(Oprah, your check is in the mail..)

First let me say - I LOVE the aha moment!  I have seen MANY over the years, and just witnessed one in class on Saturday.  A 14 month old boy, who recently started walking (talk about "aha!"), has been coming with his almost-3 year old sister since he was a tiny baby.  And he has watched/not watched, mouthed instruments/shook them a little - in short, done exactly what he should be doing in Music Together^® class - anything he wants!  But on Saturday.  First the walking, which I hadn't seen yet.  Then the intense focus on me and the class's movements.  Then, as we did "Roll Over", his little fingers were twitching, his hands moving like crazy!  Was he trying to hold up the correct number of fingers?  ("there..were..FIVE in the bed").  Or roll his hands like we were doing on "so they all rolled over and one fell out"?   Whatever he was trying to do, he was REALLY trying to do it - he was participating!!  And it has often happened this way - that after weeks or months of just watching in class, they suddenly spring into action!  The aha moment!  Of course, it doesn't always happen this way.  More often it is a gradual process - a baby mouths his egg shaker, shakes it a little, and then back to mouthing.  Then later the shaking lasts longer than the mouthing.  Then the bopping to a song, or tapping on his legs for the "Hello" song.  And sometimes, as we must remember, a child prefers to just observe in class - even older children - and save his musical experimentation for home.  But those magical "aha" moments are fun to see - a certain class where musicality and participation just come bursting out!  Have you noticed any "aha" moments with your kids?  In class or outside of it?  Musically or otherwise?  Feel free it share it, and don't worry about bragging!  Aha!

I came across this beautiful description of what music is, and I thought I would share it with you.  Though it was not written by a Music Together teacher, it could have been!  The many, varied aspects of music are so beneficial to children, helping them to grow and develop in so many ways.  But it is also about experiencing art, the thrill of being musical, and bonding with family and community.  A wonderful piece - I hope you enjoy it!

MUSIC IS...
Music is a science.
It is exact, specific, and it demands exact acoustics.  A conductor's full
score is a chart, a graph that indicates frequencies, intensities, volume
changes, melody and harmony all at once and with the most exact control of
time.
Music is mathematical.
It is rhythmically based on the subdivision of time into fractions that must
be done instantaneously, not worked out on paper.
Music is a foreign language.
It is a highly developed kind of shorthand that uses symbols to represent
ideas.  Music is the most complete and universal language.
Music is History.
Music usually reflects the environment and times of its creation.
Music is physical education.
It requires fantastic coordination and control of all muscle groups allowing
the musician to respond instantly to the sound the ear hears and the mind
interprets.
Music is all of these things, but most of all, Music is Art.
It allows a human being to express and evoke emotion.
That is why we teach music.
Not because we expect you to major in music.  But, so you will be able to
play or sing all your life.  So you will recognize beauty.  So you will be
human.
Most of all music is love. 
Love of family, and love of community.  This is why music is "a circle of
friends".

How exciting that the folks at Music Together LLC have followed my lead into the world of blogging!  A new element of their e-newsletters (which current families should have received, and anyone can sign up for) is the "Experts Blog".  Not that I am not an "expert" on Music Together (!), but the these people have Ph.D.'s - things like that!  The first two blogs are wonderful, and I highly suggest you read them!  They are:

"Music Learning Supports All Learning" by Lili M. Levinowitz, Ph.D., Director of Research and Co-Founder of MT

"Parents and Caregivers Are the Real Teachers" by Kenneth K. Guilmartin, Founder/Director of MT

Hmmm - Mr. Guilmartin's blog post is very similar to my post, "Parent Participation - Ack!"  Maybe I'm more of an expert than I thought!

You can read these blog posts here:  Music Together LLC Experts Blog

Tell the truth - was there a moment of panic when I announced that in Music Together YOUR participation was the most important part?  Did you want to go screaming from the room, or slink out due to a "forgotten" doctor's appointment?  And how many of you were told when you were younger that you had a bad singing voice (to mouth the words in chorus) or were uncoordinated?  The notion that you are the musical model for your child might seem crazy to you - shouldn't that be the teacher's role?  Well, just as you wouldn't hesitate to teach your child to swim even though you're not an Olympic swimmer, so you can teach your child to be a music maker!  The concept of Music Together is that EVERYONE is musical.  Everyone can achieve basic music competence (singing on pitch and keeping rhythm), but most important is that music making is an innate ability that we are all born with, just like walking and talking.  And just as children learn those concepts from you, so will they learn their musical behavior from you.  So when you are singing out and dancing in class, you are demonstrating that music is fun and everyone can do it!  And don't forget - you may not love your singing voice, but it is the sweetest sound in the world to your child.

So take the pressure off yourself, write your old choir teacher an imaginary letter telling her you refuse to mouth the words, and "Sing out, Louise"!!!  (ok, that's a musical theater reference you may not have gotten, but you get the point!).

It's a very busy week, so I'm going to refer you to another blog!  It's a great blog that's in the New York Times called, "Motherlode".  This is a VERY FUNNY piece called, "How (Not) To Calm A Child On A Plane" - written in response to the mother/child who were kicked off an airplane last week.  I GUARANTEE you will laugh - at least once!"How (Not) To Calm A Child On A Plane" - Motherlode, New York Times

Hooray!  I'm so excited to add a blog to my website!  It will be a wonderful way to share information with my families - Music Together concepts, things I notice in class, or other interesting stuff that I come across.  So I'll try and ignore my dog staring at me (no, Lucy, we are not playing ball now!) and plow in!

The first topic I'd like to address is child participation.  In my nine years of teaching, I have heard the concerns from parents MANY times.  "My child is running around/sitting passively/trying to escape/clinging to me - is this normal?  To which I respond, a resounding, "YES"!  The single most important thing to remember about Music Together class is that there is NO pressure for a child to perform - to do the movements correctly or even at all!  This program recognizes that every child learns differently and is in a different place developmentally.  So some children will prefer to just observe in class - taking it all in to perhaps experiment with at home.  And the stimulus of class might make some children excited, so they run and jump, but you might be surprised to see what has seeped in while they were so busy!  And you might notice that your child who is outgoing in other situations (preschool, etc.) is shy in class.  Shyness with the teacher is VERY common, and I think that having Mommy or Daddy in class can make some children regress a little, into "clingy" mode.  But my point is:  it's all good!  As long as you continue to sing out/participate/have fun, you are modeling that engaged behavior for your child.  And make sure YOUR expectations don't get in the way, or comparisons to other children.  And don't be too hard on yourself, either!  (hmm - I might have the topic for my next blog).  Repeat after me:  "we are here to make music and have fun!"

Keep all of this in mind as you receive your Growth Charts this week.  The growth charts will point out musical behavior that you MIGHT see in your child, not that you SHOULD see.  They will help you to be more adept at noticing musical moments that you might be missing - things I notice in class all the time!

Thanks so much for reading my first blog post - woo-hoo!  And thanks for being patient, Lucy - go get your ball!