By STEPHANIE BUNKER

Moapa Valley Progress

Lets Play Music recital was held last Friday night. Students graduated onto the next step in the program and showcased the songs they learned along the way. PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BUNKER/Moapa Valley Progress.

Music is relaxing, beautiful, and fun; especially through the Lets Play Music childrens program with instructor Stephanie Tobler. A recital was held on Friday evening April 28 to showcase the lively melodies the kids have learned throughout the past year. The program involves a 3 year commitment and each of the 3 age groups performed at the recital.

The youngest group, called the Blue Bugs, began the show singing the fun songs they learned throughout the year and playing chords on the bells and autoharp. Tobler explained that the first year of the program the children are learning through play by learning the foundational building blocks of music as they internalize it.

Following the Blue Bugs performance, the Yellow Arrows began their portion of the evening with their musical journey throughout the year showing how they brought the chords to the keyboard. The third and final group of was called the Orange Roots. These students are now ready to move on to private instrument instruction. They played rhythms and melodys on the keyboard for the audience during the recital. The goal of the recital was to show the parents, specifically the dads, what we are doing and what the value of it is, said Tobler.

She described the purpose of each song to show that they arent just fun songs, but the students are actually learning during the fun. Tobler explained that this comprehensive music program combines the techniques of learning to hear the music, and reading the notes as well. Music is like learning a type of language and becomes second nature to them, Tobler said.

The Lets Play Music program operates between the ages of 4 and 6 when young brains have the most aptitude for developing musical talent, Tobler said. This program begins before the childrens fingers have the dexterity for the piano. They start by learning how to listen for music and develop an ear for it. It makes it easier to sight read and be able to decode the notes on the staff better, not one note at a time but to recognize it as a broken chord, Tobler said.

This was Toblers 9th year of teaching Lets Play Music. She is excited to see repeat families coming back with siblings to go through the course because of the results the program has shown. Tobler warned that the program is somewhat of a lifestyle change because the music goes home with them to practice and learn in order to reinforce the patterns.

Tobler also offers a class to toddlers called Sound Beginnings, available to ages 2-4. This class gets the kids ready for the Lets Play Music program and allows parent bonding through music, she said. Tobler holds sample classes to give the parent and child an idea of what the class is like. To contact Tobler about the program at stephanietobler@letsplaymusicsite.com.

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Local 'Let's Play Music' Program Holds Spring Recital - mvprogress