Pianissimo Preschool Music Class (Review)
Last year I had the pleasure of interviewing Megan Desmarais as part of an Upbeat webinar. Megan’s an accomplished piano teacher and blogger, and now she’s released her Teach Preschool Music curriculum.
If you’ve been thinking about offering a music class for young ones, I hope you’ll check this out. Preschoolers and parents are always looking for enrichment and play opportunities, and this one is truly unique.
Megan has been offering these classes in her home for years — they’re now so successful that she doesn’t even have to advertise!
So let’s get started, shall we?
Overview:
This music curriculum is ideal for mixed age groups from 0-5. The classes teach music concepts, movement, and serve as a social event for both the students and parents. Megan’s class formula uses routine activities that keep the classes well-structured, but also provide the opportunity for learning new concepts each week.
My favorite part: Megan’s detailed class plans make it easy to jump in quickly. There’s an entire year’s worth of lesson plans included. (And the beauty of preschool classes is that you can repeat the curriculum next year!)
How it’s Different:
This curriculum is akin to some of music/movement classes you’ve probably heard of before, but unlike those, Teach Preschool Music specifically prepares students for piano lessons later on. Megan’s lesson plans explore other instruments as well: rhythmic activities are an important part of each class. (Plus she gives you advice about how to use the instruments you already have.)
Another huge difference is the cost. There are no licensing fees, trainings where you have to travel, or required of materials to purchase. You purchase the course and work through it on your own time — plus you have direct access to ask Megan questions via the private FB group or email.
Features I Like:
Here are a few of the highlights that I love about this course:
- Video Examples: Throughout the course you’ll find lots of video examples where Megan leads you through songs, activities, instrument demonstration ideas, and you even get to see an actual class from the beginning to end.
- Comprehensive PDFs: The lesson plans are comprehensive and easy to reference. Each plan includes a list of activities, descriptions and materials for each activity, a music playlist, and materials list with links.
- Educating Parents: There’s an entire module on teaching parents the importance each class activity. Getting parents on board is really important, and this module leads you through how to do that step-by-step.
- Business Minded: This course isn’t just about lesson plans — Megan leads you through all the tough business stuff: finding a location, advertising, how to offer trial classes, etc.
- Flexibility & Personalization: The worksheets included in Teach Preschool Music help you to develop your narrative and make this class your own — Megan guides you through explaining class objectives, selling your class, and even creating your own lesson themes.
- Self-Paced & Well-Written: There are a total of 77 “lectures” in the 7 modules of this course. Each lecture breaks down a specific concept related the class formula or lesson plan. The structure is easy to follow and the lectures are well-written.
Time for movement!
Sample Activity:
If you’re interested in checking out a sample of what Megan has to offer, you can enroll in her Teach Hot Cross Buns to Preschool Students. In this short video series she breaks down the steps for teaching a preschooler how to play hot cross buns on the piano.
I love her idea in Step #3 of teaching Hot Cross Buns. Using carpet squares as mega-piano keys is so cool!
Grand Opening Sale:
Right now you can pick up the Teach Preschool Music course for only $187. (On October 7th the course will be $247.) This is quite the steal when you compare it to other similar programs. And don’t forget — you’ll have access to a private group where you can work with other teachers who are also using the program.
Questions or comments about the course? Feel free to comment below or contact me via email. I’ll be happy to get back to you!
