Mozart’s Monthly Memo-Volume 6
Our feature article this month is about how Move Over Mozart started and where we are going in the future
Also included:
Student showcase of Skylar and Clive
Special preview a preschool video lesson
Upcoming MOM events includes our Free Online Piano Party!
Parents Ask Pam - Do we offer physical classes?
Feature Article: 26 Years of Music, Passion, and Unexpected Twists
At the age of 28, I found myself alone and pregnant in Seattle, far from my family and the place I grew up. I needed a way to earn a living and still have time to raise my child. I always felt lucky that I was given the opportunity to learn to play piano. I wondered about those that might have a musical talent but didn’t come from a family with a piano or the financial means to pursue a musical education. It made me sad when I would talk to another adult and they would mention how they wished they had continued with piano lessons but didn’t because as a child they hated practicing!
Right after college I had a job in California working with this amazing lady, Lynn Fleck, teaching group piano lessons. She had this program where she went into schools and preschools, taught group lessons for a fraction of the price compared to private lessons, which allowed her to contract piano instructors at a fair market price. She had a plan for which curriculum would be used, but pretty much left all the teaching and planning up to each individual teacher that taught her classes. I decided to create Move Over Mozart, model it after her school and hopefully improve with my own ideas.
I was a fresh teacher with an idealistic view of how a classroom should be taught. I pulled in what I knew about early childhood development and how young children learn and combined some of the best music teaching theories. I created fun activities to learn music theory that worked best in small groups. And I systemized everything so that each teacher could shine their own light with their students, but the structure and expected objectives were similar across locations and with different teachers.
We soon grew to 40 locations and 16 teachers all over Seattle and the surrounding area. We were teaching children that otherwise never would have learned to play, and I was providing a high paying part-time job as well. The school has gone through a few changes since then, but our class structure and basic idea have remained constant. Last year at about this time, I was looking forward to hiring 3 teachers to take over all the classes I was teaching myself. Instead, Covid-19 hit with a bam and everything shut down!
We now have a very different class structure with everything being online. I am so thankful this disease hit now when we have the technology to do so much without leaving our homes. I can’t imagine how I would have adapted if this had happened 15 or 20 years ago! Although I know the children are itching to get back into the classroom, I have really been impressed with how much progress each kiddo has made in this last year! It took a tragedy to get here, and although I look forward to when we can offer physical classes again, I also love these online classes and plan to always have this option in the future.
We continue to adapt and grow. This year, 2021, in an answer to needing more social interaction, we started having monthly online Piano Parties. It has been a great joy to hear the children share their music and get the opportunity to interact in a more casual and silly way. In the next few months, we are planning to implement more ways to give acknowledgement to the achievements each student makes in their musical journey. Having markers of accomplishments along the way is a great motivator for many kids. We are super proud of the students and I imagine there are some really proud parents as well!
Student Showcasing
Each week we showcase a different student from our classes. Thanks to Skylar and Clive for sharing their music with us! Like us on Facebook to see the new student each week.
Skylar, age 8, student of Mr. Josh, performing her own improv on the keys, C, D, E, F and G.
Clive, age 9, student of Miss Pam, performing Mozart’s “Allegro in Bb”.
Special Sneak Preview!
Our Video/1:1 Mini-Lessons have different video series depending on your child's age and musical level. Here is a sneak preview of the first Pre-School video for March.
Upcoming MOM Events
FREE Online Piano Party! Students share their own music as well as participate in musical games, creating music and learning some music history. Each party is a little different with a theme and a special guest. Last month our special guest was the guitar! Come, meet our piano teachers, play some music, and have fun! All ages and musical levels are welcome. Parties are available to non-students, former students as well as current students. Click the link to sign up.
Sunday, March 28, at 11:00 am. RSVP required.
Parent Information Meetings - Have questions about our online piano class program? Want a tour of our practicing app? Click the link to schedule your meeting with Miss Pam. Parent Info Meeting
March's Video/1:1 Mini-Lesson Session begins Tuesday, March 9. This is a great way to start your child's musical education and begin or continue piano lessons. Students are put into one of 4 classes depending on their age and musical ability.
Pre-Reading - Ages 3 - 5 years, or students not yet reading,
We use a color-coded method for the students to match their five fingers to five keys on the piano. New songs using only those 5 notes are given each week. Pre-view first video lesson for March
Primary - Ages 5 -7 years or older and brand new to music,
This group is for the very basics of piano playing. Students learn to play simple rhythms, correct hand position, and the names of the white keys on the piano.
Beginning Elementary - Ages 7-12 years or younger and reading notes,
This is for students just starting to read notes on the staff. Students are taught how the staff relates to the piano and how to translate the notes to making music. Also, having the students memorize a few key notes on the staff will help greatly with their ability to read music.
Advanced Elementary - Ages 7 - 12 years with previous piano lessons
This group already reads notes on the staff and can immediately identify many of the notes by name. They will learn more advanced technique and music theory beyond the initial basics of learning to play.
Parents Ask Pam
Have a question for Miss Pam? You can email, text message, or message on Facebook your questions. She will respond immediately to you, and your question might be featured in future newsletters.
Q: Do you offer physical classes?
A: The short answer is, "no."
We WANT to offer physical classes! That has been the basis of this school since it opened in 1994! I believe our classes are successful and popular because of the social interaction the kids get while in class. They have fun, they meet new friends, and they learn a new skill. However, Covid-Safety guidelines have made physical classes nearly impossible for our class model.
Students and teacher must remain 6 - 9 feet from each other.* This would mean no games and limited interaction between the students. Also, the teacher would not be able to point to the music or the piano to assist the student as needed.
Allow time for significant air exchange between groups.* This additional time (15 - 45 minutes depending on the air filter and size of room**,) would have to be included in the price of the class, which would raise our rates significantly.
Of course there are other safety protocols as well, but these are the ones that I see prohibiting our ability to return to some form of physical classes at this time.
Please stay safe! Someday our physical classes will return. At this time, we are offering a fabulous alternative with online instructions.
*https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/FallGuidanceK-12.pdf
**https://www.vaniman.com/air-changes-per-hour-calculator/
Your Comments And Questions
We want to hear from you! Your comments and questions are welcome! .