City Kids Music: Music Together454

My husband Chris and I both feel that Music Together has been a great influence on Luke and has kept him focused in many ways. The Music is very calming and the gestures he has learnt have helped Luke learn so many different things. Most of all the Clean up time is so good that it helps Luke to understand that it is clean up time at home even if he is not yet able to completely clean up his toys. And now, Luke understands about going to class and looks forward to it each week, which is something I find quite amazing that a 19 month old boy is actually able to look forward to something.

These music classes have been such a tremendous source of joy for my 2-yr old son and for me. What is fascinating to me is how quickly he learns the songs and carries the tune, even though in class he's fairly quiet. The songs are easy to learn and remember, but unique and diverse as well, so it's fun for both my toddler and me. He sings the songs from class throughout each day. It's a beautiful sound for a parent to hear.

My son Jeremy (18 months) and I attend the Washington Heights branch of Music Together, supervised by Pam Cecil. When I attended the demonstration class, I thought that Pam's goal of teaching the children to "keep time and sing on pitch" was admirable, but surely unrealistic. However, after one semester, Jeremy is already keeping time to ordinary pop music, and is even beginning to search for the rhythms of meandering piano sonatas. I now have no doubt that his discovery of pitch will be in the near future as we continue through the full cycle of the Music Together program. The socialization that Jeremy has found in class is just as pronounced as his musical growth. Our teacher Donetta creates a relaxed yet focused environment, where the children have opportunities to interact even as they are directed to follow a very specific structure. This is a neat trick, and Donetta pulls it off with confidence and ease. I also cannot fail to note that Pam is the first program director I have met who has known my name and my son's name on sight, from meeting us two months earlier at a 45-minute demo class. I recommend this program to every parent I meet.

"The music used in the classes are songs used throughout Serina's day. For example, our bus ride every morning to daycare includes the hello song while the fail-proof lullaby at night is Su-La-Li."