What is Music Together^®?

Ý A community of children and their families and teachers sharing songs, instrument play, rhythm chants, and movement activities in relaxed, playful, non-performance-oriented settings.

Ý Music learned through developmentally appropriate activities that support and respect the unique learning styles of very young children (birth through 4 years).

Ý Children participating at their own levels in mixed-age, family-style classes.

Ý Parents and caregivers contributing to the enrichment of their child's music environment- regardless of their own musical abilities.

Ý A new song collection every semester for three years, featuring great arrangements of original and traditional songs in a wide variety of tonalities, meters, and cultural styles.

 

The Music Together^® Philosophy

Ý All children are musical.

Ý Therefore, all children can achieve basic music competence, which we have defined as the ability to sing in tune and move with accurate rhythm.

Ý The participation and modeling of parents and caregivers, regardless of their musical ability, is essential to a child's musical growth.

Ý This growth is best achieved in a playful, developmentally appropriate, non-performance-oriented learning environment that is musically rich yet immediately accessible to the child's - and the adult's - participation.

 

Why Mixed Age Classes?

The mixed age (for birth to age 5) class follows the recommendations of child development researchers-grouping children of a variety of ages because this fosters natural, family-style learning. Younger children enjoy watching and imitating older ones; older children learn by leading younger ones; and adults are happy because the children in the family can go to class together. Children of mixed ages participate at their own level by singing, moving, chanting, listening, and exploring with musical instruments.

 

3 1/2 - 5 year old Class

To attend the 3 1/2 - 5 year old class, your child must be 3.5 years of age at the beginning of the semester and must have had at least 2 prior semesters in the mixed age class.  The children's suggestions are used in the classroom when playing instruments, moving & making up verses.  The structure is still playful allowing some children to make up their own tonal and rhythm patterns and lead the group during musical games.

 

Babies Class

Every child’s development benefits from early exposure to music and movement. Because the early months are so important, Music Together offers two options for babies. Babies eight months and younger at the time of registration may attend a Mixed Ages Class, whether registered on their own or attending free with an older brother or sister. Babies may also take the special “Babies Class” offered as a one-semester introduction to Music Together. (This class cannot be repeated.) The music activities and materials are specially designed for parents who want to learn as much as possible about music development in babies. Meet other parents of newborns and learn some fascinating music activities you can recreate at home with your baby.

The Music Together^® History

Happy Birthday, Music Together
Since 1987

When they hear "Happy Birthday to You," children's eyes light up like candles on a cake. It's the same light you see in class as the "Hello Song" starts, as the instruments come out at play-along time, or when mom pops in a Music Together CD on a long car ride. "Happy Birthday" and Music Together also share a history that unites the field of early childhood education and three generations of musical entrepreneurs.

"Happy Birthday" began as a variation on "Good Morning to All," a song composed by Kentucky kindergarten teachers Patty and Mildred Hill more than 100 years ago. Patty, who became a distinguished professor of early childhood music education at Columbia Teachers College, taught the song and its birthday version to her students, who then spread it around the country.

"My family got involved," explains Ken Guilmartin, co-author of the Music Together materials and founder of the Center for Music and Young Children (CMYC), "when my grandfather, John F. Sengstack, an accountant and amateur violinist, bought a small educational music publishing company." When he learned that his new company had published the original song, he informed Patty Hill of the potential royalties from the birthday version. They published and copyrighted the song as "Happy Birthday to You," and set up a foundation for early childhood organizations to receive the sisters' share of the royalties.

Years later, after the company had passed to Ken's uncle, David K. Sengstack, it was the "Happy Birthday" royalties that funded a one-man research and development department named Ken Guilmartin. Ken used the funding to start CMYC and begin work on what eventually became Music Together. "I've always thought it fitting," says Ken, "that Music Together can trace its lineage back through 'Happy Birthday' to two early childhood educators. I think the Hill sisters would be pleased, too."

Music Together art & logo design copyright 1992-2008 Music Together LLC. Music Together was developed by the center for Music and Young Children, Princeton NJ. Music Together, CMYC, and Center for Music and Young Children are registered trademarks. For more Music Together locations: www.musictogether.com (800) 728-2692