Freeway PLAY
Freeway PLAY is our newest 10-week program offering “Mommy & Me” style music classes for newborns to age 5. All mommies, daddies, grandparents, & caregivers are welcome! This class is designed to help YOU interact musically with your little one. Through interactive music games and social activities, we will work to foster your little one’s musical aptitude and develop music learning readiness. Let’s have fun and make music together!
INFO
Age Range:
Newborn to five years old
Commitment:
Once registered, you are committed to the full ten-week program, as roster spots are limited.
WHEN
Blythewood Class:
Tuesdays 11:00 AM | SEP 24th – NOV 26th
Irmo Class:
Saturdays 11:00 AM | OCT 5th – DEC 14th (no class NOV 30th)
WHERE
Blythewood Class: Blythewood Presbyterian
441 Rimer Pond Rd, 29016
Irmo Class: Freeway Music Irmo Ballentine
10100 Broad River Road, 29063
PHONE
Call or text us at:
Blythewood: 803-865-1151
Irmo: 803-403-1142
Blythewood Payments: officene@freewaymusic.net
Irmo Payments: officeirmo@freewaymusic.net
katiel@freewaymusic.net (class questions)
TUITION
One-Time Payment of $225
Miss Katie Leitner , our Freeway PLAY Blythewood teacher and director, is one of Freeway Music’s voice and piano instructors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education with a vocal performance certificate from the University of South Carolina. During her time at USC, she focused her efforts on early childhood development, gaining experience teaching music to children 5 years old and under. She is GIML level 1 certified and continues to seek out professional development opportunities to keep her skills sharp. In addition to classroom teaching at both the elementary and secondary levels, she has been teaching privately to children and adults for over 8 years.
Her resume is quite impressive, be sure to check out Katie’s bio page under “Staff.” Make sure to catch one of her upcoming performances with her band Say Femme, and on the theatre stage as a company member with Trustus.
Madilyn McCoy, our Freeway Play Irmo teacher, is one of Freeway’s voice and guitar instructors.
She has over ten years of professional music experience as well as over a decade’s experience in childcare. Combining her passion for music with her preschool teaching background, she is beyond excited to be part of Freeway Play.
What is Freeway Play?
♫ Your child will experience music through fun, playful, and socially interactive music activities that include singing, chanting, and moving. We aspire to develop every aspect of your child’s musicality that will foster a lifetime of music enjoyment and appreciation.
The class is designed for young children from newborns to five-year-olds to be accompanied by a parent/guardian. We learn music much like we learn language. The first and most important thing is that a child absorbs a rich music vocabulary. Using a combination of Music Learning Theory (MLT), Orff, and Kodaly music learning methods, we strive to engage your child in a musical environment that will develop your child’s musical aptitude and foster musicianship skills necessary for any instrument.
What are the typical stages of response?
♫ Looking response – actively listening
♫ Movement response – may or may not seem coordinated with the music
♫ Rhythm babble – approximations of rhythm patterns and chanting songs
♫ Tonal babble – approximations of tonal patterns and songs.
Why should I participate in my child’s music classes?
♫ Your participation is vital in setting up a safe and nurturing learning environment. Your child trusts you. If they see you having fun and participating, the likelihood of them feeling safe to do so increases tenfold. We also ask that you accompany your child so that our classes can remain focused on music learning and our teachers can have one-on-one time with each child.
Why should I not correct my child’s responses or participation?
♫ We do not look for or force any kind of participation at first but rather let the child be engaged in a musical environment and learn through play. It is important that we let the child explore music-making in their own way and in their own time.
What is flowing continuous movement?
♫ It is important to demonstrate free-flowing continuous movements in order to help them avoid rigidity. We want the music and movement to flow from the child freely. Remember, the most important thing about keeping a “steady beat” is understanding and feeling the space between the beats.
Is my child too young for music lessons? / Is my child talented?
♫ Music development begins at birth (if not before). Every child is born with the potential for learning music. This program is designed to help foster that musical potential and develop music learning readiness.
What can we do at home to encourage progress?
♫ Children learn best through imitation and play. If you engage in musical activities yourself and show your child that you can have fun with music no matter your skill level, your child will feel much more confident in their own music learning journey. Show your child that it’s ok to make mistakes. Art is messy!
Do you have COVID-19 guidelines in place?
♫ Each child must be accompanied by only one adult.
♫ Social distancing must be maintained throughout each class.
♫ Child/adult participants should not attend class if either is experiencing Covid-19 symptoms or other signs of illness.
♫ We ask that the adult participants wear their masks during the class so that the children and the teachers can safely remain unmasked.
♫ Caregivers should be with their little ones at all times
♫ Masks are not required but please do not attend if you or your little one are experiencing symptoms
♫ It’s ok if your little one is not actively participating at first. We encourage that they do this in their own time.
♫ Help your little one remember that we can have but that this is a learning environment.
♫ This is a safe space – No judgement here! If your little one sees you having fun making music, they will feel safe to do so too!