EARLY STARTER LESSONS AT OCTOPUS
While group classes can be a wonderful way to learn for students beginning at age six, more often that not, they are not suitable for very young children (five and under). These types of classes can be disorganized, distracting, and while fun, unfortunately often fail at relating important musical concepts to students.
Early Starters is a carefully designed program whose aim is to get young children (ages 2.5-5) into one-on-one music classes. Instructors engage students with multisensory percussive and melodic exercises using Orff methodology to demonstrate important fundamentals that will provide a jump start when it comes time to learn an instrument.
Lessons are structured to keep students engaged and focused, with parental participation expected to ensure that students are continuing to practice their lessons throughout the week. Depending on the age of the child and his or her level of development, we see students matriculate into focused instrument instruction within as few as three months of enrollment into the Early Starters program.
FIND YOUR EARLY STARTER TEACHER
JENNIFER H,
DIRECTOR OF EARLY STARTER PROGRAM
At Octopus Music School, each of our instrument families has a department director who oversees the curriculum, conducts staff trainings, and plans instrument-specific masterclasses and performance events for students. Our Department Directors track all students' progress monthly teaching staff check-ins and are a resource for teachers and students alike.
"The Early Starter Program (ESP) at Octopus Music School is for students ages two and a half to five years of age and is designed to teach young children how to be a student and learner in the context of music. Strong starting knowledge is a critical foundation for solid musicianship, and the ESP encourages thorough reading skills, problem solving, critical thinking and consistent practice habits. Students will encounter out important fundamentals that will enable them to better study specific instruments later on; aural skills for singing and strings, rhythm counting for percussion, early piano concepts with music reading, all while having fun and learning to socialize and communicate with their teacher! Once a student has mastered these basics, they will pass an assessment and will be ready to study a specific instrument in the continuation of our proprietary curriculum. Our ESP teachers look forward to meeting your young musician!"
-Jennifer H, Director of the Early Starter Program
In addition to Jenn’s training as a violinist and pianist, she is also a certified teacher of Elementary Education. With a Bachelor’s of Science degree in K-6 education from Taylor University, Her expertise in pedagogy are matched by her masterful approach to technique and her dilligent focus on the many seemingly small details it takes to learn an instrument as complex as the piano. Jenn is a great fit for anyone getting started on the piano or seeking to learn more about it.
FIND YOUR EARLY STARTER TEACHER
Our Early Starter Program is an important stepping stone for young students and provides them with a solid foundation before beginning focused instrument lessons. It is designed to ensure students have the skills and knowledge they need to begin one of the instruments we offer very young children:
Students who participate in our Early Starter Program are able to begin learning these instruments on average one to two years earlier than complete beginners and advance faster through the first three grade levels of our OPUS curriculum by almost one year!
INSTRUMENT
PREPARATION
FIND YOUR EARLY STARTER TEACHER
MUSIC
APPRECIATION
Often times, very young students begin learning music because their parents know how important it is for their development, but without any intrinsic motivation, students will rarely stick with it. The ESP exposes students to an eclectic mix of fun and engaging music like sing along songs to classical compositions. Inspiration can strike at any age and seeing what practice and hard work can produce has powerful effects on young impressionable minds!