Music Together® is about connecting - on several levels, over an extended period of time. Classes are playful and enriching, with benefits that extend far beyond the classroom.
When you first attend a class, at the beginning of every class, every child is welcomed with the ‘Hello Song.’ We like to include the grown-ups, too, because you’re an incredibly important part of the class. In this environment of melody, harmony, contrasting rhythms and engaging movement activities, children in all stages of development are invited to participate in their favorite way.
If that means watching the teacher, or wandering into the circle, that’s OK. If it means they start bouncing and clapping, that’s OK. If it means they freeze and their beautiful fresh eyes get wide as they take in this new experience, that’s OK.
In fact, it’s more than ‘OK.’ It is essential that we allow children to develop and grow in their own time. There is no ‘age’ that is right for music development. What is right is that we offer a playful, enriching music class experience with repetition and reinforcement at home and SPACE for our children to absorb, assimilate, experiment, and express.
When we allow children to cycle through receptive and expressive modes, they form powerful connections in the brain to understand and speak the language of music. And it is a language - so you won’t hear full paragraphs first. Instead, you’ll learn how to notice the building blocks of music language expression. You’ll learn how to play games and have musical conversations with those building blocks to support your musicality and the development of your child’s musical being.
I know - from years of teaching and from the research that gives Music Together its foundation - that
In fact, students who participate in Music Together classes as a natural part of their infancy, toddler-hood and preschool family life make significantly greater progress in cognitive, language, and physical developmental domains. Four-year-olds in a Music Together preschool program study made greater social-emotional gains than students who did not participate in Music Together classes. If you missed those early years, don’t sweat it or beat yourself up. Just jump in now, with Rhythm Kids® or a good community choral program that supports the total health of your child. Once children are singing in tune and keeping an accurate beat, they may want to participate in more formal lessons or learn to translate the music in their brain to an instrument. More about that in another post.
More good news - music classes with us are fun! Parents report that since becoming Music Together families, they sing and play more with their children at home. This feels particularly relevant today, when we have so many demands and activities pulling us in various directions. You don’t have to do all the things - just the carefully selected, high quality activities that give the most impact over time. Like Music.
Worried about school? Music learning supports language and literacy skills. Music learning - wiring the brain to understand the language of music and to express music through breath, sound, and movement, build spatial awareness and mathematical reasoning skills.
By now you realize I’m not interested in creating the next conservatory-bound prodigy. I’m interested in
Yes, music can do all that. Music Learning Supports All Learning®.
If you’re already attending classes, which songs do you find on repeat in your musical brain? Do you hear your children making sounds - or singing the last part of a phrase? Do you find music supports your daily routines? How do you use your books and curriculum recordings?
If you’re not yet attending classes, consider booking a drop-in class to see what it’s like. We can’t wait to make music with you and your family!
Cheryl Anderson Sabo, M.M., RYT200, Director