Music Together Summer 2010 Family Newsletter

Heidi and her family have attended Music Together for over thirty semesters, making them one of the longest-enrolled families in the Music Together community. She attributes this longevity partly to Music Together being the one activity where she doesn't have to sit on the sidelines. "Through the years, my kids have participated in many activities where I'm simply the chauffeur," Heidi explains. "Music Together is different, because I get to participate in every session and enjoy the music and activities with my family. And I love singing with my kids!" How wonderful---when parents so enjoy exactly what their child's development requires.

Another family, the Demskys, have attended Music Together in Whitehouse and Flemington, New Jersey, since 2001. Michelle Demsky, mom to eight-year-old Max and his younger brothers Zach (five) and Jake (three), started Music Together when Max was just six months old. Not only has Michelle seen her children learn to love music and develop tonally and rhythmically over the years; she has also witnessed many physical and social developmental milestones, even during class time. "Max learned to crawl while he was in class," she says with a smile. "One day, he just got up on all fours and began rocking back and forth to the music!" The melding of music into their family's daily life also impresses Michelle. "The songs and activities play into our life all the time," she says. "When we're in the car, we sing Music Together songs. Zach loves 'Me, You, and We,' and Max now tries to harmonize. At night, Jake falls asleep to Music Together music, and sometimes Max will hear it from his room and say, 'Mom, can you turn up the music louder? I love this song!'"

Merry-go-round

Families like the Grallas and the Demskys, who have consistently re-enrolled in Music Together for a decade or more, are now discovering that their oldest children might not really be "done" with Music Together yet, after all. Musical activities remain part of family life, and when a younger sibling is still enrolled, big brothers and sisters often beg to attend class! Sometimes, a song that a family hasn't thought of in years will suddenly come alive again---like the time when the Gralla family was riding a carousel and the whole family spontaneously burst into "Merry-Go-Round."

Other Music Together parents have also described the musical benefits of long-term involvement in the program. Their children---particularly the oldest ones, who have attended the longest---are more apt to sing or create their own music, rather than simply plug in an iPod. "It's the cohesion and the consistency of the Music Together program that makes the difference," says mother Lauren Kogod. Lauren and her children Leah (nine) and Eliot (five) have been enrolled in Gabriele Tranchina's New York City center since Leah was a baby. Leah now plays piano and also composes and notates her own songs. "She feels so comfortable with music; it 'belongs' to her," says Lauren. "I guess there's no way to prove that her interest or facility comes directly from her years in Music Together, but I think it's a pretty safe bet to say it does!"

Just recently, the Gralla family's Music Together teacher presented them with a basket of instruments as a thank-you for their long-term participation. "I brought the basket home, and my kids immediately emptied it onto the floor and started playing the instruments and reminiscing about their favorite Music Together songs and activities," says Heidi. "I couldn't believe how much they remembered and how beautifully they sang the songs!"

FFs CDs

Over the years, hundreds of thousands of families in the Music Together program have joined the Grallas, Kogods, and Demskys to make music an integral part of their daily lives, both while they are enrolled and for many years thereafter. Continue the musical fun and learning by singing and dancing with your family, and if it's at all possible, give your child---and yourself---the gift of ongoing growth and joy through Music Together.

-Kate Battenfeld, Music Together Contributing Writer and Center Director, Carlsbad, Oceanside, and Vista CA