Sunbeams®
CHILD & PARENT CLASSES - LEARN FOUNDATIONS WITH STRUCTURE
Sunbeams® 1 (SB1) is the entry point of the MYC® Method for 5-6 year old beginners and continues to level 2, 3, & completes in Moonbeam 3. All the foundations learned transfer to any instrument. These children are just moving into their school aged years and are our Sunbeams all the way with wonderful energy and capacity for music learning! The growth of this age group from Sunbeams 1 to Sunbeams 3 is amazing. It a wonderful time to help them learn music from concrete activities to the budding of abstract thinking - so exciting!
Sunbeams® 1
5-6 year olds
class runs 55 minutes meeting one time/wk
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This first experience class in full music training is for young children 5 and 6 years old with an adult as the child’s assistant! We have great fun in activities, songs, stories, and piano time with rhyme. We immerse ourselves in all of this at a level developmentally appropriate to the child.
This session 1A starts building understanding of the keyboard letters of C, D, E, F, G, A, & B; patterns in sound going higher, lower, skipping & dynamics P and F; learning solfedge with rote song learning and going to hand signs; building foundational experiences in note values & using rhythm instruments in class, and building understanding of right hand treble clef and left had bass clef to staff.Registration for Sunbeams® 1 is expected for the 9 months September through May. We have payments conveniently broken into three quarterly payments. Many supplies are needed at the beginning of the year and the first quarter Sessions payment is higher than the following two Sessions. Each Session quarter you will receive the next book and additional supplies for class and at home activities.
full year overview-
Sunbeams® 1 is the beginning point for 5-6 year olds in MYC® classes. Our “adult assistants” in class and at home are an intergral part of the class. Our focus is foundational - building their foundation in music skills based in learning to play the piano. Students experience a broad range of learning situations based in music theory. The children learn using fun stories of critters for the rhythm values and pitch names. With the fun stories our critters have we build their understanding of patterns, rhythms,dictation, pitch, staff, meter, and intervals. Solfedge learning is core in developing a sense of pitch and pitch reference as well as building the ability to discern interval distance.All of our TMC and MYC programs are fabulous foundations leading to any instrument lessons.
In Sunbeams® 2, students continue to grow in foundational music learning. The program is based on piano but is transferable to any instrument.
Sunbeams® 2
5-6 year olds Prerequisite: Sunshine 2 or Sunbeams 1
class runs 55 minutes meeting one time/week
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As in Sunshine® 2, Sunbeams® 2 changes to a single student book for the year. In this year the children are so excited to be using all the “official” Music words. A “Lady Bug Dot” changes to a “Dotted Half Note”. We don’t like to underestimate the lasting power the stories and imagery of things like ”Lady Bug Dot” have in our music learning. In the MYC teacher training seminars it is amazing to hear adults, who went through MYC as a child, share their stories of how that imagery came to their aid in college level music study! In this second year we continue to keep the focus on the “happy habit of music learning” all the while laying down enduring skills in our playful learning.
By the end of the year the children are so proud of all the musical things they can do! They are playing scales with harmonizing with 3 note chords, playing a melody with an ostinato pattern in the other hand, signing the whole solfege scale, and many more achievements. At this point they only have 2 years remaining. First it’s Sunbeams 3 then the next year finishing in Moonbeams® 3. It’s so important for these young children to achieve milestones which they can see and that the adults in their lives acknowledge as worthy. As adults we may not always recognize what is concentration and hard work for a child of 6 or 7 years. Also how much they rely on us to lead them through tasks we do automatically. Although much of how we are learning in MYC may seem like play remember we are presenting a full complement of music skills to these very young children in a developmental appropriate manner - an they love it and learn it well!
Below are listed many of the growing skills out Sunbeams 2 work on through the year:
• Study of seven different keys with key signatures.
• Two note bridge chords grow to three note full chords.
• Coordination of left hand and right hand in playing broken chords with a melody.
• Coordination in hand-over-hand (crossing over) pieces.
• Grand staff reading expands to include notes from low G in bass clef to high G in treble clef.
• continuing solfedge hand signs and rote learning of songs
• Staccato (detached) and legato (smooth) touches are explored.
• Harmonization (adding chords to a melody) and transposition (moving from one key to another) are important study elements this year.
