Parenting|

These Awesome Classes Are The Perfect Way To Discover Music With Your Little

by Scary Mommy Team

It’s been a rough year and a half, and if you’re anything like us, you’ve been so busy focusing on work and school and keeping everyone healthy while simultaneously keeping the house from looking like your child’s toy bin literally exploded in it that fun extracurriculars like mommy and me classes have pretty much flown out the window.

But now that families are easing back into normal(ish) fall routines — with social distancing measures in place where necessary, of course — it’s a perfect time to re-introduce your littles to the soul-soothing, brain-building, and all-around benefits of music and movement with Music Together. Here’s why we love this unique, creative class:

It’s The OG Mommy And Me Music Class

Music Together started in 1987 and was the first program of its kind to hold music classes for babies and toddlers, as well as the first class to include caregivers (can you say “trendsetters”?). From the start, Music Together classes were designed to develop and nurture a child’s innate musical abilities. They use an active, hands-on, and extensively researched curriculum developed by early childhood education experts.

It’s Available Anywhere and Everywhere

You can use the class locator tool to find a Music Together class in your neighborhood. With 3,000 locations in over 40 countries, there’s bound to be a class near you — they even offer classes outdoors. And if you don’t feel ready to resume in-person classes, no problem; Music Together now offers online classes for all ages from infancy up to age eight!

It’s A Chance to Be — Gasp! — Social Again!

Socialization is so important for kids, and after over a year of remote or hybrid learning, “friendship pods,” and limited playdates, participating in a group class will help ease your little ones into connecting with new people (and have a blast doing it). It doesn’t hurt that Music Together teachers are professional, energetic, and warm across the board, often with backgrounds as actors, singers, musicians, music educators, or dancers.

You Don’t Have to Be a Music Prodigy

Music Together is based on the idea that every single child (and caregiver) has innate musicality just waiting to be unleashed. Classes are all about empowering parents to make music-making a part of everyday family life, even if — maybe especially if — they don’t have a natural, Von Trapp-level comfort with musical expression.

It Builds All Kinds of Important Skills

Music Together classes don’t just teach musical skills — although through singing and jamming along both in class and at home, your kids will absolutely learn to hold a tune and keep a beat. But the curriculum goes far beyond shaking maracas. It’s designed by experts to support children’s language, social-emotional, cognitive, and physical development.

Building Bonds with Parents and Caregivers is Part of the Fun

It’s not called Music Together for nothing — including parents, grandparents, and other caregivers in the music-making is part of the design (although they also offer drop-off Rhythm Kids classes for “big” kids over the age of five). The creators of Music Together know that young children learn best through play with the grownups they love, and that when adults model musical curiosity, it helps to instill a love of musical learning in kids. It’s this shared participation in music (together!) that deepens connections between parent and child and the class community.

The Music… Kind of Slaps!

Music Together has its own library of original, award-winning songs (available for digital download or on CD so you can listen at home) and if you’re looking for a balm for the ears that will make a particular viral YouTube song seem like a distant, unpleasant memory… you found it. As someone who attended Music Together classes with a toddler and listened to the CD on repeat for over a year, this writer can attest that the songs — a mix of jazz, folk, blues, classical, and world music — is not what you might expect when you think of typical “kid music.” It’s seriously good. But we saved the best for last…

Music Together Does Everything For You

Want to bond with your child but need some inspiration? Love music but have no idea how to bang out a tune on the glockenspiel? Desperately want to get out and meet other new parents but need an excuse? Don’t want to let your child’s brain atrophy from watching screens all day? Music Together solves all of these problems for you, and all you have to do is find your nearest class. Now that’s music to our ears.

Music Together classes are designed to teach the way young children learn best: through play with the grownups they love. Click here to find class offerings near you.