"My children have been taking music classes from Kathy for five years and piano for three. She is a fabulous teacher who teaches music from a holistic approach. Kathy puts a lot of time and energy into creating a program that she truly believes in and it shows in her students."
-Kerry
Building a foundation in music is about more than just learning to read and play the notes. Students become musicians as they participate in songs, games and other musical activities designed to foster self-confidence in a supportive class community. Educated Ears students develop and solidify the essential knowledge and skills that integrate musical enjoyment and expertise into daily life. Class size is limited to 10 students to allow for individual attention.
New students meet the teacher for placement at the appropriate level and to ensure a good student/teacher match before classes begin. Contact Kathy Rausch at 425-306-5679 or kathy@educatedears.com to schedule a free 30-minute meet-and-greet lesson. For tuition details see the class schedule.
There are three levels of Educated Ears classes, Da Capo, Dal Segno and Con Moto. These names come from Italian terms that are commonly used in music.
Da Capo means "from the beginning." Da Capo classes provide an introduction to music and give students a foundation of understanding and skills that set the stage for successful instrumental or vocal study. Students learn to identify melodies, rhythms and musical intervals by ear. They internalize the difference in sound between half and whole steps as they "build" chromatic, whole tone and major scales. Solfege syllables from do to so are practiced in the context of real songs, and students are introduced to improvisation and musical form analysis.
Dal Segno (pronounced "doll SEN-yo") means "from the sign." Dal Segno classes connect what students hear with what they see in written musical notation. This level is for students who have some instrumental experience or for those who have already taken an Educated Ears Da Capo class. Meter, form analysis, rhythm syllables and melodic solfege for the full diatonic scale (do re mi fa so la ti do') are practiced with a focus on improvisation, eartraining and musical performance of lasting melodies. Harmony is introduced through the use of canons and rounds.
Con moto means "with motion." Con moto classes move quickly to build advanced solfege and musicianship skills. Con moto classes are for students who have quite a bit of experience and fluency with performing and reading music. At this level, students study pieces in modes as well as major and minor keys. Solfege, rhythm syllables and musical form analysis are tools that are used to understand harmonic progressions, improve musical performance and build composition skills.
Solfege 101 is intended for teenagers and adults who want to improve their sightreading and eartraining skills, and to study music theory from the music itself. Solfege, rhythm syllables and musical form analysis are tools that are used to facilitate accuracy, intonation and confidence. Much of the song material in this class is chosen by the students.
In a Family Class, the goal is for the whole family to make music together, both during class and at home. Classes are structured to provide opportunities for people of all ages and musical skill levels to interact with music in a way that increases musical enjoyment and expertise. Musical mentoring techniques are modeled so that parents can confidently support home practice. The interaction with music fosters opportunities to strengthen relationships between family members.
For more information see class schedules.