keeping music alive for piano teachers/students

Lately, I’ve been considering offering pre-piano music classes for children and their parents — someday, when I have a private studio in my home again (Right now, I teach piano privately through my university’s community music school.).  My goal in providing these classes someday is to better prepare young children (think ages 0-5, especially) for private piano lessons.  So, this semester, I enrolled in an Early Childhood Music class to learn about the various methodologies (such as Orff, Kodaly, Gordon, Feierabend, etc.) for teaching music to young children.

I’m excited to think about starting up these classes someday.  Here’s some things I’m been thinking about…

Things to consider:

1. Location/space – large, open room.
2. Parents’ presence – required or not?
3. Materials – songbooks, musical instruments, colored scarves, rugs, cd player, etc.
4. Class size – six to ten, perhaps?
5. Ages – 0-18 mo., 18 mo.-3 yrs, 3-5 yrs.
6. Class duration – 30, 45, 50, or 55 minutes.
7. Sessions – 7- or 14-week sessions.
8. Goals – music literacy; musical experience; aural development; building the parents’ & children’s repertoire of music to share in the home; music as expression; building of pre-piano skills; etc.

Types of Activities:

• Songs with motions
• Listening & responding with movement (classical, folk, jazz, pop, etc.)
• Fingerplays
• Chants
• Musical games
• Other activities

I think these classes will be fun!  And I’m hoping that introducing  such classes will give my beginner piano students a head start once they begin private lessons.  Has anyone offered similar classes in their piano studios before?  I’d love to hear about it.