About the Mixed Age Family Class

For children aged 0 - 4 years old

The cornerstone of the Music Together^®® program is our Mixed-Age Family music class, one that a child can attend from birth through age four - and through all nine song collections. Each child participates at his or her own level in singing, moving, chanting, listening, watching, and exploring musical instruments. The class provides a variety of adult-child activities that are fun and offer new ways to play musically at home. Parents, grandparents, and nannies, individually or together accompany the children as everyone learns in developmentally appropriate ways – through play with the grownups they love. The whole family is welcome for this important family music experience. Imagine an extended family with a dozen or more kids and a bunch of caring adults!

During the fall, winter and spring semesters, classes meet once a week for 9 weeks.  During the summer, classes meet once a week for 6 weeks. 

FAQ

Why mixed ages?

Early childhood educators consistently recommend mixed-age groupings as an optimal learning environment for children under four years. In this setting, older children learn from being in a

leadership role (a role they may not take when they're in a group of their peers), and younger children benefit from the example of an older child. Classes have a family feel, rather than a formal classroom orientation, an environment your child will have ample opportunity to experience when they enter the world of formal education in a few years. In addition, children of the same age are not necessarily in the same stage of music development and a mixed-age environment creates a space for exploration and discovery, rather than peer pressure. The Music Together® curriculum is designed to teach on many levels of complexity at once, and Music Together teachers are trained in the art of mixed-age learning.

Should my infant be in class with older children?

Absolutely.  Just as siblings in multi-child families learn from each other, so do the children in our mixed-age Family classes. Your baby will learn by watching and imitating you as well as the older children in the room.

Will my older child regress being in class with babies?

No. You may notice your child revisiting some behaviors they have moved past but do not confuse this with regression. Your child will not UN-learn skills they have already gained. This process of revisiting actually affirms the progress your child has made as they recognize that they no longer exhibit these behaviors. It also encourages empathy as they adjust their behavior in order to relate to the younger children in the room.

May I bring both of my children to the same class?

Yes! Not only may you, we encourage you to do so! In each class we strive to create a musically rich, developmentally appropriate environment where the whole family can enjoy music and nurture skills at the level right for each child. Our Family classes provide a rich learning environment because children of different ages thrive when they interact with each other.