In Mayo Shimonishi’s class, Shuvashish Sharma, Devashish Sharma, and Sambandh Deep Lepcha were jumping and jiving to an African tune.
“You need to listen to music,” Shimonishi, one of KJC’s instructors who is a children-class specialist from Japan, said to excite and encourage the children.
“It’s fun to come here on Saturdays,” said nine-year-old Shuvashish who studies in grade three at DAV. Adding to that, Devashish and Sambandh, students at Rato Bangla, said they also learn piano at KJC.”
The 45-minute Saturday class helps children to “feel the music and follow the rhythm of the music with dance,” Shimonishi said. “It’s an introduction to music. Before they start playing, children can have a little idea about how music works.”
The children’s music program was developed in 2006 to create a fun environment for children to learn music, said Mariano E. Abello, director of KJC.
“We think they’re small; but if you teach them and have fun with them, that’s how they learn. They like to have fun and we [instructors] need to adapt to that,” he added.
He also said that parents and children need to take music as a serious profession, and a creative form of art.
KJC offers different classes on music for children from three to 12 years, two days a week—Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. And from March 29, the institution is also offering a 10-day KJC Spring Camp.
During the camp from March 29 to April 9, children will spend an entire day at the KJC center and will be involved in different activities such as music, theater, dance, arts and craft, and will prepare a show at the end of the camp, Abello said.
Deena Lamichane, a parent who was at KJC to observe one of the classes for her son, said a program as such this helps develop a child mentally.
“It’s refreshment for them,” she said. “It’s like a stress reliever, and something they can do apart from their education.”
The camp will be conducted by Shimonishi and Shreeti Pradhan, the latter a teacher for musical theater lessons.
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