Song Studio - Foundations | Fall 2026 | 3pm
Song Studio - Foundations | Fall 2026 | 3pm
A hands-on music-making class where young musicians explore piano, singing, percussion, stringed instruments, and songwriting through small-group rotations. Students build their inner musical ear, learn how different parts of music work together, and develop confidence through creating and playing music with others.
Recommended ages for this class are 5 years to 9 years. We encourage parents with “cusp” aged children to make a decision that suits their child’s development.
An informal concert will be scheduled where students will have the opportunity to perform and show off their new skills! Tentative date for this is December 19th.
Class is held at Friends School of Wilmington at Long Leaf Cottage
Class runs weekly September 29 through December 15th (No class November 24th)
Class Time: Tuesdays, 3pm - 3:45pm
No prior experience needed and all materials provided!
Please see additional info for a look into the daily class!
Song Studio | Foundations
Discover music by making it
Song Studio | Foundations introduces children to the building blocks of music through playing, singing, creating, and exploring instruments together. Recommended ages for this class are 5 years to 9 years. We encourage parents with “cusp” aged children to make a decision that suits their child’s development.
Each class begins with a short group lesson where I introduce the musical idea we will be exploring that day and explain the activities at each station. Students then divide into small groups and rotate through the stations, giving every child an opportunity to actively participate and practice.
The Stations
Piano | Melody & Chords
Students develop a musical home base at the piano as they explore melodies, simple chords, patterns, and playing by ear.
Percussion | Beat & Rhythm
Students experience the pulse of music through drums and percussion, developing their sense of “feel” with beat, rhythm, and musical timing.
Stringed Instruments | Melody & Chords
Students explore stringed instruments and discover how they can create melodies, chords, and accompaniment.
Create | Writing & Composition
Students experiment with musical ideas through drawing, writing, composing, improvising, and creating their own musical patterns and songs.
Building the Inner Musical Ear
A central part of Song Studio is audiation, the ability to hear and understand music in your mind. Just as children develop spoken language by first hearing and understanding it, children develop musical understanding by learning to hear, remember, anticipate, and imagine musical sounds.
Throughout the class, students practice listening and responding, singing what they hear, playing melodies by ear, remembering patterns, and imagining what a musical idea might sound like before they play it.
Each station strengthens this skill in a different way, helping children connect what they hear, what they imagine, and what they play.
Putting It Together
The stations are not separate lessons. Each one builds skills that support the others.
Children begin to recognize that melody, rhythm, chords, and lyrics are different parts of the same musical language. As they rotate, they practice these skills in different ways and bring them together through group music-making.
The goal at this age is to build musical confidence, curiosity, a strong inner musical ear, and the foundation for creating music with others.