Master Ocarina Maker Interviewed     More ocarina pictures     Listen To Our Ocarinas

Do They Have to Start Learning to Read Music In Unit One? Not necessarily. Though I have had good success teaching children as young as six to read music, there is no set age for starting, and the parent or teacher must decide if a child is ready. In the case of children whose young age or special needs would make reading music especially difficult, the songs can be learned by singing together. Be warm, affirming, patient, and have lots of fun singing and clapping, singing slow, singing fast, singing loud, singing soft… After the child can sing or hum the melody, then you can begin to learn to play it, sometimes just a couple notes at a time and sometimes learning to play only part of a song in one sitting. (How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.) The three songs in Unit One of the Learning to Play Mountain Ocarinas^® curriculum are a perfect place to start.