Courses
Our courses and lessons cater to a wide range of age groups and interests.
Toddlers
This is a one-hour group music appreciation program. In these sessions, we develop children’s sensitivity to pitch through introduction to Solfege singing and nursery rhymes. A strong sense of rhythm is instilled in children through body movement activities and rhythmic games using hand drums and percussion. In addition, children are exposed to Western notation using play cards and games. The musical activities in this class are designed to ensure that children internalize basic musical skills needed to learn an instrument when they are a little older. Please call us if you are interested in finding available times and slots
Children (ages 5-6)
The program for 5-6 year old children is a 1 hour 30 min session, once a week. Currently, there are several streams for this age group throughout the week, therefore please call us if you are interested in finding available times and slots. This session consists of the following three components.
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Instrument (30mins): One-on-one lesson with a professional musician. Instruments offered currently are piano, drums, guitar, bass, violin, woodwind, brass and voice. Progress of students on their instrument is informally assessed during the Performance Week Concerts scheduled each term which places an emphasis on solo performances.
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Ear Training / Theory (30mins): Ear training is done in a small group class. The basics of reading and writing musical notation is covered using a combination of singing, clapping, keyboard playing and written activities.
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Ensemble (30mins): The ensemble sessions for this age group place an emphasis on developing listening skills while playing with others. Children are made aware of core musical aspects such as dynamics, tempo and texture. They are encouraged to express themselves freely and improvise using their instruments as well as playing simple structured music. Each ensemble is featured at end of term Student Concerts and these concerts help focus the ensemble sessions throughout the term.
This program is offered online for remote learning. Please contact us for more details.
Adults
Whether you are interested in starting to play an instrument for the first time in your life or you want to pick up an instrument you played as a child, we’d be happy to help! Adult classes consist of one-on-one lessons with a professional musician. The direction and focus of the lessons are customized according to individual needs. Please contact us so that we can assign a tutor who is most suitable for your interests and requirements.
Professional Musicians
We offer master classes on selected instruments for professional musicians. Availability depends on instruments and visiting musicians at the time of inquiry. Do get in touch with us if interested.
Children (ages 6 and up)
This program consists of a 2-hour session, held once a week. The session follows a similar format to Ages 5-6, however, the ensemble session is extended to 1 hour to allow students more time for music-making.
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Instrument (30mins): One-on-one lesson with a professional musician. Instruments offered currently are piano, drums, guitar, bass, violin, woodwind, brass and voice. Specific skills and sequences in which they are taught are clearly defined in each instrument curriculum specially designed for Musicmatters. Progress of students on their instrument is informally assessed during the Performance Week Concerts scheduled each term which places an emphasis on solo performances.
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Ear Training / Theory (30mins): Conducted in a small group setting, Musicmatters Ear Training levels are designed to establish a solid and practical understanding of music theory with an ultimate goal of understanding the mechanics of harmony used in popular music. The classes involve, singing, sight reading, transcribing, keyboard playing and clapping excercies in order to develop students’ understanding of pitch, rhythm and harmony.
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Ensemble (1-hour): The ensemble session allows students to gain valuable hands-on experience in making music with others. Students are placed in the most appropriate ensemble according to age and musical experience. Ensemble activities include listening, playing cover songs, composing original music and arranging an individual instrument piece into a group setting. Each ensemble is featured at end of term Student Concerts and these concerts help focus the ensemble sessions throughout the term.
This program is offered online for remote learning. Please contact us for more details.
Audio Production
Our audio production program offers training in the fundamentals of working with a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), understanding signal flow, as well as working with and recording both virtual and live instruments in order to achieve the ultimate goal of music creation. There are no prerequisites to this course; however, we do offer rudimentary music theory lessons for those who wish to progress faster.
Music Therapy (New Addition)
With the recognition that music can impact lives in a much wider sense, we will be undertaking a music therapy programme for children and adolescents. Music has been used as a tool for healing for centuries in many cultures. People often respond to and engage with music easily, making it a versatile medium to use in therapy. Music therapy, as the name suggests, is an evidence-based therapeutic technique which involves using music to promote psychological healing and relief to individuals with diverse cognitive, behavioral, emotional and physical symptoms.
In this programme, activities such as listening, playing music, songwriting and movement will be used to engage children in the therapeutic process. After an initial period of observation and assessment, one-to-one sessions will be conducted by a facilitator, tailored to each child depending on their abilities and objectives for healing and growth. Our resource team will include a qualified music therapist from New Zealand who will periodically observe and asses the quality of our programme.This is a new area of work for Musicmatters and we are prepared to conduct it in a responsible and informed manner that brings about positive outcomes. We hope to support the developmental needs of children with different abilities by utilizing the therapeutic effects of music.
At this introductory stage, we are pleased to be able to offer Music Therapy completely free of charge, for individuals from 6 to 18 years who might benefit from this type of intervention. The Musicmatters Music Therapy Programme is made possible by an endowment by the late Mr. Dharman Jayasinghe, an entrepreneur who wished his Singapore estate to be utilized for the education of Sri Lankan children. It was established by his family to honour the memory of the late Mr. Dharman Sathanath Jayasinghe, and his sons the late Hiran Jayasinghe and the late Ashan Jayasinghe.