Comprehensive –This program begins by teaching piano, guitar, bass, drums, and voice. This instrumentation forms a small, and totally functional band. Students are taught through a series of songs. Each new song teaches a new musical concept, and every student learns to play every song on all four instruments! The “Little Bands School” program comes with a CD, and a music book so the students are taught both to read music and to develop their ears. As the students progress through the program, they will learn to play every note they hear on the Little Bands School CD, which gives them a comprehensive understanding of the music they are hearing and playing.

Fun – Dr. Music students begin with simple rock and jazz songs and eventually dabble in all styles of music. Students get hands-on experience playing the instruments and enjoy working, as a band, toward performances that both solidify and showcase their skills.

Beneficial – There has been extensive research showing that children who are exposed to successful music programs in school benefit academically and socially. Since this program comes with a computer-based method of individual assessment, every child will succeed at his or her own pace, and therefore will reap the benefits - academic, social, and musical - of the program.

Each student at Little Bands School is evaluated through two processes, a recording process and a performing process:

Performing Evaluation
The purpose of the performing process is to evaluate the students’ abilities to interact with one another and to perform and rehearse within a band setting. This is the true application of the program. In the performance process, the students must use the skills they have learned to attain the level of mastery necessary to interact with each other, work together as a group, understand their role within the group, and create beautiful music together.

Recording Evaluation
In the recording process, students record themselves playing each of the parts to a song into a computer using multi-track recording software. Every time a new song is introduced, students must learn that song on each instrument, and then record themselves playing all the parts to that song. Students do not move on to the next song until the entire song has been satisfactorily recorded. Over a period of time, each student will create a CD of him or herself playing and singing every part to every song (during this process students will also learn valuable recording studio techniques). With this method of assessment, there can be no doubt that performance skills were learned, and that no student has “slipped through the cracks.”

Voice
Students will learn proper singing techniques.

Instruments
Each student will learn to play piano, guitar, bass and
drum-set. They will learn to read music written for each of these instruments and also to transcribe music (the ability to listen to music and write it down or re-create it by ear).

Composition
Students will learn about music theory. They will analyze the songs they play, and learn to create their own musical compositions.

Listening
Students are taken through a special listening curriculum which teaches music history and appreciation, and also shows the students how to “listen as a musician” so they can learn from great instrumentalists on their own by listening to CDs.

Recording
Students will learn how to use professional recording studio equipment to record their performances.

Performance
Students will prepare for and put on many performances. These are the most important lessons of all. Through regular performance, students are taught the exhilaration of applying all the skills they have learned. In addition to being an incredible motivator, performances show students exactly how each of the skills they have learned are necessary, and help them to practice those skills with a concrete goal in mind.

Working Together
Students will learn to develop productive and healthy methods of communicating with each other by rehearsing, writing, and performing as a group.