Whitehouse Prep provides music classes geared toward each specific age group.

Children learn music in much the same way they learn language. Infants and toddlers do not learn to speak through formal discussions about adjectives or through exercises in labeling subjects and predicates. Instead, children learn the “rules” of language informally long before learning the formal rules of grammar.

About the Program

Research suggests musical development works in a very similar way. Until a child has had ample time to informally explore the “language” of music, it is meaningless to talk about formal concepts like key signatures, dynamic markings, or eighth notes. Just as infants and toddlers learn to speak through “playing” with language, children need plenty of time to “play” with the “language” of music long before beginning any formal musical training. This is the purpose of Music Notes Academy’s Little Notes classes at Whitehouse Preparatory School. Through research-based musical play within a song-based curriculum, children develop a strong foundation in t he musical skills they will later need to be successful in formal music instruction.

  • Rather than simply talking about music, music is continually experienced through live performance.
  • Children are encouraged to approach music as active “doers” rather than as passive “consumers”.
  • Musical concepts are introduced informally through research-based developmentally-appropriate activities.
  • Children are exposed to engaging music in a variety of meters (2/4, 6/8, 5/4, etc) and tonalities (major, minor, dorian, lydian, etc).
  • Children learn songs and rhymes from around the world.
  • Children are introduced to a variety of instruments: guitar, piano, ukelele, and various percussion instruments.

Our Music Classes

Little Notes Preschool Music Classes

The focus is primarily on developing listening skills, but the children are always encouraged to join in making music to any extent they are comfortable.

  • Children practice keeping a steady beat at various tempos.
  • Children explore musical opposites: loud/soft, high/low, short/long, fast/slow.
  • Children experiment with using their voices in a variety of ways: speaking, singing, whispering, and shouting.
  • Children expand their musical vocabularies through listening and responding to music in a variety of meters and tonalities.

Little Notes KI Music Classes

In this class, children continue to build upon all the foundational skills introduced in preschool.

  • Children further develop their vocal ability, practice singing in tune, and gain confidence in solo singing.
  • Children learn multicultural songs and rhymes in a variety of meters and tonalities.
  • Children expand their listening skills through imitating rhythm and tonal patterns.
  • Children use creative movement to reflect tempo, dynamics, melodic contour, and the form of pieces of music.
  • Children practice creating and imitating beat movements.
Whitehouse Preparatory School