Music Together® is a music and movement approach to early childhood music development for infant, toddler, preschool, and kindergarten children and their parents, teachers, and other primary caregivers. Originally offered to the public in 1987, it pioneered the concept of a research-based, developmentally appropriate early childhood music curriculum that strongly emphasizes and facilitates adult involvement.
Through centers nationwide, Music Together touches thousands of children and their parents by bringing music making into everyday life. Music Together classes are based on the idea that making music with children, in the family, and in a community of families:
- Enriches the lives of both children and parents
- Promotes musical growth in children
- Optimizes children’s musical aptitude and future success in music
- Helps us all discover that this process should be FUN!!!!
A Music Together class is not a "music lesson." It is not performance based, nor is it a model for musical perfection.
It is a model for DOING music WITH your child! It is a relaxed, playful, participatory, exploratory experience. It just so happens that, according to research, such an environment, particularly in the home, is what nurtures musical growth and allows children to develop their music intelligence and a foundation for future music achievement.
What are Music Together Classes Like?
Classes are made up of 6 to 12 children, each child accompanied by one (or both) parents, or primary caregiver.
The Music Together teacher leads the class in songs and rhythm chants featured in the song collection for the current semester. The songs are presented through a variety of musical activities which incorporate:
- Fun, playful and interactive ways to focus on tonal and rhythmic elements of music
- Small and large movement
- Free, expressive dance
- Instrumental accompaniment and jam sessions
- Use of props (scarves, balls, hula-hoops, etc.)
- Opportunities for improvisation by children as well as parents
Parent education during class will increase your understanding of the relevance of class activities to childhood music development. The teacher can offer individual assessment of your child’s musical stage.
The atmosphere invites and encourages participation by both children and adults, regardless of musical skill, talent, or training. Music Together parents discover what a powerful role model they are to their child, just by having fun with the music themselves. In doing so, they often find that their own musicality flourishes as well!
Each semester consists of once-weekly classes, 45 minutes each for 6 or 10 consecutive weeks, depending upon the session.
Formal music instruction cannot teach a child to "be musical" or to find joy or inspiration in music. A musical disposition, or the intrinsic motivation to be musical all one’s life, is the result of positive, happy, and fulfilling experiences and associations with music in childhood.
You are, by far, your child’s most important role model in this regard. Music Together is committed to supporting and facilitating our efforts to create and sustain a rich music environment in your home, thus encouraging your child’s natural process of musical growth and ensuring the realization of your child’s inborn music potential.
Understanding childhood music development will deepen your appreciation of how your child responds to musical experiences and it will make musical interacting with your child more interesting and meaningful. Most importantly, it will compel you to provide for your child a wealth of musical experience to cultivate and share your own love of music and to nurture your child's emerging musical self.
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