how did you learn to read...?
If you strip down a novel into the basics,- remove advanced vocabulary
- supplement words with pictures
- enlarge the font
- make the story simple and relatable
you will end up with a children's book.
Respectively you can strip a piano into the basics,
- remove sharps and flats
- supplement notes with colors
- enlarge the keys
- make the music familiar and relatable
and you end up with a super-charged Orff instrument!
"A successful and fun experience is the basis for a positive learning process".
- Carl Orff
the easy-marimba system!
Two key areas which I thought were most important in early music education were to encourage kids to practice and to increase learning speed.
I realized that a stepping stone was needed for our young musicians before they tackle that 88 key black & white piano. I had to find an instrument based on the same principles as the piano but was fun to play on. An instrument that kept not only the fingers, but hands more involved since kids need to move around as they have a LOT of energy. Colors were added to the notes which naturally draw kids towards the instrument. Holding mallets in their hands also helps kids maintain focus for longer periods.
A child's ability to learn and understand music shouldn't be limited by their language comprehension skills, if it was, their music would always be one step behind language. By associating only colors to each note, we avoid teaching two languages simultaneously. As a result, children can start comprehending music much faster and at a much youner age. By not having t read letter names of each note, the young musican pays more attention to the distance of notes in relation to each other, which is the basis of understanding chords, intervals, sight reading, and memorization due to muscle memory. The instrument should free kids to start communicating in purely musical form.
The magical thing is that improving one of the above key areas, drastically improves the other as well!
For a more in-depth breakdown of the factors behind the reasoning in the design of the easy marimba system, CLICK HERE
"The EasyMarimba is a beautiful gift for the patients and families at BC Children's Hospital. It's rainbow colours draw children in right away and it's size and ease of use makes for a satisfying musical experience for every age. It is well used daily by toddlers, children, teens and adults alike.