A guide to the Prodigies Program
I’m here today to recommend a wonderful program called Prodigies that focuses on learning pitch and reading music.
Why should we start now?
We begin teaching our kids color and language since they are born. If you think of music as a language, which it is, then it is critical that you give your kids meaningful exposure to pitch during the critical period of auditory development.
Science has shown there is a critical time to learn a language before the age of 6 and the same is true with memorizing the sounds of music. By age 6, the window for internalizing pitch starts to close. Ideally, you want to introduce musical notes as early as possible. All it takes is consistent repetition of the pitches and their corresponding names. Just like we teach them colors!
Why we love it
But, you say, if I don’t know the pitches and their names, what then? That’s where the Prodigies Program comes in.
We have been using it for two years now and I can honestly tell you that it has been terrific! Firstly, you can watch this program whenever you have time, there is no set schedule you must abide by. You and your child decide when, how often, and how long. The videos are entertaining but simple and clear. My Elf has already learned the names and hand signs of all the pitches, where they sit on a score, and he has even learned the difference between an 8th note, a 16th note, and a rest. This might sound complicated right now, but believe me, it is a very well-crafted program. All you have to do is sit with them and follow along with the videos. What’s not to like?
If your kids respond well to music, you're looking for ways to do more music with them, and you want a way of teaching your kiddos real musical skills like Solfege, singing & playing an instrument, then this is for you.
Setup your instruments
At first, you don’t need an instrument to follow along but pretty soon you’ll realize it is necessary in order to take full advantage of the class. Here are my recommendations:
A bell set is a little expensive but very worthwhile. We didn’t splurge on it until the Elf was 4 years old and it has grown his knowledge of pitches tenfold. I wish I had gotten it sooner!
The boom whackers are cheaper and insanely fun to play.
If you have a piano at home, you can simply add these colored stickers to the keys. Or you can purchase this keyboard which we love.
How to get started
The program is very vast so I have created a little guide for you on where to start and some other tips to get the most out of it. First, you must subscribe using this link. Then follow the instructions below according to your kiddos age.
Ages 0-1
On the main page
Go to the Play menu
Select Totigies.
It’s 35 mins of solfege rich music to prime young ears for a life of music! You can play this anytime your babe is hanging out on the floor looking at a mobile, nibbling on a teether, or doing tummy time.
Ages 2-3
On the main page
Go to the Play menu
Select Playtime Prodigies.
This compilation of videos are highlights from Prodigies’s main program. It’s great to get them excited about learning about music and listening to rhythm and pitch concepts while keeping it light and entertaining.
Ages 3+
On the main page
Go to the Play menu
Select General Music 1A.
This is the place to start with a structured curriculum to learn pitch, rhythm, and reading music. The program is subdivided into weeks to easily guide you through it. Start with Chapter 1 and continue thru Chapter 4. Once you’re done with General Music 1A you can move on to General Music 1B and Hand-sign Melodies.
Here’s how we use it in our home:
Two to three times a week, we carve out half an hour and call it “music class”.
We collect whatever instruments we have (piano, marimba, drums, shakers) on the floor around us. You don’t need an instrument to follow along but it is a lot better to have one. If you need recommendations, visit the Prodigies shop.
My Elf and I sit together and go through the 5 videos of the week together. Then he gets to choose 3 more videos from previous weeks to review.
To end each class I ask him to choose his favorite one to watch again. After we watch it, he closes the computer and that creates a smooth transition out of screen time. (Admittedly sometimes he has a hard time accepting the fact that it’s ending, but with consistency, he has gotten used to this routine)
Now that we have done many hours of it, I also feel comfortable enough to let my Elf do the classes on his own while I make dinner or have a meeting.
One note: if you don’t feel confident that you can sing on pitch, no problem, just play along with an instrument instead. It is important that your kiddo can hear the pitch exactly as it should be.
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Prodigies and I will earn a commission when you click through and make a purchase. Thanks!