The Core Values of Let's Play Music

Let's Play Music is a company that builds, teaches, inspires, and enriches. Based in Mesa, Arizona and started in 1998, we begain with a desire to teach music to children in the best way possible. Today, over 300 teachers across the United States and Canada work with this same passion using the Let's Play Music method.

Our Purpose: 
We enrich lives through the power of music.

Vision Statement: 
Let's Play Music is the paramount program for developing the complete musician. We incorporate the best of all musical and educational methodologies and discoveries. Let's Play Music provides its teachers, students and families with an enriched experience that holds the power to change lives. We increase confidence, develop talent, enhance intelligence, and bond parent to child by providing an outstanding music educational experience for children, using premium materials and lessons, taught by superbly trained teachers.

Core Values:
The following Core Values shape our daily decisions and define our culture. Click each link to read more about them on this blog.

• We play! and we recognize the benefits of play
• We embrace the process of learning
• We give consistent effort
• We focus on abundance
• We make the most of our time
• We communicate openly and honestly
• We pursue quality
• We celebrate accomplishment
• We face challenges with optimism
• We purposefully cultivate relationships

Our People: Meets Some Students and Teachers
 

LPM Graduate Highlight: Sydney

LPM Graduate Highlight: Cameron

 
2016 Composition Contest Winners
2015 Composition Contest Winners
2014 Composition Contest Winners
2013 Composition Contest Winners
2012 Composition Contest Winners

 

Becky Johnson (Kansas): Children learn through experience
Lindsey Judd (Illinois): The first teacher has impact
Katie Wilson (Virginia): From hating lessons to loving music
Celeste Stott (Montana): How do you teach the Karate Kid?
Jen Ellsworth (Minnesota): Teaching advance theory through play- sneaky!
Kim Seyboldt (Colorado): Let's Play Music in the News
Gina Weibel (recently Wisconsin): Let's Play Music on the News
Lisa and Joanna (Alberta, Canada): More than Just Piano Lessons
Darlayne Coughlin (Middleton, WI): Drumline, Band-leader, and LPM Teacher!
Ann Cue (Madison, WI): Exuberant Grandmother
Maura Brewer (Vancouver, WA): Music time is for loving and learning
Heather Ann Johnson (Pittsburgh, PA): Prepare for music, prepare for life 
Melissa Ashby (Hillsboro, OR): This is how music is meant to be taught
Rosalyn Ellsworth (Mapleton, UT): LPM fills a need in my soul 
Sara DeVries (Charlotte, NC): High Adventure and Music Class
Bonnie Slaughter (Utah): Making Practice Fun
Becca Smith (Knoxville, TN) :Fulfilled in teaching my children 
Brooke Stevenson (Portland, OR): This program does it all! 

Core Value: We Ensure Quality to Preserve Integrity

Here at Let's Play Music, one of our core values is We Ensure Quality to Preserve Integrity.

I've been thinking about quality amid the holiday season. The flashy sales are all around, tempting me to buy all sorts of stuff at a super-discount price. But wait a minute, is this stuff really what I want? Maybe I should examine it a little more carefully first.

Do I really want this stuff?

Has your kiddo ever begged for something that looked tempting and pretty in its packaging, but it fell apart after she played with it a few times?  Perhaps that super-saver-discount deal was no deal at all.  We don't want to get bamboozled into buying junk.  We want to invest our time and money in quality items and experiences.  (Read our post on Smarter Spending to maximize happiness this season.) 

That applies to shopping for gifts and investing in your music classes!


Cheap Toys vs. Quality Toys

Broken already?

You're a pretty fantastic parent (I can tell because you're reading this blog), so I don't need to help you identify low-quality toys.  They are the ones that seem to pile up in the toy bin for "random items." They don't get played with after the initial burst of interest, and they fall apart easily. Before each birthday party, you secretly pray that there won't be a lot of these things showing up.

When you buy toys for your children, you'll be able to find quality items by considering:

• Does the toy have open-ended play possibilities? Open-ended toys get played with imaginatively as your child invents new scenarios.  Specialized toys leave less room for imagination and tend to becoming boring quickly.
• Is it durable and safe? Can it handle rough play? If it is going to get tossed out next week, why buy it in the first place? Well-made toys have better resale potential, too!
• Is the item a pleasure to look at and handle? 
• Does it match your child's interests? Quality toys can often be used by children of various ages, in various scenarios, and maintain interest for years.
• Consider buying fewer items, but get high-quality ones you really want.

