What is Music Together^®?

Music Together is a research based, developmentally appropriate music and movement program for children ages birth through five and the adults who love them.

How long is the program?

Each class meets once a week for forty-five minutes. Fall, winter, and spring semesters are ten weeks, and the summer semester is six weeks.

What kinds of things will we do in class?

In class we sing, dance, chant, and play along with instruments to a variety of music styles, tonalities, and rhythms. You and your child will also participate and experience creative movement, improvisation, finger play, and lap songs. Above all else, we have fun while creating a rich and lively musical community.

Is my child too young for music class?

All children are musical. Just as a child has the innate ability to speak and understand his native language, he also has the ability to do the same with the language of music. Do you wait to talk to your child until he shows a "talent" for language? He talks when he is ready because he has been immersed in language from birth. He walks when he is ready because he has felt your movement while in your arms, and has watched you walk. Giving a child this same kind of immersion in musical experiences will provide him with opportunities to not only learn to sing in tune and keep a steady beat, but to develop his own special way of expressing music through movement.

Can I enroll my three-year-old as well as my 10-month-old in the same class?

Not only can you, we encourage it! We believe that preschoolers learn best in a mixed age environment. The little ones learn by watching and imitating the older children. The older children love being the “big kids” and showing the little ones how it is done. This family-style learning environment facilitates participation and involvement in the music for every child, at whatever developmental stage they may be.

What is my role in class?

Because you are your child’s most important role model, she will learn best by watching and listening to you. Therefore, your participation as a joyful music maker is vital to your child’s developing love of music.

I am tone deaf! Won't I ruin my child musically if I sing to him?

No! We promise that you will not hinder your child’s musical development by singing to him, even if you are not always in tune. He will hear plenty of “in tune” music through other media, but your voice and your presence are the most important elements to him. What you (and other primary caregivers) do, he wants to do too. Although we, as teachers, are able to help your child learn skills, your child must gain the positive disposition toward active music making from you.

My child just sits there during class (or my child just wanders around during class). Is she getting anything out of it?

There are many different learning styles. Some children are visual learners who need to watch before they experiment on their own. Others are aural learners who are listening, even when they are across the room. Kinesthetic learners need to move! Tell a kinesthetic learner that she can’t move and you are actually hurting her learning process. Therefore, a child’s learning in class happens in a multi-layered way - through active participation, watching others move, experimenting with instruments and even by just being there and listening to you sing. Instead of waiting for your child to do something in class, let yourself go and do it yourself. Then, watch and listen to her at home, and you will see and hear how much she is learning and absorbing in class!

What happens after we complete a semester?

There are nine song collections, plus three summer collections of “greatest hits”. A different song collection is used each semester, so when you register for the next semester, you can look forward to new songs and chants taught with the same kinds of activities. Because your child will be at a different place developmentally, these activities will be exciting to him, either because of familiarity (repetition is good!) or because he is ready to discover new layers of musical experience.

What if I didn't start in the fall? Has my child missed something?

Because semesters are non-sequential, and the activities are designed to be accessible to each child at her own developmental stage, a child can enter the Music Together program at the beginning of any session and at any age.

How do I sign up?

Look at our class schedule and find a time and location that works for your schedule. Then  email terri@cleftonestudios.com. We will be thrilled to introduce you to the JOY OF FAMILY MUSIC^®.