(for Newborns -age 6). Siblings 6 and older are welcome anytime free of charge, and infants under 10 months old are also welcome free of charge with a registered sibling. 3rd child always free.

Our classes build on your child's natural enthusiasm for music and movement. In addition to the instant enjoyment and bonding that occurs during each class, we'll help you provide your child with the basic musical skills needed to enjoy a life of music, school and social musical activities, and to study an instrument should he or she ever choose to do so.

Music Together^® classes provide a special opportunity for children, parents, families, and friends to share the fun, learning, and joy of social music-making in a non-competitive, supportive environment. Our research-based program, songbooks and CD's engange children's natural musicality by providing developmentally appropriate songs, chants, music and movement games and percussion play for all to share - both in and out of class.

Our intergenerational outreach classes feature a normal Music Together class with the parents and children, plus an outer circle of senior citizens. Volunteers help facilitate the seniors' participation in singing, percussion play, and movement. However, the class is directed toward the families, and the seniors simply participate when and how they are inspired to! It's a whole lot of fun for everybody.

Music Together is a developmentally- and age appropriate music program for children of developmental ages of 0-6, and it is based on tried and tested research on children's musical learning and development as well as showing the benefits of bringing music into the developing child's life. The basic philosophy of the program includes the age-old idea of parents being the best teachers of their children. It offers an innovative curriculum based on high quality and very enjoyable musical materials. It also fosters and reinforces musicality in parents, supports parent-child bonding, and offers new, musical ways for parents and children of spending time together outside the classroom.

The Music Together curriculum and way of leading classes is inherently appropriate and accessible for children of all abilities. The classes have a transparent, regular structure supporting lots of fun and silliness and innovation in the details. It is a great blend of comforting sameness and innovative difference, continually pulling parents and children alike just to the enjoyable edge of their musical comfort zone.

Since the Music Together Inclusion class will be lead by an early childhood specialist with a deep understanding of children's different needs, we are able to offer minor modifications to the curriculum, a visual schedule and social stories, if needed.

A few thoughts on why Music Together is appropriate for different aspects of development:

Language development-
Music and singing, rhymes and rhythms have long been known to be helpful for many aspects of speech development, and are often used to stimulate language development in a wide range of educational and therapeutic settings. Singing and humming teach us controlling our breathing, an important prerequisite of speech production. Learning to pronounce sounds, words and phrases is greatly facilitated by regarding them as building blocks of music and rhythm. Call-response in singing, playing rhythm instruments together, dancing, learning to use props together, and learning to mimic others all develop essential skills for communication. They teach timing, and help us interact with our friends, paying attention to their actions, synchronizing our actions with theirs, and responding to their needs.

Sensory integration-
We consciously plan both the classes and the individual songs in such a way that they provide an arc of managed energy and excitement, building our energy up and bringing it back down again. During the course of each class we offer a spread of sensory experiences (in SI terms: a balanced sensory diet) in the form of musical activities: gross and fine motor, moving through space, and visual, auditory and tactile sensations. For example, we do finger-plays, jump and spring and spin, play with colorful scarves and the parachute, use rhythm instruments, and hug and rock and bounce . While humming, singing, dancing and listening our way through a new collection of fun and musically enriching songs every 10 weeks we become a community of active music makers.

Community/social/behavior-
Music Together classes are highly structured, and the basic social rules and expectations are much clearer than in most social situations children face daily. It is easy to become a part of a magical circle of people big and little, united by one goal: making music together! if you can hum one tone, beat on a drum or just listen - you are in! This program is a unique opportunity for all of us to experience being part of a varied community, and join with that community as we weave a social experience around the individual exploration of the music inside all of us.