Music toys can offer  creative play
if you teach your child to be inventive with music.

Don't forget to consider toys as an experience. A key point from our article on smart spending is to focus on experiences.  A toy that you plan to use as a launching point for spending with your child (musical instruments you'll play together, a craft you'll do together, etc.) will have special meaning.  Don't forget to follow through and spend the time together. 

If you'd like some musical gift ideas, check out our musical Gift-Giving Guide. Don't forget that enjoying these gifts with your child  is the best part of the gift.

Quality Experiences?

At Let's Play Music, we don't sell toys.  We deliver a high-quality musical education.  You're a savvy shopper and carefully choose how you spend your time and money on experiences for your family. Here are questions you'll want to ask about any program you enroll your child in:

• Does the program train the teachers? At LPM, our teachers attend training for each year of curriculum, where they learn the games and songs as well as philosophies and reasons behind the games. At training, new teachers demonstrate that they can accurately lead our activities and accurately explain the theory.
• Does the program have a certification process? After teachers are trained, how can you be sure they stay true to the vision? At LPM, teachers have videos of their classes reviewed regularly to achieve and maintain certification year after year.
• Do the teachers have a network of support? How do teachers get ideas and solve problems? At LPM, we have an extensive support network: each teacher has a training team of our executives backing her up, as well as a huge network of other LPM teachers in constant online communication for support. Most teachers attend our annual teacher meeting for further education and training.

• 

  Teachers from around the country came together for the 2015 LPM Symposium

• Do you agree with the program's values and philosophies? Whether it's soccer, karate, or music, find out what defines the program and sets it apart from your other options.  I love that the LPM philosophies are based on research about how and when children learn music best. Browse through our blog posts and our website to learn more about us.
• Consider pursuing fewer activities but choose ones that are high-quality and important to your child's development now. Give the activity enough focus and attention to really make it successful. The LPM curriculum gives your child a musical foundation (preparatory to any musical study) that will have a powerful and specific impact specifically during these formative years. Get the most from the program by attending 100%, doing homework, practicing, and making it an experience with your child! In our post on abundance, some families shared that they can't do it all right now, but their child does get to experience a lot over the years of childhood.

Wherever You Go

I appreciate that the Let's Play Music program is high-quality and consistent everywhere.  I had a student move mid-semester to another state.  Happily, he found a new LPM teacher, so after taking Yellow Lesson 4 with me was able to move across the country and take Yellow Lesson 5 from his new teacher without missing a beat.  

I've also had emergencies when I couldn't teach, and had another LPM teacher substitute for me.  She knows exactly what will be needed to teach Purple Lesson 12, to answer my students' theory questions, and to help them with the tricky parts of the song they're working on. She's been through training, been certified, and is up-to-date on the always-improving curriculum and teaching methods. 

As you go shopping this season, remember to look for quality in the objects you bring into your home, and quality in the programs you invest your time in.

-Gina Weibel, M.S.

Let's Play Music Teacher

It's About TIME! We Value Time and Balance

It's finally summer and you may find yourself with lots of time to fill, or you may find yourself over-scheduled with dozens of summer activities to plan!  As you sit by the pool, take a moment to read about another of our Core Values at Let's Play Music: We value the efficient use of time and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Time In Class

Marianne Barrowes practices Ear Training using Echo Ed.

You may have noticed that your Let's Play Music teacher squeezes a LOT into the short lesson time: she pre-plans activities to be presented in specific order, and carefully notes of key points she wants to emphasize. She smoothly transitions between games, and without a pause the class is suddenly singing "Let's Say Goodbye!"  

Class time flows swiftly, but you may not realize exactly how carefully timed and balanced the activities are. We value the time you have given to come to class, and we value our time with your child, so we've planned every minute for its best use. Your teacher always takes time before class for a practice run through the lesson to make sure precious minutes won't be lost!

