Early Childhood Programs

Continuing Primary Ballet invites students into the magical enchantment of classical ballet. It presents ballet as a fun and creative learning experience, but is structured enough so that the student begins to learn ballet technique through body awareness and become able to recall movement from memory.

The Suzuki Method, developed by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, is based on the evidence that talent is a product of environment rather than heredity. The learning process is broken down into small steps so that the child achieves accomplishment at every level and learns at his or her own pace. The keys to the success of the Suzuki Method include motivation, repetition, listening, reinforcement and parental involvement. Parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to observe a class and lesson prior to registering for lessons. Parents are expected to attend each lesson and to monitor practice during the week.

Guitar for the Young is a unique classical guitar program for children. It begins with rote learning and requires a parent to attend the lessons and supervise the home practice sessions. By taking small steps, students are given ample opportunity for success and technical development as they learn to play the guitar. Once a child has learned to play a few melodies and established good positioning of the guitar and the hands, they are ready to begin to learn to read music. 

This class will introduce curious young musicians to the piano and basic keyboard skills necessary to play the instrument. Additionally, students will be developing musicianship skills of listening, music vocabulary and note reading. We recommend participation in this program for one or two years before individual piano study for students in this age range. All materials will be digitally accessed; no book or music purchases required, though it is recommended that the student has a tablet available for easy access to materials. A parent or guardian is expected to attend each week with the student.