The Conservatory

The Conservatory's Early Childhood Strings Program provides specialized instructional balance. Your child will benefit being in a supportive group setting where games and songs provide an enjoyable child-centered environment, while group classes provide you a cost-effective way to ensure your child profits from an exceptional learning experience. Parents will have the opportunity to observe their children's progress.

Students learn through games, songs, solfege, rhythm, music reading and storytelling. After one to two years, depending on the individual child, they will be able to:

• Play with good posture and physical setup
• Exhibit good technical fundamentals
• Exhibit a grounding in sound production, rhythm and solfege
• Play simple melodies on their instruments
• Properly care for their instruments

In addition to the intrinsic value of learning to play an instrument well, studies show there are many non-musical benefits for your child:

• More robust brain stem responses to sound
• Improved discrimination of pitch and segmentation, and enhanced neural processing of speech
• Improved working memory and cognitive flexibility
• Enhanced reading abilities
• Improved spatial-navigational reasoning, visual form analysis, numerical discrimination and receptive vocabulary
• Finger motor skills
• Auditory discrimination skills and the ability to focus in noisy environments
• Differences in brain activity and volume
  
  

Early Childhood Violin Beginner (Level 1)

This class is for children ages 5 and up who are new to the violin. Students will be introduced to the concepts of holding the violin, creating a good bow hold, correct posture, ear training, rhythm exercises, and more. Students should be able to handle a 45 minute class.

Early Childhood Violin Intermediate (Level 2)

This class is for children aged 5 and up that have already completed Early Childhood Violin Level 1, and/or have a basic introduction to the violin with prior instruction. Class will build upon the basics of beginner training introduced in the first level. In addition to an emphasis on posture, bow hold, and left hand set up, it is anticipated that students will begin playing easy scales and the early Suzuki repertoire in this class. Students should be able to handle a 45-minute class.

This course has 12 classes. There are three beginner classes (each is 45 minutes) and students will be placed in the class most appropriate for their age and level of ability. 

**Parent Information Session

• Tuesday, January 28th, at 5:00 pm in Room ED 2007 (recommended)

Join the instructor for an informal session to outline how you and your child can get the most out of your upcoming classes.

The topics covered in the information session include:

• correct violin sizing and choosing a quality instrument
• building healthy practice habits
• fostering motivation and creativity
• resources available for parents and students
• the materials required prior to the start of class

For new students, you will need create a log in ID and PIN. 

For existing students, you can log in directly through the "Register Now" button.