Ann Cue gives each student a chance to sightread

The National Association for Music Education identifies a host of skills comprising complete musicianship, the essence of what we offer at Let's Play Music.  A typical carefully-structured Let's Play Music class touches upon many elements, giving your child a broad education in musicianship.  Here are some skills you'll see, artfully presented within our limited time together each week:

• Singing, alone and in groups, a varied repertoire of music.
• Performing on instruments, alone and in ensemble, a varied repertoire.
• Improvising melodies, accompaniments, and variations.
• Composing and arranging music.
• Reading and notating music.
• Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
• Evaluating music and music performances.
• Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

Repetition is necessary for mastery of these concepts and skills, so semesters are carefully constructed so each skill or activity will be repeated just the number of weeks optimal for learning while allowing for layering complexity into songs and activities as they become familiar. 

You can walk into class and declare, "This is going to be time well spent!"

Time Out of Class

By 3rd year she's practicing 30 minutes

Your commitment to Let's Play Music doesn't end when we sing, "Let's Say Goodbye."  We value your time at home and want YOU to have a healthy balance with other activities, too.  Weekly homework and practicing assignments are thoughtfully planned to help your child retain material and master new skills without becoming overwhelming.

Our commitment to making music practice fun and making music part of daily living is a strategy for helping your family enjoy music while getting the most from your time spent at learning.

During the first year, it's a smart investment of your time to do something each day touching upon music class lesson, so that students don't regress in what they learned at class.  Perhaps you'll chose to do the homework, play a game from class, listen to the CD, or perform a puppet show together.  Practice is informal; the goal is to infuse music into your daily family routine.  These small, happy, moments are time efficient and fun!

At the beginning of the second year, time at the piano takes only 2-5 minutes, and eventually builds to 15-20 minutes per day.  We've found that it's just not worth your time to ask a very beginner to sit at the piano for any longer: you don't achieve more by forcing it.  Once his finger dexterity has caught up to his mental ability and ear-training practice, he'll be more interested in working longer.  Instead, an effective use of home time continues to be puppet shows and playing games from class, including our Alphabet Pieces games.

During third year, a smart time investment continues to be for you to sit with your child during the first few practices each week to make sure he understands the tricky bits.  Practice time grows longer and more intense, so starting on a good note on Monday means you've paid your dues and can listen from the distant kitchen on Friday.

Time Of Our Lives
Many parents ask, "Is it worth my time and effort to learn everything my child is learning?" By the end of second year, and definitely in third year, that will probably require some practice time of your own at the piano. 

I tell my clients, "Congratulations! You've won a wonderful scholarship! Even though you are only paying for lessons for your child, we have granted you a scholarship to have music lessons for FREE!"  It's a wonderful gift, so be sure to think carefully before turning it down.  You have already invested the time in attending class with your child, and you already sit with her for at least a few of her practices each week.  Your teacher sends emails that explain the theory and logic behind exercises (which are not often shared with the students up front) and she's available to explain it again if you need extra help.  

Parents in Katie Wilson's studio have invested the time to come to class with their children.

You've already put in 75% percent of the commitment; this is the sweetest opportunity you're going to get to finally learn to play AND it will give you a chance to bond with your child over music.  Ask HER to show you how to play a tricky part, and then play a duet together!

Nevertheless, it is strongly recommended that you invest the time to master the second year material.  These skills will be invaluable as you help during home practice.  If you fall a little behind during third year, we understand: you need some life balance!
After three years of Let's Play Music, you and your child will have amassed hundreds of hours of memories spent enjoying class together, working at a new skill together, smiling, laughing, and bonding.  Yes, your child will have become a musician, and she'll have the experience of getting there with you, and that's time well spent. Time For Our Teachers
The majority of our teachers are mothers with young families to care for, households to run, dinners to prepare and carpools to drive! We want YOU to have a happy, focused, sane teacher when class time begins, and we want HER to be energized by seeing her students each week.  We value her relationships with her children as much as we value and strengthen your relationships with your children. This is why we make great efforts to coach our teachers on balancing work and family life. 

Each year in June, we host a weekend teachers' symposium filled with workshops, planning, and playful time spent with fellow Let's Play Music enthusiasts.  In 2012, our theme was It's About Time; the entire weekend was dedicated to strengthening our teachers by helping them manage their studios alongside their precious family commitments.  

