Been There — Done That!
(Or: Why Kids Need to Experience New Types of Classes)
A few years back I enrolled my daughter in a wonderful toddler class. She loved it — it was fun, engaging, and she couldn’t wait to go. But the next year, on her very first session, she found herself doing the exact same activities as before. This time, it didn’t excite her at all. After a few classes, we stopped going. She wasn’t unhappy — she was just bored, and didn’t even know why. I did.
She had gotten older and needed new challenges — she had quite literally been there, done that.
Learning from Our Own Classes
This pattern isn’t just something I noticed with my daughter — we’ve seen it at Brooklyn Music Factory too. Kids will join a class like Rock, Write and Record (ages 9–11) and come in on a high the first year. Then they return the next year… and find themselves doing pretty much what they did before. By age 11 that student has often checked out emotionally, and we risk losing their interest in music altogether.
That’s the opposite of what we want. At BMF we strive to create a lifelong love of learning and playing music.
A Clear Solution
To make sure students don’t repeat the same experience year after year, we’ve developed a clear music fluency guideline for each type of band — so teachers and families can see exactly what a student has learned and what they should work toward next. You can read more about this guideline HERE
This helps us place each student in the class that will keep them challenged, engaged, and excited about learning and growing in music.
If you have questions about which class might be right for your child, you can schedule a conversation with Jessica to talk through your options — CLICK HERE (or through the studio contact form).
Let’s not just do music — let’s do it right.
— Peira
Co-Founder of Brooklyn Music Factory and Camp Director
P.S. Update!
As of November 2018, we’ve launched a brand-new music class for babies and toddlers called Little Songwriters! In this class, kids and their grownups will sing, dance, play drum circle games, and write original songs together every week.
