Beginning Keyboard

Welcome to Music Safari: A Beginning Keyboard Class

Music Safari is a beginning keyboard and music literacy class for students in Kindergarten and Grade 1.  Basic musicianship skills are learned through singing, movement and rhythm activities with keyboard as the primary instrument.

The four-level curriculum, taught by seasoned educator Sarah Okerlund, is designed to be completed successively over two years.  Each 12-week level runs in two sessions per school year: October to January, and January to May.   Level 1 classes are offered in either/both October or January.

Music Safari 2022-2023

Safari classes are held in-person.  If COVID-19 and variants become a collective health concern, classes will be transferred to remote in smaller groups.  More information will be provided at that time.  A new level 1 class will be starting in late January 2023. 

What to Expect:

At the end of the two-year curriculum, each student will demonstrate the basic skills needed to succeed in private instruction and voice lessons (depending on age):

• Maintain a steady beat by feeling rhythm physically,
• Create and Identify changes in pitch by using one’s voice and the keyboard,
• Transfer the feeling of steady beat and pulse into groupings of 2’s, 3’s and 4’s, and
• Learn music vocabulary around staff, measures, clefs as well as basic pitch and rhythm notation.

We recommend completing all four levels of Music Safari before advancing to private instruction, though some students may be ready for this step after completing level 2.

Role of the Parent / Caregiver

A parent/caregiver (the same adult each week) must be present at each class.  As the attending adult is a partner in learning, they provide ongoing assistance to the student with practice at home.  We recommend 10 to 15 minute practice sessions daily, at least five days a week.

What We Provide, What You Need

The level 1 & level 3 materials fee includes a piano book, colored pencils, a notebook/binder, and access to a keyboard during class time.

Before the first class, families must have a keyboard with 61+ full-sized keys at home.  If you have limited finances, please contact us regarding financial aid and support in finding an instrument.

Class Schedule | Tuition & Registration

Level 2 & Level 4 sessions are underway.

Upcoming 12-Week Session: January 30, 2023* – May 1, 2023
Level 1 Tuition: $335** | Level 3 Tuition: $335**

• Level 3: Mondays 4:15-5:05 pm
• *NEW Class Starting* Level 1: Mondays 5:25-6:15 pm

*Class may start the week following (February 6, 2023) if there are any weather cancellations in the first session.  All 12 classes will be met.
**Includes $40 materials fee required for levels 1 and 3.

Registration and payment must be received in advance of class start date.  As this class has limited enrollment, we recommend registering in advance.  Tuition is non-refundable once registration has been submitted.

Potential make-ups include teacher sickness and/or one bad weather cancellation.  Additional weather cancellations will not be made up.  As this is a group class, there are no make-ups for student absences.

Prerequisites for Beginning Keyboard

While we do not require prerequisites, our early childhood Music Together classes provide a quality foundation for Music Safari.

Students should be at a typical Kindergarten/Grade 1 developmental stage.  Visit the Education Corner web page for guidance.