Musical Beginnings

Musical Beginnings is an early childhood music and movement program that invites babies, toddlers, and pre-school children ages 0 to 5-years to experience the world around them through singing, movement, listening, playing, and creating music.

The classes offer developmentally appropriate activities that nurture your child's innate joy and musical ability. In addition to being a time for joyful music-making, these classes lay a solid foundation for future musical experiences such as choir, piano, and other instrument lessons.

Faculty

Maggie Polk Olivo is a music director, composer, and collaborator. Olivo holds degrees from IU Jacobs in music composition and music education. She has training in Kodály, Orff/Keetman, Feierabend, and Musikgarten methodologies. She directs IU Musical Beginnings, teaches at Fairview Elementary and Rocky Ridge Music Center, and directs Bridges MAYO.

Sai Guo is a Ph.D. student studying music education at the Jacobs School of Music. She holds a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in the UK and a master’s degree in Music Education with a focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Sai worked as a music instructor at both the Berklee Institute for Arts Education and Special Needs (BIAESN) and Boston Public School (BPS), where she provided piano and group music lessons to students from K0-K8 with ASD. Sai currently also assists and teaches at the IU Children’s Choir and MusColAbility program.

You-Ling Wang is a second-year Ph.D. student from Taiwan, specializing in general music education at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University. Currently, she serves as an Associate Instructor at the Jacobs School of Music, teaching the course "Teaching Music in the Elementary Classroom."

For more information, contact Maggie Olivo at smpolk@iu.edu; or call 812-361-9332.

Schedule

Spring 2025 Semester
Date	Event
Monday, February 17	Cycle of Seasons: Classes begin
Tuesday, February 18	BloomingSongs: Classes begin
March 17 - 21	Spring Break, no classes
Monday, April 28	Cycle of Seasons: Classes conclude
Tuesday, April 29	BloomingSongs: Classes conclude

Summer 2025 Day Camp
Date	Event
Monday, June 9	Classes begin
Friday, June 13	Classes conclude

Class Offerings

Instructors: Sai Guo

Spring Semester: February 18 - April 29, 2025

Meeting Time: Tuesdays, 5 - 5:30PM or 5:45 - 6:15PM

Location: First Presbyterian Church

Additional Notes: 1) Access to audio and activities is included in the rate of tuition.

Instructor:You-Ling Wang

Spring Semester: February 17 - April 28, 2025

Meeting Time: Mondays, 5:30 - 6:00PM

Location: First Presbyterian Church

Additional Notes: 1) Access to audio and activities is included in the rate of tuition.

Tuition and deadlines

Tuition

BloomingSongs - $155
Cycle of Seasons (w/out Materials) - $155
Cycle of Seasons (w/Materials) - $190
- $50 non-refundable enrollment deposit due at registration (credited towards tuition). If you do not wish to pay tuition in full at the time of initial registration, please do not select the tuition option prior to completing registration, however tuition must be paid in full by the payment deadline in order to participate in the program.

Deadlines

Financial aid - February 1, 2025
Registration and payment due - February 16, 2025