Business Details
28 Years
experience
Music Education for Young Children in Kona
Founded in 1998, Junior Music Academy has dedicated over 25 years to nurturing musical talent in children aged 0-10 through innovative, play-based education. Our curriculum emphasizes improvisation, composition, and parent participation, ensuring young learners develop foundational skills in piano, guitar, and recorder while fostering creativity. With a team led by Mary Garris, who holds a B.A. in piano and an M.A. in music theory, we combine structured methods like the Very Young Pianist approach with interactive storytelling to make music accessible and engaging. Our small-group classes prioritize hands-on learning, allowing children to read music, play by ear, and compose original songs from their first lessons.Recognizing the critical developmental window before age 10, we integrate singing, movement, and ensemble activities to enhance cognitive skills like reading and math. Parents actively participate in classes, enabling them to support their child's progress at home. Our programs, including infant/toddler sessions and courses for preschoolers through fifth graders, reflect a commitment to making music education both educational and joyful. By blending traditional instruction with creative exploration, we empower children to become confident, versatile musicians. Our Kona community has benefited from this approach for decades, establishing us as a trusted leader in early music education.
Services
Infant Music Classes
Toddler Music Programs
Piano Lessons
Guitar Instruction
Recorder Classes
Parent Participation Courses
Creative Composition
Ensemble Playing
Free Introductory Class
Age-Specific Curricula
Details
- Year established: 1998
Highlights and features
- 25+ years of music education expertise in Kona
- Parent participation fosters home learning continuity
- Improvise and compose songs from first lessons
- Introduces piano, guitar, and recorder simultaneously
- Curriculum combines structured methods with play
Services
Infant Music Classes
Our infant/toddler program develops rhythm and pitch recognition through singing, dancing, and instrument play. Parents engage in bonding activities using music and movement during 45-minute weekly sessions. This early exposure establishes foundational musical skills while creating joyful learning experiences for the youngest participants.
Piano Lessons
Structured piano courses for ages 4-10 combine reading music with ear training and improvisation. Students learn composition techniques and perform in ensemble settings. Our method emphasizes creative expression while building technical proficiency through weekly hour-long parent-participation classes.
Guitar Instruction
Guitar fundamentals are introduced in second year for younger students and first year for older beginners. Courses integrate chord playing, improvisation, and songwriting. This instruction complements piano learning while developing unique string instrument skills through our interactive curriculum.
Creative Composition
Children begin composing original songs within months of starting lessons. Our approach teaches notation and improvisation simultaneously, allowing students to express musical ideas creatively. This skill develops alongside technical training in reading and performing established repertoire.
Parent Participation Courses
Weekly classes require parent involvement in singing, keyboard playing, and movement activities. This approach ensures continuity between classroom instruction and home practice. Parents learn techniques to nurture musical development through play-based reinforcement of lesson content.
People
Mary Garris
Owner, Teacher
Mary Garris holds a B.A. in piano and M.A. in music theory from California State University, Northridge. With teaching experience since 1983 and JMA Kona's founder since 1998, she has dedicated her career to early music education. Her innovative methods emphasize creativity and parent involvement.
Questions
What age groups do your programs serve?
We offer classes for infants through 10-year-olds, including toddler sessions, preschool courses, and age-specific piano/guitar curricula.
How do parents participate in classes?
Parents attend weekly sessions, singing, playing keyboards, and engaging in movement activities to support their child's musical development at home.
What instruments do you teach?
Our core program teaches piano, with recorder and guitar introduced at different levels. All courses emphasize reading music and playing by ear.
Do you offer trial classes?
Yes, we provide free introductory classes to help families experience our interactive, play-based music education approach.
How does improvisation benefit young learners?
Our curriculum uses improvisation as a learning tool, enabling children to compose original music from their first lessons while developing creativity and technical skills.
Reviews (2)
Stephanie B.
Feb 06, 2015
Report
Teacher Mary is so gentle with the under 2 year old class. She is creative and knows how to connect with the kids. It is really a wonderful and affordable class to expose your kids to music. Highly recommend.
Brian Asbjornson
Apr 16, 2009
Report
Our daughter looks forward to her weekly class at JMA every week. She's in the toddler class, where they spend time with rhythmic activities, moving to different beats and basic familiarity with the keyboard. She has gained a better understanding of music and had a lot of fun jumping around in the process. The lessons are always enjoyable for her and her daddy.