Build your Child’s Mind with Music
Smart Start is a fun and engaging music program for children ages 2-5, created by The Royal Conservatory, a leading institution in music education for over 130 years. Developed through neuroscience research, the curriculum consists of age-targeted, weekly classes, enjoyable for both care provider and child alike.
AN ENGAGING, NEUROSCIENCE-BASED, EARLY CHILDHOOD MUSIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM
Smart Start™ Philosophy
Every child should have access to high-quality music education, from the earliest age possible. The RCM’s extensive work with neuroscientists has shown that music training, in the stages of early childhood, is linked to an improvement in cognitive function. Using this insight, the Smart Start program was created to nurture the core developmental traits of reading, memory, and IQ through music education. Thus, making music the cornerstone for continued lifelong achievement.
Research-Based
All course activities have been reviewed by Dr. Sean Hutchins, the RCM’s director of research and in-house neuroscientist, who has documented the cognitive, perceptual, and linguistic outcomes of children in Smart Start. Findings show a connection between development of skills, such as vocabulary size and pre-reading ability, and an improvement in early childhood musical ability. Putting years of research into practice, The RCM has shaped Smart Start to foster achievement, beyond what is expected in normal development, in every child.
Interested to learn more?
Smart Start Course Descriptions
Smart Start™: 2 Year Old
Expand your child's musical skills through movement, and further develop cognitive skills in fun and engaging ways.
The positive atmosphere of this class helps foster lifelong connections with music, builds strong parent-child emotional bonds, and develops the foundation for basic cognitive skills including attention, memory, perception, and cognitive flexibility. Through Smart Start’s neuroscience-based curriculum, you and your child will learn about the fundamentals of music by moving your bodies, singing, and playing. In every class session, you will learn multicultural songs and games with particular attention paid to beat, rhythm, and listening skills. You’ll also receive access to the parent portal which includes downloadable activities to try at home, curated articles and content on childhood development, and updates on your child’s growth throughout the course.
A care provider accompanies their child for all classes for this course.
Smart Start™: 3 Year Old
Develop your child's musical abilities through more independent activities and expand cognitive skills through creativity and self-awareness.
Set your child on the right path by engaging them in multicultural music, movement-based play, and neuroscience-based learning. This class focuses on cognitive skills relevant to music, such as sustaining attention, remembering songs, and recognizing perceptual cues as well as developing gross motor function in toddlers by encouraging them to move their bodies in time to sounds and music. Children will also practice listening and singing, playing simple instruments like maracas and drums, and taking turns, leading to musical competence, confidence, a sense of belonging, and increased social skills. You and your child will participate actively in the class, while you support the development of your child's musical creativity and build further skills for musical interaction together. You’ll also receive access to the parent portal which includes downloadable activities to try at home, curated articles and content on childhood development, and updates on your child’s growth throughout the course.
A care provider accompanies each child in Smart Start™ (3 Years) for the first few sessions only.
Smart Start™: 4 Year old
Singing, dancing, playing games - children adore this active, play-based learning environment.
This neuroscience-based class supports the growth of your child’s cognitive skills through activities such as recognizing musical patterns, focusing on the most important aspects of music, and understanding connections across artistic representations. Your child will learn foundational musical skills such as tempo, meter, pitch, and volume, and play a wider variety of percussion instruments. They’ll also play with picture-based pre-notation and collaborate in musical activities with other children designed to foster basic musical knowledge and encourage individual and group creativity. You’ll also receive access to the parent portal which includes downloadable activities to try at home, curated articles and content on childhood development, and updates on your child’s growth throughout the course.
Alexander Brose, President of the Royal Conservatory of Music about The RCM Smart Start Program