Rock me, Amadeus
Looking for music lessons for your kids? There are plenty of schools in Abu Dhabi, and one of the best is Amadeus Music Institute in the Hamdan Centre. We took our youngest editorial assistant to try out their Monday evening mothers and toddlers class.
It took us a few minutes to find Amadeus in Suite 106 of the Hamdan Centre (you’ll have to take the lift). Finally on the right floor, we took our place at a miniature keyboard alongside five other students all sitting in their mother’s laps.
Kids aged six and above can take classes in piano, violin, flute, saxophone, classical and electric guitar, trumpet and voice lessons – just for fun or with the intention of qualifying for AMRSM/Trinity and Rock School grades one through eight – but this class is for little ones aged three to five.
Because the students are so young, instructor Katarina uses characters Mozart Mouse and Beethoven Bear to give faces and personalities to basic musical concepts. We start by colouring our characters while we sing the welcoming Hello Song.
Once settled, Katarina explains that Mozart Mouse likes high sounds and Beethoven Bear likes low sounds, then the talented pianist plays a few short examples of each type of sound while the children draw circles around which character the sounds represent.
After colouring, the kids are ready to make some sounds of their own. At their individual keyboards, they practice making high and low sounds and have fun sweeping the keyboard to hear the range of sounds. They learn simple music terms and the proper way to hold their hands for playing the piano.
Throughout the class, the students practice all-important listening skills – skills that are reinforced using the visual characters and tactile colouring pages. After a few turns with the tambourines and more singing, the kids take to the carpet for some singing and dancing. Fun for everyone!
Laura Fulton
