Education research suggests that of all stages of life, infancy is the time when music has the most impact.  Share the joy of music-making with your infant and stimulate his/her musical interest and growth during this critical time.  Singing to and with infants or saying rhymes and chants provides a wonderful communication between parents and child. It also establishes a foundation for later development in language, mathematics, music and movement.

Music Classes for Babies or Toddlers (with Parents/Caregivers):

Music for Babies – Parenting with Music (PWM)

** For parents/ caregivers with babies age birth to 36 months

This “Parenting with Music” (PWM) class will teach you the important impact of music on the development of your child’s brain from newborn age to 36 months, and how to maximize this in your daily life and activities together during this rapid growth period.  This class is offered as a single semester curriculum in the fall, winter or spring; however, parents often enrol multiple times over this 3 year age span as their babies learn and participate very differently throughout this stage of rapid development.

• You and your child will learn traditional nursery repertoire, finger and toe plays, bouncing rhymes, lullabies and songs.
• PWM incorporates many aspects of the Suzuki philosophy, preparing your child for future instrumental instruction at an early age.  (More details below)
• Our instructors are trained in a comprehensive teacher-training program approved by the SAA (Suzuki Association of the Americas) and the ISA (International Suzuki Association).
• Classes are held once per week for 45 minutes.
• This class is offered as a single semester curriculum in the fall, winter or spring, but we do encourage repeat enrollment as babies learn and participate very differently at each stage throughout these 36 months of rapid development.
• Registration is ongoing and accepted at any time throughout the year.

The Suzuki Philosophy
– Every child can learn
– Ability develops early
– Environment nurtures growth
– Parental involvement is critical
– Children learn from one another
– Success breeds success
– Encouragement is essential

“This class provides meaningful opportunities for children to take turns, to watch and to listen to other children, to experiment with a variety of instruments in a purposeful way, and to take joy in their own success and in the success of other children in the class. It provided structure and repetition which are both essential in a learning environment for any child but especially for a child like my son, who is often more tenacious and spirited than I can handle! We knew what to expect and my children were far more willing and able to “practice” at home during the rest of the week….something that I have not seen happen with other classes because of the lack of repetition. Also, I gained valuable parenting insights from Suzuki philosophy, which the teachers provided both implicitly and explicitly with each class.”       (Charissa Flaman, past parent participant)

Music for Toddlers – Parenting with Music 3  (PWM3)

** For parents/ caregivers with 3 year old children

This “Parenting with Music 3” (PWM3) class will introduce 3 year olds to age-appropriate methods and concepts to peak their interest and development of music-making skills.  Three year-olds have their own special way of learning songs.  They listen, absorb, and through repetition, rhythm and rhyme, learn to anticipate what’s coming next.  If at the beginning your child doesn’t seem to participate, he or she is still absorbing and learning.  When ready, your child will join in.

Near the end of this course, there will be a “weaning” process where parents/caregivers will exit for the last portion of each class to help prepare the child for future non-parented music learning.

• Children enrolled in this class must, at minimum, turn age 3 by December 31st.
• Classes are held once per week for 45 minutes.
• This class has a double semester curriculum running through fall and winter (Sep to Mar)
• We also offer a shorter introductory PWM3 class in the spring (Apr to Jun).

In classes, three year-olds:

• become increasingly aware of differences between their speaking and singing voices
• learn to control pitch and volume
• learn to feel the difference between the heart beat and how words are phrased in a song
• explore language and vocabulary
• learn to pitch match and echo clap
• begin to understand concepts around opposites
• learn foundations of musical language  (i.e. high/low, largo/presto)
• experiment with simple percussion instruments and begin to make their own instrument choices
• learn many songs and rhymes