• Continued listening to identify and use dynamics (loud and quiet sounds), rhythm patterns and accompaniment styles.
Class details for Sunbeams® 1, 2 and 3
It is notable that the pace and content for these Sunbeams® year 1, 2 and 3 keeps pace with their developmental stages. Vocabulary development is the focus for this age group and we have a lot of fun over the first year going from ‘hop’ to ‘ta’s’ to just introducing the term ‘quarter note’. At this stage we build to, and introduce, “big kid” terminology for many concepts and skills. The child’s developing strength and control in fine motor coordination allows us to expect more growth in combining keyboard skills. The growth of this age group from Sunbeams 1 to Sunbeams 3 is amazing. It a wonderful time to help them learn music from concrete activities to the budding of abstract thinking - so exciting!
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Sunbeams® 1 (SB1) is the entry point of the MYC® Method for 5-6 year old beginners. With their wonderful energy and capacity for music learning they are introduced to piano geography and rhythms through our MYC Critters stories to help set their foundation of music knowledge and education.
Year 1 of Sunbeams uses three books - 1A, 1B, and 1C, one each session. We begin the year with the same activities as our Sunshine 1’s but very quickly move through all the stories of our Music Street Friends and our Rhythm Street Friends. By mid-year our Sunbeams are playing the C scale and are beginning to add 2 note ‘bridges’ to the scale. It is all so very exciting to play 3 notes together!
The next 12 weeks in level 1, 1B, continues building the use and understanding of note values in rhythm reading and writing, terms for our dynamics pp, p, f, & ff, functional use of finger number in the staff, growing solfedge intervals in song, Playing scales, laying foundation of harmony in scales, and more fun songs to play with all our fun skills .
In the final 12 weeks for Sunbeams level 1, 1C, we continue to build and expand understanding and abilities in more keys with our scales and harmony, draw attention to time signature and the meters they represent, and expand letter name reading on the staff. We continue to grow dictation, ear training, solfedge, dynamic use, good body technique, and fun in songs and ensemble pieces on the piano.
Here are some highlights of what the children work on throughout the year
• Identification and development of keys and rhythm through MYC’s unique keyboard ‘critters’
• Off-the-staff reading for contour and patterns
• Steady beat experiences
• solfedge hand signs and rote learning of songs
• On-the-staff (pitch) reading in treble clef and bass clef
• Grand staff reading (treble and bass clef)
• Listening to identify and use dynamics (loud and quiet sounds)
• Listening to a rhythm pattern and writing it using rhythm writing tools.
• Coordination of LH and RH
• Scale playing with harmonizing bridge chords in C major, a minor and G major.
Registration for Sunbeams 1 is expected for the 9 months September through May. We have payments conveniently broken into three quarterly payments. Many supplies are needed at the beginning of the year and the first quarter Sessions payment is higher than the following two Sessions. Each Session quarter you will receive the next book and additional supplies for class and at home activities.
It is notable that the pace and content for these Sunbeams year 1, 2 and 3 keeps pace with their developmental stages. Vocabulary development is the focus for this age group and we have a lot of fun over the first year going from ‘hop’ to ‘ta’s’ to just introducing the term ‘quarter note’. At this stage we build to, and introduce, “big kid” terminology for many concepts and skills. The child’s developing strength and control in fine motor coordination allows us to expect more growth in combining keyboard skills. The growth of this age group from Sunbeams 1 to Sunbeams 3 is amazing. It a wonderful time to help them learn music from concrete activities to the budding of abstract thinking - so exciting!
-
As in Sunshine® 2, Sunbeams® 2 changes to a single student book for the year. In this year the children are so excited to be using all the “official” Music words. A “Lady Bug Dot” changes to a “Dotted Half Note”. We don’t like to underestimate the lasting power the stories and imagery of things like ”Lady Bug Dot” have in our music learning. In the MYC teacher training seminars it is amazing to hear adults, who went through MYC as a child, share their stories of how that imagery came to their aid in college level music study! In this second year we continue to keep the focus on the “happy habit of music learning” all the while laying down enduring skills in our playful learning.
