Not Your Typical Music Lessons
Imagine your child not just learning an instrument, but truly discovering their full potential! At Watson School of Music, our Songwriter's Journey is all about igniting that natural spark within every child. We focus on what kids do best: playing, creating, and collaborating!
Unlock Their Creative Spark
Have you ever noticed how naturally children sing and make up their own songs? That's pure, uninhibited creativity! We tap into that from day one. Through engaging games, collaborative activities, and exciting songwriting exercises, we help every child realize they're capable of writing their own lyrics and melodies. They'll even learn to play with a band right from the start!
Explore, Play, and Connect
Our journey explores the exciting worlds of keyboard, electric guitar, electric bass, drums, and voice, helping your child find the instrument that truly resonates with them. But it's not just about learning notes; it's about making music with others. We believe that playing and collaborating with peers builds lifelong musicians. Our mission is for their musical journey to continue long after their lessons with us, and sharing music with others is a huge part of that.
Ready for your child to experience the joy of creating, collaborating, and performing their own music?
Ready for your child to experience the joy of creating, collaborating, and performing their own music?
MiniKeys: Ages 4-5
MiniKeys is a game-based music class for 4 & 5-year-olds. A group early childhood class which is the perfect launch pad for a student’s musical journey. We explore piano, drums and voice and write original songs in our band.
A childhood music class must be both fun and have a clear learning path to be effective. We believe the most engaging preschool music class combines musical games that teach music theory (without the student really even knowing it!) while inspiring exploration of all the instruments to be used in songwriting. Songwriting is an authentic way for elementary students to learn all the basic concepts & musical skills:
pitch vs harmony
rhythm patterns
steady beat
basic chords
building blocks of arranging
keyboard geography
piano basics
➜ Drum Circle - warm up playing games that incorporate rhythm technique
➜ Singalong - sing and learn movements & basic music techniques through song
➜ Rock Pit - play full body games that teach Big Lessons About Music (BLAMs!)
➜ Bandstand - play the instruments! Piano for melody/harmony, drums for rhythm, & the microphone for voice & lyrics
A childhood music class must be both fun and have a clear learning path to be effective. We believe the most engaging preschool music class combines musical games that teach music theory (without the student really even knowing it!) while inspiring exploration of all the instruments to be used in songwriting. Songwriting is an authentic way for elementary students to learn all the basic concepts & musical skills:
pitch vs harmony
rhythm patterns
steady beat
basic chords
building blocks of arranging
keyboard geography
piano basics
➜ Drum Circle - warm up playing games that incorporate rhythm technique
➜ Singalong - sing and learn movements & basic music techniques through song
➜ Rock Pit - play full body games that teach Big Lessons About Music (BLAMs!)
➜ Bandstand - play the instruments! Piano for melody/harmony, drums for rhythm, & the microphone for voice & lyrics
JamBand 101: Ages 6-8
Jam Band 101 is perfect for total beginners, as well as for kids with 1-2 years of band and/or private lesson experience. Kids who do well in Jam Band 101 are excited to try out all the instruments and enjoy playing games and learning in a group setting.
➜ Warm-Up Game - Our warm-up games get kids moving, warmed up, and introduce the music concept for the day.
➜ Rock Pit - This is where the band levels up the BLAM of the day (that's Big Lesson About Music of course!) Our music games reinforce the concept of the day in an interactive (and super fun) format.
➜ Songwriting - Now it's time to apply the BLAM of the day to an actual song. The band exercises their creative muscles and writes a short original song with a verse & a chorus in a matter of minutes.
➜ BandStand - Complete with vocals, keys, electric bass, electric guitar, and drums, it's time to bring it all together where the band puts the BLAM of the day to music and plays their brand new original song on their instruments.
➜ Learn to communicate through music
➜ Learn basic technique on all the instruments
➜ Learn composition and how each fluency (Rhythm, Harmony, Melody) fit together to make a song
➜ Practice teamwork and communicating with others
➜ Find the instrument that excites them
➜ Build confidence in their creativity
➜ Find joy through music!
➜ Grow self confidence
➜ Make friends
➜ Warm-Up Game - Our warm-up games get kids moving, warmed up, and introduce the music concept for the day.
➜ Rock Pit - This is where the band levels up the BLAM of the day (that's Big Lesson About Music of course!) Our music games reinforce the concept of the day in an interactive (and super fun) format.
➜ Songwriting - Now it's time to apply the BLAM of the day to an actual song. The band exercises their creative muscles and writes a short original song with a verse & a chorus in a matter of minutes.
➜ BandStand - Complete with vocals, keys, electric bass, electric guitar, and drums, it's time to bring it all together where the band puts the BLAM of the day to music and plays their brand new original song on their instruments.
➜ Learn to communicate through music
➜ Learn basic technique on all the instruments
➜ Learn composition and how each fluency (Rhythm, Harmony, Melody) fit together to make a song
➜ Practice teamwork and communicating with others
➜ Find the instrument that excites them
➜ Build confidence in their creativity
➜ Find joy through music!
➜ Grow self confidence
➜ Make friends
The Songwriter's Journey Private Lessons: Ages 6-12
At this stage of the game, each student has picked the instrument that resonates with them and is ready to level up in a private lesson setting!
Imagine your child not just learning an instrument, but actually creating their own original songs! Our 12-season program guides students (ages 6-12) through a fun and engaging process using song templates. These templates provide the basic framework—like a musical blueprint—giving your child the freedom to fill in the rest with their own melodies, lyrics, and creativity. It's like a blank canvas waiting for their unique musical masterpiece!
How It Works: Each song template comes with everything your child needs to succeed:
We believe "songwriting" is a fundamental skill, and we encourage all students to write their own lyrics. Before the big performance, students even get to practice playing along to edited music videos of their bandmates, getting to know their band and the song inside and out.
Give your child the incredible gift of creating their own music and performing it with friends. The Songwriter's Journey is more than just lessons; it's an unforgettable adventure in creativity, collaboration, and confidence!
Imagine your child not just learning an instrument, but actually creating their own original songs! Our 12-season program guides students (ages 6-12) through a fun and engaging process using song templates. These templates provide the basic framework—like a musical blueprint—giving your child the freedom to fill in the rest with their own melodies, lyrics, and creativity. It's like a blank canvas waiting for their unique musical masterpiece!
How It Works: Each song template comes with everything your child needs to succeed:
- Charts and jam tracks: To help them practice and perfect their parts.
- Adjustable playback speed: So they can learn at their own pace.
- Lyric writing prompts: To spark their lyrical creativity.
- Instrument-specific resources: Giving them different ways to play their song.
We believe "songwriting" is a fundamental skill, and we encourage all students to write their own lyrics. Before the big performance, students even get to practice playing along to edited music videos of their bandmates, getting to know their band and the song inside and out.
Give your child the incredible gift of creating their own music and performing it with friends. The Songwriter's Journey is more than just lessons; it's an unforgettable adventure in creativity, collaboration, and confidence!