Update Summer 2010
We’re sorry we haven’t given you an update in quite a long time. We have been weighing our options moving forward and trying to decide what the best plan of action is to serve our community. We have concluded that, for the time being, we will not be offering Orff music and movement classes. It’s been a difficult decision for us, and we’d like to share some of our thoughts and ideas for how to support music education for our kids in the future.
The 4 – 8-year-old demographic is very challenging to schedule for, as you have likely noticed. Parents go back to work as children enter pre-school and younger and older siblings have their own scheduling and napping needs. By the end of the afternoon (when we are available), the kids are pretty wiped out and often have a hard time focusing. We are both parents of young children, and balancing the needs of our own families has contributed to our decision to stop offering classes as well.
Also, though the 10-week session schedule works well for mixed-age family classes, it’s not ideal for older kids that are already in school. We believe that music education is important enough that it should be integrated into all children’s regular curriculum, rather than offered as an elective for just a few kids.
Something that has become clearer to us as we have taught these afternoon classes is that we really want to advocate for music education in schools during regular class hours. We have considered finding ways to offer our music and movement program in schools, and we strongly urge you to let your educational institutions and parent-teacher organizations know that you value this type of music education for your children.
We will certainly let you know if we decide to offer our music and movement classes in the future. Meanwhile, here are some options to consider:
- Music Together is developing a big kids program, Big Kids Family Music, and East Bay Music Together has been selected as one of the pilot locations. Contact juliet@eastbaymusictogether.com for more information or to express your interest.
- The Crowden Center for Music in the Community in Berkeley offers several different classes for children 4 and older. Visit their website: http://crowden.org/ccmc_home.htm or contact ccmc@crowden.org for more information.
- The Northern California American Orff-Schulwerk Association has information for parents, teachers and students about Orff-Schulwerk-style classes and workshops. Visit http://www.ncaosa.org/ for more information.
Take care, and happy music making!
Andy & Ryk