The RealKids Early Childhood Education program is based on the teaching philosophy of Orff-Schulwerk, in which children learn music through activities they love: singing, rhyme chanting, beat keeping, clapping, stomping, and dancing. Classes focus on hearing and making music in a safe, non-competitive environment.
In these fun-filled interactive classes, we incorporate singing activities to enhance listening skills and speech development; dance and movement activities to boost balance, awareness, and coordination; and percussion instruments (pitched and unpitched) to help develop meter and rhythm.
Classes are presented by age to enhance your child's growth and development experience, as well as provide a deeper bonding opportunity for parents and caregivers.
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Babies (3 months to walking)
In these classes, parents and babies have a ball bonding while exploring rhyme, song, rhythm, and dance in a fun and focused classroom atmosphere. Activities are designed to facilitate and assist in the development of your child's internal meter (for balance and first steps), listening, and speech. Home practice is encouraged and easy—babies intuitively respond to music!
Ones and Twos
Designed for one and two year olds, these classes teach music through simple activities that include songs, movement, instrument playing, and games. Child and parent sing to strengthen speech development and listening. Motor skills and memory are enhanced by dance. Keeping a steady beat compliments coordination and timing. Activities are fun and revisited throughout classes, as well as the program. Children love what they know, and repetition is the key to increasing all of these skills.
Twos and Threes
These classes are structured around the developmental capabilities of two and three year olds. Child and parent explore elements of improvisation on instruments, accurate solo singing through pitch-matching games, and coordination with movement activities. Dynamic concepts, such as loud/soft, fast/slow, and high/low, are introduced. Listening and timing skills are improved as children sing and keep a steady beat. The activities are designed to be fun, but will also help to increase your child’s self-confidence and promote focus and creativity.
Threes, Fours and Fives
In addition to gathering drum activities, pitch-matching games, movement and dance, this class introduces the "barred" Orff instruments. Here students explore the wonders of structure and improvisation through song and games. The instruments are set up in a five-note (pentatonic) scale according to key to avoid clashing tones and to promote a positive music-making experience. Other benefits include mallet technique, leadership skills, discipline, collaborative skills, and self expression.
"Barred" instruments used in class include:
- Xylophones: a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned wooden bars of graduated length. It is played with hard-headed hammers (mallets).
- Metallophones:A percussion instrument consisting of a graduated series of tuned metal bars struck with hand-held hammers (mallets).
- Glockenspiels: A small percussion instrument with a series of metal bars tuned to the chromatic scale and played with two light hammers (mallets).
*Additional Classes to be announced soon for Sixes, Sevens and Eights.
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