Music Together

All children are musical. That is a foundational belief driving the Music Together philosophy. As your baby grows, he babbles, learns to communicate through movement and sound and eventually through words. It is our hope that this program will allow you and your child to play, move, sing and dance together in a safe, supporting atmosphere. These classes create a foundation for your child to truly love and enjoy music making throughout his life.

What is Music Together?

• A community of families sharing songs, instrument play, rhythm chants, and movement activities in a relaxed, non-performance-oriented setting.
• A research based music program that integrates diverse musical modes, meters and cultural heritages into each class to best support your family’s musical development.
• A program committed to age-appropriate, non-formal instruction which encourages both enjoyment and excellence.

Who should attend Music Together Classes?

If you have a child age 0 to 4 years,
If you notice your child responding to music, or singing and dancing spontaneously,
If you want to pass on your love of music to your children,
If you want to strengthen your relationship with your children by learning to speak a common language through music,
or
If you just like playing, singing, and having fun with your kids,

Then Music Together is for you!

What do we do in a Music Together Class?

Every class is filled with singing and movement. Each semester, every family receives two CDs and a Songbook filled with new and interesting music. In class, we sing and move together guided by the teacher so that certain musical elements are highlighted in each song. The teacher also uses Parent Education Moments to help parents support their children’s love of music at home.

What are Mixed Age Classes?

Music Together classes are typically structured so the entire family can attend the same class. To do this, all children, infants to four-year-olds, participate in the same class. Early childhood educators are now recommending mix-age grouping as a better learning environment. Older children learn from being in a leadership role, and younger children benefit from the example of the older children.

These classes work well because classes focus mainly on the parent/child interaction and the curriculum is designed to teach on many levels of complexity at once. It is also important to remember that not all children of similar age are at the same level of musical development.

Our Parent Inclusive Approach

While the student/teacher relationship is important as children absorb basic musical concepts, we believe that only parents and other trusted members of a family community can give children the disposition toward making music. Your involvement, therefore, is crucial to your child’s musical development. Whether or not you think you can sing, your child’s interaction with you will be central to his musical development. Music Together teachers support parents as they struggle through their own fears and feelings of musical insecurity. We believe in supporting the musical development of the whole family and we work to educate parents through our Parent Education Nights and Parent Education moments in class.

Do Infants Really Benefit?

Yes! Infants will appear to be passive participators at first, but even though they look untouched by the music, they are actively absorbing everything they see, hear and feel in classes. Caregivers will learn to recognize musical moments at home and in class as they begin to understand what is involved in an infants musical development. As each child’s body and nervous system matures, the infants often show progressively more complex musical responses and evidence of song recognition. Parents will learn in class how to enhance their child’s musical development and how to create or enhance their musical bond with their child.

Music Together art & logo design copyright ©1992-2002 Music Together LLC. Music Together was developed by the Center for Music and Young Children, Princeton, NJ. Music Together, CMYC, and Center for Music and Young Children are registered trademarks. For more Music Together locations: www.musictogether.com 1-800-728-2692