Charlotte
 
What is Music Together?
 
• A fun family music program for parents and children ages birth through four

• Parent participation – regardless of the parent’s own music ability – is essential to creating the stimulating musical environment that all children need to develop their musical intelligence.

• A high quality, developmentally appropriate research-based curriculum with playful activities.

• Children participate at their own level and when they are ready. There is no performance pressure. Children are not required to sit still; rather, they are encouraged to respond spontaneously to the musical environment.

• Music Together is a national program, with a center located in Charlotte, NC. It was started in 1987 by Kenneth K. Guilmartin and Lili Levinowtiz, and is based in Princeton, NJ. Music Together is located in over 40 states and many foreign countries, and currently serves over 1400 communities.

 
Tell me about the classes.
 
• Weekly 45-minute classes
• 9-week semester
• Three semesters a year Fall, Winter & Spring and a 6 week Summer session
• Mixed ages - birth to 4 years

 
How does a mixed-age class work?
 
• The curriculum is designed to teach on many levels of complexity at once.

• Children of the same age are not necessarily in the same stage of musical development.

• The activities are also parent-child oriented, not child-child, so children don’t need to be with children of the same age.

• Early childhood educators are recommending mixed age groupings now as better for social and self-esteem development; older children get to be the leaders and younger children benefit from the example of an older child.

• The classes have more of a family feel rather than a school orientation! Siblings can participate together, as well as moms, dads, grandparents and caregivers.

 
What will we do?
 
• Sing!
• Rhythmic chants
• Creative movement (from finger-play to large motor movement activities)
• Instrument play (the free-choice play-along jam session is the climax after playing with egg shakers, sticks, bells, scarves and even balls!)
 
 
 
 
What kind of music will we do?
 
Each semester families receive a new collection of over 30 songs, movement activities, chants and instrumental play-alongs. Each collection is balanced in content, including lullabies, dance tunes, songs without words, folk songs from many cultures, and other important experiences with key elements in music. Each collection has in it a similar range of songs and activities proven to work with young children and well suited to their ways of learning.
 
 
I’m not musical. Can I really help my child develop musical intelligence?
 
Yes! A parent is a child’s most important teacher. Research has shown that children learn their disposition toward music from their primary caregiver. A parent who has difficulty singing in tune can still teach his or her child that music is fun and important to one’s well being by modeling enthusiastic participation. Experiencing the class, live concerts, and recorded music will teach the child to discriminate accurate pitch and rhythm.


Why do parents stay in the class with the kids?

Because parents are the most important role model for music. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be particularly musical, your children don’t know, they’re not evaluating your performance. They will see your disposition to make music and having fun, and they will develop the disposition to make music and have fun. The teacher is there for you, you are there for your child.


What happens if I miss a class?

There are over 30 classes a week in Charlotte, divided between 7 locations. We utilize a make-up scheduler that helps you schedule make-ups online.



How do I know if my child is ready for class?

All children are musical. Language and music are two branches of the same tree-expression. The reason we don’t all sing in tume and keep a steady beat is simple neglect. We all talk because we are immersed in language from birth. We are not immersed in music like this. So, is your child ready for class? You bet. They may be quiet or seem uninterested at first, for many reasons-new environment, new people, new activity. But usually by the fourth or fifth class, if you are enjoying yourself and having a positive experience, your child will start to loosen up a bit and be more observably participatory. But do remember, that there are many different learning styles, and some children are observers/private practicers. In truth, about 50% of children tend to watch for the first few weeks. Gain-it’s all about the parent enjoyment and modeling.


I have an infant. Should I take the babies class or the mixed age class?

There have certainly been many 2 or 3 month babies who have started MT in a regular mixed age class. If this is your decision, then your instructor will give you specific directions for interacting with your baby for the activities. However, we do offer a babies class for newborns to not yet crawling, usually 8 months old or so. The babies class is a regular 45 minute class. There is more talk about development, and more time for parent sharing and feedback, specific to babies

 
Do infants really benefit?
 
Yes!  Infants’ participation will be passive at first, as they actively absorb what they are seeing, hearing and feeling. By reading the parent guide and through parent education in the class, parents will learn to recognize their infants’ musical responses and observe them reaching musical milestones. As their bodies and nervous systems mature, the infants will be able to show progressively more complex musical responses and evidence of song recognition. Parents will learn in class how to enhance their child’s musical development, and to create or enhance their musical bond with their child.

 
How is Music Together different from other children’s music programs?
 
• Music Together fosters family music-making, so mixed-aged classes teach family groups how to play together with music, bringing a joyful human experience back into family life.

• Music Together classes are 45 minutes (not 30), providing a longer, effective class which is well-paced and well matched to the child’s way of learning and providing more opportunities for varied experiences.

• Music Together does not organize class content around themes and ages as other programs do. These themes are more apt to reflect an adults’ concept of music education than a child’s’ way of experiential learning. Music Together provides many and varied experiences, with very little explanation or directed teaching.
 
• Parent involvement is a centerpiece of the Music Together experience. We consider the parents to be students as well as the children; therefore it is a family program. Music Together educates the parents about basic music development in childhood and involves them actively in all activities. At home, parents and caregivers are asked to play, sing and move with their child, both with and without Music Together recordings.

 
How much does it cost?
 
• Go to the "Register for a Class" option above to see current rates.