Throughout most of the class, Tye watched the leader sing with wide eyes. About 45 minutes into class, when instruments were once again distributed, Tye jumped out of my lap and grabbed a xylophone and drum stick and went to town. With the high noise level of so many young children (and parents) pounding away on instruments, Tye lost her inhibitions and finally began singing as she played the xylophone, then the triangle, then the tambourine, then a drum.
Today's leader is a woman in her 50s or 60s with somewhat-unruly gray curly hair, thick glasses, and a warm kindergarten-teacher appeal. Previous students ran into the room and immediately bombarded her with hugs. When Tye stuck a maraca in her mouth, the teacher was quick to say, "Oh, how wonderful that you're using all your senses to explore the music!" before she whispered to me the location of the "slobber bucket." Our class is a mixed-ages class, which I love because it provides Tye with opportunity to observe and imitate other children, not just adults. As she becomes more active during class, she'll have other children to share in her enthusiasm.
Music plays a large role in our lives every day, from listening to songs as we do chores to singing about what is happening next in the day to banging spoons on pots and pans. While Tye has plenty of access to music at home, I'm looking forward to seeing her blossom in a group setting as she learns to interact with the music and other children. Below is the greeting song sung at all Music Together classes, which has become pretty famous as Music Together has gained popularity.
So now you know what I'll be singing for the rest of the day.
sooo great! music is a huge part of our lives too and cant wait to watch blaine explore and learn about it. i know i've already got him enrolled for bell choir in 2017, school band in 2020, and steel drum band in 2024. ;)
ReplyDeletei wonder if we have classes like that around here? have to check on google!!
If you haven't found it already, the Music Together website has a link to search for classes near you. That's how I found ours. There was a 6 month old at our class today totally grooving to the music- never too early to start! Good luck finding something :)
ReplyDelete