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Now Enrolling for Summer & Fall!
Starting Fall 2026, we are offering two piano based early childhood programs
AMADEUS WAY reflects New Mozart’s own approach to early childhood music, combining years of teaching experience with a dynamic, immersive learning environment. All classes will be taught by Director Christine.
HARMONY ROAD remains a trusted program that has helped many children begin their musical journey.
Amadeus Way & Harmony Road classes are interchangeable
Amadeus Explorers = Music in Me & More Music Me
Amadeus Musicians 1 = Harmony Road 1
Amadeus Musicians 2 = Harmony Road 2
Unmatched Teacher Training in Early Childhood Music
There is no other early childhood music program in the Bay Area that matches the level of preparation required of New Mozart’s teachers. Both our Amadeus Way and Harmony Road instructors complete formal training and certification PLUS a full 18 week semester supervised internship under a master teacher before leading their own classes.
Our program is also personally overseen by Director Christine Shin, who brings over 20 years of experience in early childhood music education and 37 years in piano and vocal pedagogy.
“I have been a student at the New Mozart School of Music for as long as I can remember. I am so grateful to all of the teachers and staff who in many ways have watched me grow up… I know for certain that whatever I do in the future, music will remain an integral part of my life. I am so thankful to my parents for connecting me to this musical world and to New Mozart for giving me the foundation to truly become a musician.”
AMADEUS EXPLORERS
Ages 3-4
Two semesters. One semester = 18 weeks. 45 minutes weekly
Amadeus Explorers I & II can be repeated. Parent/caregiver's participation is required in class & at home.
Amadeus Explorers is a joyful first step into music, where young children learn through singing, movement, and hands-on exploration at the piano.
Just as children learn to speak before they read, they learn music by listening, imitating, and participating. This natural approach helps develop a strong musical ear, coordination, and natural understanding of pitch and rhythm.
Each class is shared with a parent or caregiver, creating a warm and connected environment that supports learning both in class and at home.
Every class includes:
Singing with words and solfege to build pitch recognition
Movement and rhythm activities to feel pulse, tempo, and expression
Keyboard exploration to discover high and low, patterns, and musical direction
Finger play and tactile activities to develop coordination and readiness
Creative projects that reinforce learning through imagination
Amadeus Explorers lays the foundation for confident, expressive music-making and a lifelong love of music.
“I loved that Abi made so much progress on learning the keyboard, even though she was having so much fun she didn’t even notice she was learning. She went from ‘hunt and peck’ to playing with five fingers on both hands (at age 3)! ”
Music in Me & More Music In Me
Ages 3-4
Two semesters. One semester = 18 weeks. 45 minutes weekly
MIM & MMIM can be repeated. Parent/caregiver's participation is required in class & at home.
Music in Me & More Music in Me classes are designed to build a strong musical foundation through engaging, hands-on experiences shared by both children and parents.
Children develop musicianship through singing (including solfege), movement, rhythm activities, and early keyboard exploration. Through playful and structured activities, they build pitch awareness, a sense of rhythm and pulse, and familiarity with the piano through tactile, “track and play” experiences.
Classes also support fine and gross motor development with finger play songs, movement activities, and simple coordination exercises. Pre-reading skills are introduced naturally through patterns, listening, and guided discovery.
AMADEUS MUSICIANS (Ages 5-6)
2 semesters. One semester = 18 wks, 55 minutes weekly. No prior experience is required.
Qualified students who completed Amadeus Explorers, Music in Me, or More Music in Me may be eligible to advance to Amadeus Musicians or Harmony Road before meeting the age requirement. Please speak with your instructor.
Parent/caregiver's participation is required in class & at home.
Amadeus Musicians offers a dynamic and engaging environment where children, parents, and teachers share the joy of making music together.
In this class, children learn through active, hands-on participation. Just as we learn to speak before we read and write, young musicians first develop understanding through listening, singing, moving, and playing.
Each class includes a rich variety of activities designed to develop the whole child musically:
Singing with words and solfege
Movement and rhythm activities
Piano playing (solo and ensemble)
Music reading through games and patterns
Creative exploration and musical play
Amadeus Musicians is thoughtfully designed to nurture these critical early years, helping children internalize melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic patterns in a natural and joyful way while building consistent practice habits.
With a strong foundation in ear training, solfege, keyboard skills, and ensemble playing, students develop a deep, intuitive understanding of music.
Parents and caregivers play an essential role in this journey, both in class and at home, creating a supportive and connected learning experience.
By the end of the first semester, children are typically able to:
Play 10 to 15 piano pieces, many with both hands
Read notes in both treble and bass clef
Transpose songs to different keys
Apply basic harmonization techniques
Sing over 10 additional songs
Amadeus Musicians lays a joyful and comprehensive foundation, preparing children for a lifetime of confident and expressive music-making.
“By the end of the course, my son was not only reading his notes very well but he was able to play songs (by ear) that were not even taught in class.
We absolutely loved Christine. She made us (my son, husband and I) want to learn how to play the piano... What a privilege it has been for my son to be a part of this wonderful program!”
