With so many programs available for early childhood music education today, I often get asked about the special characteristics that make Music Together stand out. First of all, it’s the music! The music used in our early childhood classes is rich in tonalities and meters, and it’s fun to listen to – parents and children alike find favorites on the class CDS. Music Together classes pioneered the concept of the Mixed-Age class, having children birth to five in the same learning environment, which many comparative early childhood music programs now do as well. The mixed-age model allows children to learn from each other, one of the most powerful learning tools and allows sibling to attend class together – no babysitter needed! Parent Education is a special and important part of our curriculum; we value parent participation and desire to help each family know how to create a music-learning environment at home. Parents are supported through simple encouragement from teachers, Musical Growth Charts, Parent Notes, and Parent Education Nights. We are a non-performance oriented, playful environment, where sitting still is not required! You may look into a Music Together class and see a child hopping around, or crawling in the circle, but at second glance you’ll notice that the child hopping is right on the beat of the music and the crawler may be rocking back and forth, making a sound that matches the song. So much more is happening than you may realize, but parents learn to recognize musical behaviors and support them with musical responses! Finally, Music Together is deeply based in research, especially including the research of Dr. Edwin Gordon and the Music Learning Theory. Research from the fields of neuroscience and psychology were also consulted to learn how to brain processes musical material and how children learn. And if that isn’t enough, it’s FUN! The best part of my job as a Music Together teacher is seeing parents and children make music together in a playful, developmentally appropriate setting where all responses are accepted and included.
FREE DEMO CLASSES are currently taking RSVP’S! Call the Grosse Pointe Music Academy to reserve a spot in one of our Music Together Demo Classes coming soon.
Sarah Boyd, Director of Music Together of Grosse Pointe
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Posted by Grosse Pointe Music Academy Staff
Serving Metro Detroit with private and group music instruction for all ages
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