Sunshine is a keyboard program for ages 3-4 and the starting point of the MYC® Method, building their foundation in music reading and playing the piano. Students experience movement through beats and rhythms, as well as developing their fine motor skills with rhythm instrument ensemble playing. Children start learning the geography of the piano and note-reading through our MYC Critters (and their stories that children can relate to). By the end of the Sunshine program (after 36 weeks), children are able to play their first scale (C Major) and are reading from the staff. Their pre-reading experiences such as identifying like/different sorting, patterns, and reinforcing and recalling the music concepts through fun at-home activities with gluing and coloring are all part of this level. Once a child has finished Sunshine, they are ready to move onto Sunbeam.
For the best success in this level, Sunshine students should be turning 3.5 or 4 years old within the first three months of the start date of the class
If you compare Sunshine to Sunbeam, you will see a lot that is the same: however, the key differences between the levels are:
Faster learning of the keyboard critter. Sunbeam covers all critters over the first 10 weeks vs. 24 weeks in Sunshine
Moving to staff reading. Sunbeam are reading on the staff as of week 11 vs. week 18 in Sunshine.
At Sunshine's age, students require a lot of reinforcement on the concepts to build a strong foundation. When they transfer to Sunbeam, they will review all the keyboard critters with the older students and move on to staff reading!
Goals to be completed in Sunshine Program
Create a positive, happy habit of learning music
Develop the child's listening skills
Master the music alphabet from A to G
Recognize and reproduce on the keyboard high, middle, and low sounds
Play patterns on the keyboard by ear
Read line and space notes
Echo sing different patterns using doh to lah
Use 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 time signatures
Employ different rhythm in singing, clapping, dictation and reading
Reinforce left and right modality and fine motor control in the individual fingers
Experience independence in learning and interaction with other children in a learning situation
Learn the level of sound in their daily lives which can be incorporated into their music, using different dynamics
Play in a recital, either solo or with the class, in a keyboard ensemble or rhythm ensemble