A strong network of connection and support is in place to help teachers efficiently master the workings of a studio and quickly manage business details so they can stay balanced in all aspects life.  If you've been considering using your talent for music and teaching to start a business, Let's Play Music provides a warm and nurturing that cares about YOU and your family.


Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our Core Values.  They define how we operate and who we are as a community.

-Gina Weibel, M.S.
Let's Play Music Teacher

Smarter Spending Through Music Lessons

Priceless Moments
The full moon shone brightly through the upstairs bedroom window and illuminated the faces of my two sleeping children. Their soft, cherub faces with parted lips and closed eyes looked so peaceful and innocent. I snuggled between them, feeling the warmth of their little bodies, smelling their sweetness, and hearing their soft breaths. I should probably go into my own bed now, I thought, but I stayed a few minutes longer, cherishing the feelings of motherly love that filled me to the brim. Moments like these are priceless.

There's no need to purchase anything to experience many of the joys in life. Yet we all need money to survive and for so many things on a daily basis. What does the scientific research say about money and happiness? How can Let's Play Music classes help you and your family increase your happiness?

Happy Money
Inspired by the book, "Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending" by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton, I will touch on the answers to these questions.

 "Happy Money" outlines 5 basic principles that relate to how we spend money and our happiness level:

• Buy Experiences
• Make it a treat
• Buy time
• Pay Now, Consume Later
• Invest in Others

The wonderful Let's Play Music program allows you to utilize all these principles to increase your happiness. Here are some great quotes from the book along with some of my thoughts on how they relate to music class.
   
1. Buy Experiences:

"Think of purchases you've made with the goal of increasing your own happiness. Consider one purchase that was a material thing, a tangible object that you could keep, like a piece of jewelry of furniture, some clothing, or a gadget. Now think about a purchase you made that gave you a life experience -- perhaps a trip, a concert, or a special meal, If you're like most people, remembering the experience brings to mind friends and family, sights and smells. Which of these purchases made you happier? Faced with this question, some 57% of Americans reported that the experiential purchase made them happier than the material purchase, while only 34% reported the opposite."


Parents who spend money on Let's Play Music classes for their child are not only enriching their child's life with music, but also ensuring many unique and positive experiences. Children love coming to class because it's so fun.

Parents enjoy coming to class because it allows them to also experience the magic of Let's Play Music and create special bonding moments with their child. Parents pick up on ways to carry the experiences from class into their everyday lives.

"Research shows that experiences provide more happiness than material goods in part because experiences are more likely to make us feel connected to others. Experiential purchases not only provide us with entertaining anecdotes, but also add texture to our broader life stories."

2. Make It a Treat: 

 

"The more we're exposed to something, the more its impact diminishes."

So maybe it's a good thing we don't have music class every day! Several parents have told me about their child waking up every day and asking, "Is today music class?" I love their enthusiasm!

"In a study of working adults in Belgium, wealthier individuals reported a lower proclivity to savor life's little pleasures. They were less likely to say that they would pause to appreciate a beautiful waterfall on a hike or stay present in the moment during a romantic weekend getaway. This phenomenon helps explain why the relationship between income and happiness is weaker than many people expect. At the same time that money increases our happiness by giving us access to all kinds of wonderful things, knowing we have access to wonderful things undermines our happiness by reducing our tendency to appreciate life's small joys."

What a disturbing paradox! Here I thought having more money would make me happier. It turns out that's not true. We just need to appreciate all that we already have. Oprah Winfrey said, "The single greatest thing you can do to change your life today would be to start being grateful for what you have."

Research shows that just thinking about money can make you enjoy the pleasures of life less. So once your tuition is paid, forget about the money, and enjoy the special moments and fun times.

"Knowing that something won't last forever can make us appreciate it more. Recognizing that an end is near holds a key to happiness, helping us turn readily available comforts back into treats."

Sometimes it seems to take forever for our children to mature, but truly childhood is a fleeting experience. Children's minds only stay so malleable for a short while. Taking advantage of the music learning window makes such a difference in their lives. At the end of the three years of Let's Play Music (and possibly two years of Sound Beginnings before that), it will seem like the time has flown by!