By the end of the year the children are so proud of all the musical things they can do! They are playing scales with harmonizing with 3 note chords, playing a melody with an ostinato pattern in the other hand, signing the whole solfege scale, and many more achievements. At this point they only have 2 years remaining. First it’s Sunbeams 3 then the next year finishing in Moonbeams 3. It’s so important for these young children to achieve milestones which they can see and that the adults in their lives acknowledge as worthy. As adults we may not always recognize what is concentration and hard work for a child of 6 or 7 years. Also how much they rely on us to lead them through tasks we do automatically. Although much of how we are learning in MYC may seem like play remember we are presenting a full complement of music skills to these very young children in a developmental appropriate manner - an they love it and learn it well!
Below are listed many of the growing skills our Sunbeams 2 work on through the year:
• Study of seven different keys with key signatures.
• Two note bridge chords grow to three note full chords.
• Coordination of left hand and right hand in playing broken chords with a melody.
• Coordination in hand-over-hand (crossing over) pieces.
• Grand staff reading expands to include notes from low G in bass clef to high G in treble clef.
• continuing solfedge hand signs and rote learning of songs
• Staccato (detached) and legato (smooth) touches are explored.
• Harmonization (adding chords to a melody) and transposition (moving from one key to another) are important study elements this year.
• Continued listening to identify and use many dynamic marks, rhythm patterns and accompaniment styles.
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• Year 3 of Sunbeams® has two student texts.
• Study of minimum of eight keys
• Continued study of scales harmonized with primary chords and practice of accompaniment patterns including broken chords and playing rhythmic patterns
• Study of three forms of the minor scale: natural, harmonic, and melodic.
• Study of inversions of triads
• Study of cadences. (A cadence is a progression of chords.)
• Expanded studies of: note names to include ledger lines and articulation with an introduction to accents.
• Introduction to simple analysis
• Continued practice of: harmonization and transposition, composition and arranging, listening for dynamics, meter, articulation, form, and accompaniment styles.
• When Sunbeams 3 is completed our Sunbeam's graduate to Moonbeams® 3.
Music for Young Children®
The Music for Young Children classes provide the best quality music education to young children by blending the pleasure and the joy of music making with sound instruction. Our MYC classes promote the happy habit of learning music so, much of what we do is in tune with the ages of the children. Adults, don’t underestimate the power of small sips of fun music learning for these young children. Our hope is to help each child internalize many music skills and then to naturally use them in music making now and as they grow.
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The child’s adult in class is an integral part of the program. The adults role is not hard. The adult is in charge of getting the correct page open more quickly than the child would be able, taking out and completing the putting away of learning props, and being the child’s “music page conductor” with the pointer stick on the music page while the child is playing a song at the keys of the piano. They also are in charge of the assignment paper and are to assist the child in 5 to 10 minutes of “music time at home” 5 to 6 days each week. Something magical happens with a simple short review every day. The child remembers so much more and feels much more confident in class.
Children up to 8 years old may enter the MYC music learning. The oldest children beginning MYC will enter in the Moonbeams or My Choice books. In 3 years they complete the skills and theory to begin private instruction in piano at the intermediate level or begin another instrument. Because the child has already gained many skills in pitch, rhythm, staff reading, and additional foundational skills they are very ready to launch into advancing piano skills or a new instruments’ specific skills.
When a child completes this program they are ready to prepare to take an international level 1 theory and/or piano exam, having experienced all the elements for the exam. For example, if a 2 year old child began in Sunrise at 2 years and continues in an MYC class each year, by the time they turn 8 they will have completed the foundational skills of piano and music theory and will be ready to study any instrument or to begin piano literature in lessons - Amazing! Through these years the children are having fun enjoying the happy habit of learning music.
A personal note from Karen Welsh our Chief Manager here at Mapleford. “I’ve started this focus of music learning late in my career and I am very committed to the need of very strong content in a playful and caring environment for childrens learning. My primary desire is to bring very strong foundational music content to children before the age of 8. As always, as life does, we are surprised that the path we choose becomes more ‘interesting’ than we anticipated. So to for me in creating Mapleford Studio LLC. In the back of my mind I always thought I would add more classes than just Music Pups but I didn’t expect All ages. I am thrilled to be able to maintain my commitment to strong content in foundational learning for all ages - and we have a lot of fun and support each other in the music learning journey.”