Music for Young Children (MYC) explained for parents

Music for Young Children is a Canadian program of small group classes that teaches piano, singing, rhythm, theory, and composing together. A parent attends every class with the child. Children can start at two or three in a music and movement class, or at three to nine in a keyboard class matched to their age. The last level is planned to prepare a child for a first piano exam. Teachers shorten the name to MYC.

Where it came from

Frances Balodis started the program in 1980 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She was a music teacher who wanted a Canadian method for young beginners. The first year had 40 students. It has since spread across Canada and to other countries.

The levels

A child enters at the level that fits their age. Ages differ a little from one teacher to the next.

Level	Entry age	What it is
Sunrise	2 to 3	Music and movement before the keyboard, in three ten-week blocks
Sunshine 1 and 2	3 to 4	The first keyboard level
Sunbeams 1, 2, and 3	5 to 6	The keyboard entry point for kindergarten and first grade
Moonbeams 1, 2, and 3	7 to 9	The keyboard entry point for older beginners

A child who starts in Sunshine moves up through Sunbeams and Moonbeams. A child who starts later joins at Sunbeams 1 or Moonbeams 1 and covers the early steps at a faster pace.

Moonbeams 3 is the final level. MYC says it was written so that students could take a first piano exam and a first theory exam at the end of that year.

What happens in a class

Classes meet once a week for an hour. The group is small, and each child comes with a parent or caregiver.

MYC builds each lesson around the same parts.

• Singing. Songs with actions, and songs sung with note names.
• Keyboard. Children take turns at the keyboards and play together.
• Rhythm. The class plays rhythm instruments as an ensemble, reading from a chart.
• Listening. Ear games for high and low, loud and soft, and patterns.
• Theory and reading. Notes, rests, and the staff, taught with games and a magnetic board.
• Composing. Children write short pieces of their own from the first keyboard level.
• Homework. A page of practice and written work for the week.

The critters

MYC teaches the keys of the piano with a cast of characters called critters. Each one lives at one spot on the keyboard, and its story helps a young child remember the key.

The parent’s part

A parent takes part in the whole class. The parent helps the child find the page, points along during rhythm work, and learns what to practice. At home, the parent leads short practice sessions on most days.

This is one of the program’s rules, not an extra. It works best for a parent who can come each week.

What a child needs at home

• A piano or a keyboard with full-size keys
• The MYC books and materials for the level
• About ten to twenty minutes on most days for practice and homework

See piano or keyboard for a beginner.

What makes it different

Many skills in one hour. In a private piano lesson, most of the time goes to playing. An MYC class moves through singing, rhythm, keyboard, theory, and composing.

A group. Children play in ensembles and see classmates learn the same things.

An early start. A three-year-old can begin at a keyboard, with a parent’s help.

Composing. Children write music from the start. MYC also runs a composition festival for its students.

A path to exams. Graduates of Moonbeams 3 are ready for a Grade 1 or Level 1 piano exam with a conservatory. See RCM levels explained.

Things to weigh

Less time at the keys. In a group, each child plays for part of the hour. Technique and hand shape get less one-to-one attention than in a private lesson.

The pace is set by the group. A child who races ahead or needs more time may fit less well.

A parent must attend. A family that cannot spare a parent each week will find it hard.

It ends. After Moonbeams 3, children move on to private lessons.

How it compares

MYC is close to the Yamaha classes in that both teach groups at keyboards with a parent present. Yamaha starts from the ear and from singing. MYC brings in reading from the first level, along with ear work and rhythm.

Next to private lessons, MYC covers more theory and composing and less individual technique. See private vs group music lessons and piano method books compared.

Questions to ask a teacher

• Which level fits my child’s age and experience?
• How many children are in the class?
• How many keyboards are in the room?
• What do we practice at home, and for how long?
• What do your students do after Moonbeams 3?
• May we try a class?

Sources

Checked in November 2026.

• Music for Young Children. Our curriculum, Sunrise, and Moonbeams 1, 2, and 3.
• The Canadian Encyclopedia. Music for Young Children Method.
• Canadian Mennonite University Community School of Music and the Arts. Music for Young Children.

Next steps

For the other programs for young children, read early childhood music classes compared. For the exam that follows, see RCM Preparatory A and B piano exams explained. For all the approaches side by side, read music teaching methods for kids compared.