The Music Place

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Bright eyed 3-year-olds stare expectantly as a big circle is drawn on the whiteboard in front of them. With a burst of energy, their teacher, Janice Morris, adds a squiggly line and two dots. "This is a smiley face", she exclaims. Janice Morris, founder and director of The Music Place, Fine Arts for Children! has developed an innovative teaching method that enables children as young as 2 to begin music theory while having fun. Blue eyes twinkling, "Miss Janice", as the children know her, dips her finger into pretend paint, makes a comical squeaking sound, and the "smiley face" suddenly becomes a "dirty face" and then a quarter note.Charmed by her antics, the children giggle with delight. Mrs. Morris explains she is going to add a stem to the dirty face and it will become a quarter note. Now everything comes together as she asks, "How many counts does a quarter note get?"Mrs. Morris believes that early exposure to music is essential, but private lessons are not always the best alternative. Many kids between 1 and 7 years old participate in a fun array of group classes called EMA, or Early Music AwarenessThese classes, which are more economical than private lessons, allow children to experience a full range of music and instruments in a hands-on, relaxed atmosphere.This experience lays a solid foundation so that when the children are old enough to play instruments ( usually between ages 5 and 8 ), they can get a quick and positive start. When the child is ready for this next step, private lessons are available. However, the progression moves at the student's pace, and programs are tailor-made for each child as an individual.The Music Place philosophy flows from Morris' own contagious enjoyment of teaching music. Beginning in 1984 with 40 students, The Music Place has served nearly 10, 000 students in 15 - 20 Bay Area locations. And Morris has had a lot of experience in the area of teaching young children, having done so for over 30 years.