as well as appropriate phrasing. Whereas some of these elements are simple and others more complicated, children will each be able to absorb them at their own pace and throughout their (ideally) 9-year long training. Most importantly, the learning process is interesting, engaging the children and keeping their attention focused.

11. What are the Musikgarten “Building Blocks” on the “Path to Music Literacy”?

Musikgarten will teach your child the following skills, as acquired in chronological order of the age-specific class sequence:

• Learning how to FEEL the music in the body to develop a physical experience of musical phrasing and rhythm
• Recognizing rhythmic and tonal patterns required for future note-reading
• Developing the individual singing voice
• Distinguishing duple and triple meter (for example, a march is in duple, a waltz in triple, etc.)
• Using Solfege (see definition below)
• Acquiring Improvisation and Transposition Skills
• Understanding harmony and harmonic relationships (Tonic-Dominant)
• Recognizing chords at a very early age
• Learning how to compose music (including chords and accompaniment)
• Developing Ensemble playing skills
• Gaining musical confidence: Equipped with strong skills, Musikgarten students are confident musicians who enjoy practicing

12. What is “solfege”?

Remember the movie “The Sound of Music”? Its famous song “do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do” represents a great example of applied solfege. On a very basic level, do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do is a musical scale (such as C major) sung to seven different syllables. There are two types of solfege used in the world: fixed and movable. In Musikgarten, your children and you will learn how to use movable solfege. Yes, we did say you! Don’t be afraid, it is easy when taught through the Musikgarten approach. Solfege is extremely useful to musicians because it teaches sight-singing (looking at a sheet of music you’ve never seen or heard before and singing what you see), transposing (playing the same song in many different keys, without practicing), and is very useful for further studies in music theory (understanding and playing chords; music analysis; composition; etc.).