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like choir, but messy...
like choir, but messy...
music reading, rhythm keeping, ear training, and group singing packed into fun weekly classes with friends.
music reading, rhythm keeping, ear training, and group singing packed into fun weekly classes with friends.
messychoir k will be held Wednesdays from 4-5pm at HUM District Music* and led by Celesta Tow and Mark Randall James. Drop-off between 4- 4:15; instruction begins 4:15. Asa and Ephrem (their kindergarteners) will be attending. We hope you can join us!
Start Day September 18th 2024
Share Day (family invited): December 11th 2024
Investment $300/semester (pro-rated if joining after September 18th; sliding scale available please email celesta@humdistrict.com for information)
Fall Semester class dates: Sept. 18, 25; Oct 2,9, 16, 23; Nov. 6,13, 20; Dec. 4, 11
link to sample messychoir classflow
*note, that there are two friendly orange cats that live at the studio.
An *honest* note from Celesta about music lessons for kindergarteners:
An *honest* note from Celesta about music lessons for kindergarteners:
I have been running my independent music studio for 10 years now in DC and a question I often receive is "what age should my child be to start music lessons" or "what instrument should my kiddo begin" and I'll be honest, my answer is... complicated. It's tricky question to answer for two reasons:
- kids are all wildly different
- practicing music at home can be a real b*tch. (It sure was for me growing up and to this day I still face some inner-child demons when I sit down on my piano bench to practice.)
So here's the thing about music: it has elements of both language and sport. What does the Duolingo bird want you to do? It wants to open that app and do it every day. How do you get to be a good athlete? Training. Often.
Now I don't know about you, but adding another "every day" thing to my kid's plate, feels like a heavy lift. And sure, you could totally take private music lessons and not practice at home and that's better than no music education but I will tell you this: I have yet to meet a student who learns to play the piano by showing up to one session a week and not practicing at home.
Voice lessons are a different story because unlike playing the piano, singing is innate. Kids are natural singers and their village is unknowingly - or knowingly- teaching them proper -or improper- singing techniques from birth.
So if you're navigating the music education landscape for your child and you aren't sure where to start but know that you don't want to be the practice police at home, I suggest starting with weekly voice lessons and dance lessons: voice lessons for instrument building and dance lessons for internalized rhythm skills.
Also, if your child realllyyyyyy wants to learn the guitar, have them first start taking Suzuki violin and tell them you'll buy them a guitar after they've completed a year of violin. Trust me.
Lastly, if you happen to be neighbors with two nerdy musician parents who are building a program to specifically meet the needs of their own kids in this current era of parenthood and childhood in a typical "two birds one stone" fashion, I'd say "click the button below and register!"
Musically,
Celesta Tow
P.S. Not much has changed since I wrote an article for Washington Parent about this same subject in 2018. Read it here.
Mark, Christina, Celesta and Ben at our annual joint caroling party.
Meet your teachers
Meet your teachers
Mark Randall James and Celesta Tow met serendipitously at a DPR public pool through their sons Ephrem and Asa who, they discovered, were classmates. They got to chatting and soon found an uncommon commonality: both Mark and Celesta grew up singing in fahncyyy children's choirs.
As luck would have it, Mark and Celesta's nerdy poolside discussion about solfedge didn't end there but instead blossomed into regular joint family dinners with lively conversation following.
With a mutual desire to begin a more formal music education for their two rising kindergarteners who both prefer group to individual instruction and a nudge from a fellow mom who said she'd love the same type of class for her daughter... they decided it was time to take their music conversations beyond the dinner table.
We can't wait to build this community children's messychoir together and are grateful to everyone who is helping us kick off our inaugural season.
Let's #singforfun!
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