I
t’s been a long road.
After many years of dreaming, four years of searching, and five months of building, Greenwich Arts Academy is now a brick-and-mortar music school ready to serve the families of Lower Fairfield County.
We – that is, co-founders Mr Michael and Miss Mary – would like first of all to extend our warmest welcome to our new students, the inaugural class of the Academy. And we also wish to express our deepest gratitude to all our current students and their families who have patiently worked through the transition from Mr Michael ringing their doorbells once a week to attending their lessons in our brand-new, state-of-the-art facility. Thank you thank you thank you!
GAA has a lot to offer our families; here are some highlights to get you excited!
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You may have noticed the display of wristbands and trophies under the “Congratulations!” sign. These are some of the components of the Musical Ladder System. Created by Columbia Arts Academy Director Marty Fort, this patented system is now being used by schools all around the US & Canada to help music students get more engaged and excited about their lessons.
Here’s how it works:
Every 3 months, students have achievement tests with their teachers, and if they pass they earn really cool colored bracelets, certificates, and at certain levels, trophies. It’s a great way to monitor your student’s progress in lessons to see how they’re doing. The Musical Ladder System is creating a big buzz in the music teaching community.
Most importantly, when students have a test coming up, they practice more, their parents are proud, their teachers are proud, and everybody wins.
The Musical Ladder System lets your teacher create short-term goals for your student that are constantly being refreshed. This means that, between the Academy’s twice-yearly concerts and the Musical Ladder, students are always preparing for something. No endless hamster-wheel lessons at GAA!
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GAA is proud to present Music FunTime, unique and proven-effective preschool and young child music classes for children 18 months to 7 years of age. This structured, comprehensive curriculum incorporates music theory (reading staff music, rhythm, note values, time signatures, etc.) and application (playing rhythm instruments, keyboard, sing along, music appreciation, movement). It accesses children’s learning through their brain’s ‘play center,’ using themed games, attractive visuals, and delightful auditory aids that make learning exciting and fun. Kids look forward to it!
When you a give a child a chance to experience Music FunTime, artistically, you open up a whole world of future possibilities. The preschool music program is a precursor for learning an instrument, joining band, orchestra or choir, etc., because the kids already read music and are less likely to be intimidated by aspects of performance. We exponentially increase their ability to learn, period.
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And then there’s our not-so-secret agenda. Our goal is to make Greenwich Arts Academy not just a great place for music lessons, but a creativity incubator: a place where your child can stretch their creative wings and fly. Becoming a “creative” is eventually going to be the differentiator between being just a cog in someone else’s machine, and building a machine of your own. Creativity is a learned skill. It’s also a uniquely human quality. We aim to weave training in creativity into every aspect of our offerings at GAA.
We’ll have a lot more to say about creativity in our next issue.
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But wait! There’s more! Video make-up lessons, hybrid learning, ensemble classes. Each teaching room set up as a mini-recording lab and streaming studio. Field trips! Concerts! There’s so much to cover, and not nearly enough space.
We’ll be holding a Grand Opening this Spring, and we’re inviting you to come and celebrate with us when the time comes
In the meantime, let us just say:
Welcome to Greenwich Arts Academy!