”
Harmony Road (Ages 5-6)
2 semesters. One semester = 18 wks, 55 minutes weekly. No prior experience is required.
Qualified students who completed Amadeus Explorers, Music in Me, or More Music in Me may be eligible to advance to Amadeus Musicians or Harmony Road before meeting the age requirement. Please speak with your instructor.
Parent/caregiver's participation is required in class & at home.
The Harmony Road is a piano based program carefully constructed for children to learn the basic building blocks of music. Emphasis is on ear training, solfege singing, keyboard solo and ensemble playing, ensemble and rhythm activities, movement and music creativity.
Children develop musicianship through a balanced approach that includes singing (with words and solfege), movement, rhythm activities, keyboard playing, note reading, and interactive games.
Through consistent practice expectations and carefully sequenced activities, students gain confidence in recognizing patterns, understanding pitch direction, and navigating both treble and bass clef. Early harmonic awareness and ensemble playing are also introduced in a clear and gradual way.
Parents and caregivers are active participants, supporting their child’s learning both in class and at home. Together, this creates a steady and encouraging path toward musical growth.
All skills are developed through engaging songs and activities, helping children build a solid musical foundation while enjoying the process.
Harmony Road to Private Lessons
One semester = 18 wks, 55 minutes weekly. Completion of Harmony Road 2 is required.
Parent/caregiver's participation is required in class & at home.
This class is designed as a thoughtful bridge from Harmony Road into private lessons, with a strong focus on translating solfege into alphabet note names.
In class, students will actively connect solfege syllables to letter names on the staff and keyboard. Through guided exercises, they will practice reading in both treble and bass clef, identifying notes by letter name, and translating familiar solfege patterns into standard notation. Sight-reading activities, pattern-based exercises, and keyboard work will reinforce this connection so students can move fluently between the two systems.
Students will also begin working from a widely used beginner method book commonly used in private lessons. This introduces them to the structure and expectations of a one-on-one lesson, while building confidence in reading, coordination, and independent practice.
In addition, there is a greater emphasis on piano technique and musical detail, including hand position, finger independence, tone production, dynamics, and articulation. Through new exercises and engaging activities, students refine their playing while maintaining the musicality developed in Harmony Road.
By the end of the course, students will not only be comfortable reading and playing using alphabet notation, but will also be able to clearly communicate their musical understanding. They will enter private lessons confident, prepared, and ready for teachers to fully recognize the depth of their training.
Helpful Articles Written by Our Experts
Why Choose Our Early Childhood Program
Certified Teachers with Piano & Voice Degrees
We are a group of experienced early childhood music specialists with piano and voice degrees. In our classes, we use our expertise in all three areas to offer a holistic and developmentally appropriate experience for our children. We understand how young children learn and what makes them excited about learning music. We're fluent in both piano and voice so you'll learn to sing as well as well play the piano.
We've honed our vocal, piano, and early childhood music skills at the Juilliard School of Music, Mozarteum, and Princeton among others.
Highest Quality Curriculum
There are many early childhood music classes in the Bay Area that encourage families to enjoy music. Though we believe this is a noteworthy goal, we believe young children are capable of so much more.
In addition to singing, moving to music, playing rhythm instruments, our students learn to sing in solfege (do-re-mi), play the piano, and write music themselves so that they learn to become creators of music. Our children learn musical skills and concepts that have lasting impact on how they learn music in private lessons down the road.
Now after two decades of teaching early childhood classes, we’ve witnessed the tremendous impact our program has had on our students' continual musical journey. Our graduates have gone onto study many different instruments successfully at New Mozart and later at conservatories and universities. Our notable graduates have appeared on national TV (Nickelodeon, Bravo), local media (Palo Alto Weekly), performed at concert venues in the US and Europe, won competitions, and scholarships.
Our student achievements aside, our biggest satisfaction comes from knowing that we helped and continue to help educate our families and the community at large that there is a better, innovative way to teach music to young children. That we don't have to tell families with 3, 4, 5, 6 year olds that they lack attention span and come back when they're older for music lessons.
Yes, 3 year olds will sometimes (or often) want to crawl under the piano instead of playing it. And we know exactly what to do when they do that.
““It is fascinating to watch this process unfold in my daughter....she wants to keep learning, looks forward to the class each week despite the long car ride to Palo Alto...This has been one of the most important activities my daughter has participated in over the past year.”
New Mozart’s early childhood program is led by Christine Shin, founder and director of New Mozart School of Music. Christine has extensive training in early childhood music education methodologies, including Dalcroze (Juilliard School, New York), Orff (Mozarteum, Salzburg), and Kodály (Holy Names), in addition to her classical piano and vocal background. She has been teaching music since 1989 and has served for many years as Chair of the Palo Alto branch of the National Guild of Piano Teachers. Read her full bio here.
At the very moment that a child is born, parents are often at awe with the sudden presence of a new creation, so perfect and full of potential. Their instinctive feeling for their child’s vast potential is mirrored by an amazing transformation that the child will go through during the first few years of his/her life to begin fulfilling that potential.