Chord Theory
Certified Teachers
Solfege Ear Training
Age Appropriate Methods
Our introductory music classes teach our youngest Milwaukee students through singing, ear training, nursery rhymes, movement, stories, instrument play, and games. At the end of Sound Beginnings, students are ready for kindergarten and further Let’s Play Music programs.
Education through musical play
Pink Piggies Student Materials - $35
(plus sales tax for AZ residents)
Student Materials
Crafted to
Educate & Engage
When they have access to the right tools, all children are musical!
We've Struck a Chord!
What Parents Are Saying about Sound Beginnings!
Sound Beginnings has exceeded my expectations. It packs so much into each half hour class with an understanding of what it takes to keep preschoolers engaged and interested in musical activities. I am convinced that Sound Beginnings and Let’s Play Music will lead my two young children to musical success.
Kristin C.
I love the Sound Beginnings class for toddlers because it provides a fun, structured environment for my children to discover and learn music. The lessons are active and playful and involve singing, movement/dancing, musical stories, listening, puppet play, and much more. We have so much fun at the lessons, but best of all, we can continue having fun making music at home because we attend together.
Lisa S.
Children ages 0 through 4 love Sound Beginnings, our introductory music lessons for toddlers in Milwaukee are designed for young children to participate in with their caregivers. Children gain foundational music experience and skills through songs and games. Its curriculum is organized into six non-sequential semesters, and every semester lasts four months. Each new semester focuses on a unique musical concept and includes games, movement, activities, singing, and stories. Additionally, we specialize in three preschool topics, introduce a new percussion instrument, and use Foundational Elements as a learning tool.
Preschool Concepts
Taught Through Music
Why Sound Beginnings?
Real Face Time
Children learn best when they feel nurtured and loved, so this is the foundation of Sound Beginnings. Parents will receive all the tools necessary to connect with their children through play at home. We include a built-in framework in all of our classes to help students thrive. We also highly encourage playtime at home.
The Let's Play Music curriculum is centered in the teachings of the music masters Kodaly, Orff and Dalcroze. These men were revolutionist who changed the attitudes of teaching music to children. Their philosophies are at the heart of our curriculum and you will see their methodologies in each detailed lesson plan.
Zoltán Kodály
In the Kodály Method children are first introduced to musical concepts through playful, natural experience. He emphasized the use of the folk song in all early music education, stating that they are the ‘mother tongue’ for teaching music. Melodic patterning, the repetition of certain notes in a row, trains both the ear and the eye to read the patterns on the staff. Adding solfeg handsigns and syllables further enhanced the learning experience. He used both folk music and songs that are based on the pentatonic scale to help teach the art of singing in tune.
Émile Jaques-Dalcroze
The Dalcroze method, taught in his Eurhythmics schools, is another approach music educators use to foster music appreciation, ear-training and improvisation while improving musical skills. In this method, the body is the main instrument. Students learn rhythm and structure by listening to music and expressing what they hear through spontaneous bodily movement. (I.e. walking to quarter notes, skipping to dotted notes.)
Carl Orff
In the Carl Orff approach, children are taught concepts through improvisation, composition and a natural sense of play. He taught using folk music and music composed by the children themselves. All musical concepts were taught through singing, chanting, dance, movement, drama and the playing of percussion instruments. He believed the order of instruments should be: 1. Body Percussion 2. Voice 3. Simple Percussion Instruments 4. Barred Instruments
(For example, our tone bell set is an Orff instrument!)
Let's Play Music was founded in great educational philosophies
Learning From the Masters
Program Costs
Sound Beginnings has two program costs: a student materials fee and tuition.
Student materials fees are paid directly to Let's Play Music upon enrollment.
Tuition for Sound Beginnings is paid monthly directly to your local Milwaukee music instructor. Please contact your local teacher for more details. The cost is about the same amount as you would pay for beginning piano classes. Tuition fees cover teaching tools, classroom instrument use, classes, and parent training and communication.
Foundational Elements
In class we read stories, practice our ABCs and letter sounds. we also are going to learn about weather, seasons, and words that rhyme!
We use our bodies as instruments to feel and perform a steady beat. Steady beat is crucial to developing rhythm skills and supports math skills.
We are surrounded by correct signing on the semester CDs and in class. Students are encouraged to participate in appealing vocal play, make high and low sounds and use the minor third to learn to match pitch and sing in tune.
Fingerplay to nursery rhymes helps students focus on and enjoy fine motor movements. We also practice making the ABCs in sign language. Younger students enjoy the observation and will attempt the skills which is great practice too!
Full body movement builds muscle strength, hand/eye coordination and develops balance. Gross motor also connects the two hemispheres of the brain, promoting improved cognition.
We expose students to the finest music literature. Our "Smart Moves" dances involve the whole body in an enjoyable classical music experience. Each semester, we study the specific timber of different instruments and group them by family.
This class is for children and their "grown up" to enjoy together. We will focus on building and strengthing these relationships in class. We provide partner activities with intentional eye contact, trust elements, and physical touch to nurture the highly significant relationship.
Sound beginnings includes research-based elements that stimulate growth in the areas particularly crucial to the development of the young child. These elements make up the foundation of the Sound Beginnings curriculum.
Explore our classes!
Discover our other programs below.
Ages 4-6
In our flagship class, students ages 4 through 6 learn important foundational music lessons. Learning potential is maximized through age-based teaching, which produces a talented child. This curriculum emphasizes chord theory, ear training, classical music, note reading, piano, and solfege.
Ages 7-12
Presto is an accelerated piano class for children ages 7 through 12 who are just beginning their musical journey. From the beginning, students learn appealing repertoire. This program focuses on ear training, proper piano technique, solfege, music history, chord theory, and composition for rapid results.
