Class Descriptions

Music Well - Mixed Ages (under 4 years)

45 min classes

Family Musikgarten for Mixed Ages

Family Musikgarten Class at Fitchburg Community Center
Lacy Rd, Fitchburg, WI

This class offers adults the opportunity to play with their children in a way that will delight the child and awaken his or her curiosity about music. Activities include singing, bouncing, rocking, finger plays, nursery rhymes, body awareness games, playful echoes, playing simple instruments, and dancing.

Family Music for 4 and under
Thursdays in May: May 1, 8, 15, 22,
9:30-10:15 (45 min class)
$85 and sibling discount of 10%
Link to Register

Curriculum = Animal Friends

Animal Friends features a rich collection of songs and chants from numerous countries and cultures. The activities are appropriate for developing the young child's singing voice, moving and dancing together, listening closely, and playing instruments! Classics like Farmer in the Dell and Old MacDonald, plus new favorites like The Wild Horses and Macaroni, will excite your imagination! A 48 page Song/Picture book with CD and Digital Download Code is available for purchase for $37. (recommended, not required)

SUMMER 2025

Family Music for 4 and under
June 12, 26, July 3, 17, 31, Aug 7, 21
9:30-10:15 (45 min class)
Special Summer Deal! 7 classes included pay for 5
$85 and sibling discount of 10% each
Link to Register

Curriculum = New Friends

New Friends is a part of the Musikgarten Family Music series, and includes a recording with over 60 minutes of songs, dance, and listening activities. This book and music will capture your little ones attention with photos of children their own age and colorful illustrations that bring the songs and chants and rhymes to life. Everyone in the family will love the variety of music. Classics like Hickory Dickory Dock and The Eency Weency Spider. Plus new favorites like Fiddle-De-De and Old Jeremiah. You'll hear fast-tempo music as well as calming, slower relaxing music. Family Materials include: Parent Book (48p) with digital code (NO CD). Available for purchase, $35. (recommended not required)

Music Makers I (4-5 year old)

45 min classes

Music Makers I is a first year class for 4-5 year olds in preparation for keyboard playing!

There are two years of potential curriculum for your child to encounter! Music Makers at Home in the World and Music Makers Around the World. This class includes singing, creative and structured movement, playing instruments and ensemble work, ear training and guided listening, as well as a developmentally sound approach to music literacy that builds symbolic thinking, concentration, memory, and self-expression. The language of music begins to expand from aural learning to visual pattern recognition.

Class starting in Sept 2025
Contact Beth@bethsmusicwell.com for wait list

Music Makers II (5 & 6 years old)

45 min classes

Music Makers II is a class for 5-6 year olds in preparation for keyboard playing!

There are two years of potential curriculum for your child to encounter! Music Makers at Home in the World and Music Makers Around the World. This class includes singing, creative and structured movement, playing instruments and ensemble work, ear training and guided listening, as well as a developmentally sound approach to music literacy that builds symbolic thinking, concentration, memory, and self-expression. All of this is then taken to the piano keyboard for a first introduction to piano lessons.

Class Starting Sept 2025
Contact beth@bethsmusicwell.com for waitlist

Piano Level 1 (Red to Green Books) (Ages 6 +)

45 min lesson

The Musikgarten Group Piano curriculum is the final step on the pathway from early childhood music to music literacy. This program is designed to teach the children to begin to play the songs they've been hearing, singing, and dancing to throughout the years of early childhood.

During Piano I year, the children will be introduced to the keyboard. Through the year, the children will become comfortable with D, C and G major 5 finger positions as well as d, c and e minor. They will be introduced to the I and V7 (also I and v7) chords to accompany their songs. Transposing their repertoire to all known positions is encouraged as each new position is introduced.

This class follows a very sequential approach to building piano skills,understanding musical notation and setting up practice habits as set forth in the book, Music Makers: At the Keyboard, Book One (Red) and Book Two (Green).

Piano Level 1 Groups:

For Piano I children will receive Book One, 2 CDs/downloads and notation games plus a Parent Handbook. Class size limited and will close when limit is reached. Further names will be placed on a waiting list. As children progress through, Book 2 will be offered along with 2 CDs/downloadable music and notation games.

Wait List - to have your child placed on a wait list for next available class, please email beth at beth@bethsmusicwell.com

Piano Level 2 (Purple to Blue Books) (Graduate of Level 1 )

In Piano Level 2, the children learn new hand positions that move out of the 5-finger position, new keys and notation games, how to write out familiar songs and will have many more opportunities to compose their own music. Improvisation games and skills are developed further. There are more songs to play by ear with more complex parts for the left hand. Technique exercises will eventually lead to more fluid playing.
The student will work with compositions by many famous composers. Pieces written by Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Schumann, Dvorak and MacDowell are included, some for drumming or dancing, some to explore dynamics and tempi, and some for harmonic analysis.

Materials include the keyboard book, 2 CDs and notation games.

Pre-requisite Piano Level I.

Piano Level 3 (Orange to Gold Books) (Graduate of Level 2)

Level 3 Includes Books 5 & 6 of the Musikgarten Music Makers at the Keyboard series.

By this time, students have learned to play many songs by ear and in multiple positions on the keyboard. They have played the same pieces that young pianists from all over the world have studied. Now they will encounter more music of Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart and be introduced to Mouret and Bartok and play a piece by Ferdinand Beyer.
We continue to work on improvisation skills and prepare the student to make important decisions regarding improvised solos.

In Book 6, there are many new pieces with new challenges. The child's aural skills combined with a knowledge of melody, harmony, and rhythm, are all called on to build competence in improvising on a 12-Bar Blues Progression. The understanding of music notation will allow your child a chance to compose and write his/her very own blues compostion!

Home materials include books, CDs/downloadable music, and notation games.

Pre-requisite Level 2 (Books 3 & 4).

Piano Private Lessons (Level 3 and above)

30 minutes once a week (in-person or online)

Private piano lessons are 30 minutes of one on one instruction one time a week

Requirements: Completed Book 6 of the Musikgarten keyboarding program

Materials:

determined per individual