Philomusica presents fun approach to music

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

When a 3-year-old is asked what he likes best about his music lessons and he says "practicing," it's clear that something different is going on.

That something different is happening at Philomusica, a music school for all ages in Fort Collins. The name means "love of music," and one of the most important goals of the school is to instill that love in children. It's done by combining music with lots of fun. The school is run by Nicolette and Gunter Bischof and their son, Nicholas.

The 3-year-old who loves to practice is Tanner Squibb, son of Linda and Mark Squibb of Bellvue. He's in the early-childhood class at Philomusica. His brother Hunter, 5, is in pre-piano class, while 8-year-old Dakota takes private piano lessons.

Dakota says that practicing the piano and playing baseball are "kind of in the same circle" as far as fun goes.

Mark Squibb said that when Dakota gets motivated, he's unstoppable. In fact, he turns the electric keyboard on at 6 a.m. to practice.

"We bought a set of headphones," said Dad with a grin.

Both Dakota and Hunter want to play the violin, too, and the Squibb parents are pretty motivated by music as well. There's a corner of the house that's filled with a variety of instruments, at the ready for experimenting fingers. Mark sometimes adds his harmonica to the mix when Dakota is practicing at the keyboard.

Starting young

Philomusica welcomes children as young as 1 to its program. With preschoolers the focus is on play, but there are lots of music lessons hidden in the games. Children in the early classes learn important concepts like rhythm, movement and music symbols. They also receive an introduction to various instruments, including the piano.

Children age 3 to 5 are ready for pre-piano classes. Group piano lessons begin at age 5, and private lessons at age 6. During the group lessons, children are exposed to a wide variety of musical styles, and they learn to recognize familiar melodies in classical music.

As the children get older, the games become more challenging. In pre-piano classes, children progress to musical memory games, ear training and "piano geography." Some of the teaching games have been invented by the Bischofs, others borrowed. The collection - literally hundreds of games - is "a whole melting pot of all the best games and activities from many different approaches," Nicholas said.

The game approach to learning continues through the group piano lessons. Nicholas is currently developing games to be used in private lessons, too. A computer whiz, he has also designed a coloring book as a music-teaching tool, and he just finished writing his first instruction book for piano.

Philomusica's 12 instructors offer private lessons in piano, singing and a variety of instruments. Lessons are available for children of all ages as well as adults. The Bischofs try to accommodate busy families by scheduling more than one family member at the same time.

Goal: enthusiasm

The goal of all the music classes, Nicholas said, is to "create enthusiasm and passion for music."

Nicholas grew up in Philomusica, helping to haul instruments around for his parents at a young age. Now 28, he teaches the preschool-age children and also gives private lessons in piano and trumpet. With the small children, his energy and humor keep the youngsters spell-bound as he sings songs about dinosaurs and ladybugs, with the children clapping, stomping or dancing along.

"The beautiful thing is," said Nicholas, "the kids build confidence in Philomusica (the program for young children), so by the time they're in group piano, they're ready to perform."

It seems that the focus on early-childhood music training has paid off, because some of Philomusica's graduates have gone on to win national piano competitions.

The Bischofs take an eclectic approach to music education. Over the years, they have borrowed ideas from the Karl Orff method, music therapy, early-childhood education and their own classical backgrounds. Nicolette, who grew up in South Africa and received her music training there, is a percussionist who played with the Munich Philharmonic and several other orchestras.

Gunter, a native of Germany, was the principal clarinetist with the Munich Philharmonic and performed with other orchestras as well.

"All these ideas came together," said Nicolette, in the Philomusica methodology. And the Bischofs keep picking up new ideas and incorporating them into the program.

The Bischofs started their first Philomusica school in Los Angeles, Calif., where they taught the now-famous Olsen twins as well as the children of Hollywood stars. Their home and music school were badly damaged in the 1994 earthquake, and they moved to Fort Collins, a bit further from seismic activity, in 1995.

Besides offering group classes and private lessons, Philomusica hosts musical birthday parties and in-house field trips for children from child care facilities.

The Squibb children apparently like the combination of fun and fine arts found at Philomusica. They are known to ask their parents, "Can we go to music school today?"