3. Buy Time:

"What matters most for human well-being: social relationships. People experience the most positive moods of the day while spending time with family and friends. A recent study with a nationally representative sample of Americans revealed that playing with children produced more positive feelings than almost any other common daily activity."

How lucky I am to be able to spend time each week playing with and teaching children! I love that parents get to attend class with their children (twice-a-month during the 1st year, and once-a-month during the 2nd and 3rd years). I always make sure to include parents in the games and activities. I want them to experience as many positive feelings as their children!

Coming to music class and practicing the piano can mean less time in front of the television. "The average American spends the equivalent of two months per year watching television. In many countries, people spend almost as much time watching TV as they do working. If our choices reveal what we like best, TV must be pretty much the most super-terrific thing ever. And yet, study and study shows that people experience less pleasure while watching TV than while engaging in more active forms of leisure, including walking the dog. More than any other activity, television appears responsible for the failure of the U-index (a measure of happiness) to budge over the past four decades. Although people today spend less time doing unpleasant activities such as household chores, television has sucked up much of this newly available time while providing little emotional payoff. In a sample of over one hundred thousand people from thirty-two European counties, individuals who watched more than thirty minutes of television per day were less satisfied with their lives than people who watched TV for under half an hour. Watching the occasional TV show may be genuinely enjoyable, but devoting two months of the year to the tube is too much."

Let's trade TV time for music time! Coming to class, practicing, listening to the CDs, doing the games as a family are all ways to pack some happiness bang for your time and your buck.

"Time and money promote different mind-sets. We view our choices about how to spend time as being deeply connected to our sense of self. In contrast, choices about money often lead us to think in a relatively cold, rational manner. Focusing on time frees people to prioritize happiness and social relationships. For example, potential donors contribute more time and more money to charity when they're first asked about their willingness to donate time. By focusing less on money and more on time, it's easier to use both resources in happier ways."

Think about how spending money on Let's Play Music affects your time. Yes, it's something to add to your schedule, but what would you be doing with that time instead? Probably not something that will bring as much happiness or affect your life as profoundly as the wonders of a music education!

4. Pay Now, Consume Later:

Imagine you are going on a date with your spouse. You hire a babysitter, who gets paid by the hour. As the hours add up you are thinking about how much you will need to pay the babysitter and not really focusing on what you're doing. Then you need to take a taxi ride. Instead of enjoying the sights during the ride, you are thinking the whole time about how long this is taking and how much it will cost.

"Now imagine that you had prepaid for both the taxi and the babysitter the previous week. At the moment you paid, you will still experience the pain of paying. You have to suck it up at some point. But how might prepayment change your evening? When you pay for something, you experience the pain of paying. But how can prepaying for something change your experience?" If you already paid for it then you are free to enjoy the experience and not worry about the money.

"Paying now and consuming later can help us take the long view, turning us into better stewards of our own well-being." When I ask people to start registering for the next semester five months before it starts, I am helping them experience more pleasure later. It's already taken care of, so when they get their registration supplies, it feels free. Some parents pay for the entire semester at once. Not having to worry about it the rest of the semester may increase how much they can enjoy class and the whole Let's Play Music experience. It may seem like a big chunk of money, but once it's done, the peace of mind can be so worth it!

5. Invest in Others:

I will admit that I have been guilty of complaining how much my kids cost me. But did you know that the more we invest in others, the happier we are? "If you've been focusing on trying to make more money, remember that giving some of it away can be just as rewarding as getting more of it."

"The benefits of investing in others don't stop at just making you feel happier. Giving your money away can make you physically healthier, and even make you feel financially wealthier. In a study of more than a thousand older adults, individuals who provide money and other forms of support to both relatives and nonrelatives reported better overall health. This relationship held after taking into account income, mobility, and other variables."

Consider the money you spend on worthwhile activities for your children as money well-spent. Investing in your children benefits you as well as them. It's a win-win!

I hope you can see how buying the experience of music class, making class a treat, having fun with your children during class, paying for class in advance, and investing in your children can truly bring more joy and happiness into you and your family's lives! 

If you're ready to put your money to the best use, find a Let's Play Music teacher near you now!


-Kristi Ison 
Let's Play Music Teacher