The ocarina--an ancient instrument for today's kids
As a fan of musical education, I was thrilled for my kids to have the opportunity to review a unique instrument and curriculum by STL Ocarina.
The Ocarina, is a flute-like wind instrument that is believed to be about 12,000 years old. But ancient, does not describe today’s Ocarina’s and certainly not a description applicable to the modern lesson plans by STL Ocarina.
The arrival of the ocarina was highly anticipated by Caley (8 years old). The fact that the particular instrument received was in a vibrant cobalt blue, got her even more excited, as she hung it proudly around her neck by the attached cord. Caley has had some piano lessons before, but never learned a wind instrument. I must say she found the Ocarina very easy to learn. The curriculum (Art of Ocarina) included uses a variety of learning methods, including tips and tricks for kids who may not have hands big enough to cover all the holes at first. Step-by-step instructions and several well-known songs are included in the book. We also really enjoyed the enclosed music CD which helps the young musician who may not be reading notes yet listen to the tunes.
Caley tried all these methods, but to this day she still prefers to sound out her own repertoire of songs she knows and likes. We can hear her practicing in her room before popping out announcing “Mom, listen to this new song I learned!”
The STL Ocarina for beginners is made of very durable hard plastics (*****). It is easy to use due to both shape and size. (*****). If you wonder why that is an advantage, just ask someone who played the tuba and had to lug it to and from practices. We do wish though that we would know more about what type of plastics that the instrument is made of (*). There is no information on the website about it and not much information available on the topic upon inquiry. We were assured though that the product is lead free. As mentioned above our little Piping Piper used the curriculum with ease and it is kids-user-friendly (*****). We also love the idea of music education for the summer as such pactice not only strengthens creativity and artistic expression, but mathematical patterns and problem solving as well. The price for both the instrument and curriculum is affordable, a huge plus in today’s budget conscious market (*****). The beginner’s Ocarina sells for $10 on its own or with the Art of Ocarina method book for $32.
Total Review: ****
For more information or to order visit STL Ocarina
Note: SummerCounts was not a paid reviewer for this product. However we did receive the product as a gift for review purposes.
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