What's New

Music Together® Video

Watch this video to see the unique value of the Music Together curriculum.
 
READ ABOUT US IN THE TELEGRAM!

Music Together St. John's was featured in the Weekend Life (Section D) of The Telegram on Saturday, September 17, 2011. Read all about our exciting beginnings in St. John's HERE.

According to Centre Director, Stephanie Rockwood, classes involve both children and parents or other caregivers in informal singing, rhythmic rhymes, moving, listening, and instrument playing activities that are developmentally appropriate for very young children. Continuing the activities informally at home is made easier by the CD, songbook and parent education materials included in the cost of tuition. Because Music Together is based on a family model of learning, classes are mixed-age, and siblings under 5 may attend class together. 

The Music Together philosophy is based on the recognition that all children are musical. An environment of informal music activities should be made available to all children. Because today's families tend to passively consume music through recordings and concerts rather than participate in music activities, many children are deprived of the opportunity to learn basic music skills the way they learn almost everything else: from the example of their primary caregivers. Music Together stresses that parents do not have to be skilled musicians to provide this opportunity, and that enthusiastic participation is more important than getting the notes right. 

Music Together is an internationally recognized early childhood music and movement curriculum for babies, toddlers and preschoolers and the adults who love them. Originally offered to the public in 1987, it pioneered the concept of a research-based, developmentally appropriate early childhood music curriculum that strongly emphasizes and facilitates adult involvement. Music Together classes are now offered in thousands of communities in 40 countries around the world. For more information on classes in the St. John's area, visit www.musictogetherstjohns.com or call Center Director Stephanie Rockwood at 709-753-2424.
 
Families Earn Tuition Credits!

Music Together - The Most Loved Early Childhood Music Program!

Our families love Music Together and we love our families! To thank them for spreading the word about our great program, we give enrolled families a $10.00 credit toward their tuition for every family they refer! That's right, if your friends enroll for a semester, you earn a $10.00 credit toward your tuition.  Even better, there is no limit to how many $10.00 credits a family can earn!  Our happy families are our best advertisement, so keep telling your friends about Music Together and earn credit toward your tuition at the same time!
 
Visit our national website!

www.musictogether.com
I can see that mixed-age classes might be great for families with two or more children, but I have only one child. Wouldn't he do better in a class with children his own age?
 
Mixed-age classes benefit all children, because they have little opportunity these days for cross-age interaction. The average size of the Canadian family has steadily decreased, while geographic spread has made it less likely that children spend time with various-aged cousins. Increasingly, young children are limited to same-age play-dates and preschools. Yet according to early childhood education researcher Lilian Katz, "it's not natural for young children to spend large proportions of time in same-age litters." 1  Katz and others have written persuasively that the mixed-age setting has intellectual and social benefits for both older and younger children.
 
Older children learn empathy and an awareness of others--social skills that can last a lifetime. Those with poor impulse-control tend to do better when they have the opportunity to be role models for younger children. They also develop leadership qualities: even those children who may be shy in same-age groups often emerge as leaders in mixed-age settings. Younger children learn by imitating the older ones; and, when in mixed-age groups, they often show more complex behaviors earlier than usual.
 
Another benefit for all children in mixed-age classes is that adult caregivers are less likely to compare children or expect them to reflect some arbitrary "norm" for a given age. For all these reasons, the mixed-age setting has been a hallmark of the Music Together program since it began in 1987. Children can develop at their own pace in a natural, family-style setting.
 
1 Katz, L.G. (1998) The benefits of the mix. Child Care Information Exchange, 11, 46-49.