Good Morning,

This weeks email is a reprise of an email I sent in October about your role as a caregiver in class. As we begin a new session with new families and new dynamics, I thought it would be good to look at some of the roles the adults play in the group that work well, and some that do not work well. Elizabeth Schwartz, co-founder of Sprouting Melodies, wrote a great blog post on the Sprouting Melodies website on this topic. 

In her post, Schwartz defines some examples of roles that DO work well for caregivers and their children as:

'The Enthusiast':  "'This is awesome!' Words, actions and affect all combine to give the clear sign that there is value in the music group."

'The Engager': "'The Engager' participates fully in all the music experiences in a way that is responsive and reflective of their own child's engagement."

'The Equal Partner': "'The Equal Partner' knows that it takes everyone and every role to create the best growth opportunity for children. They sing and play within the group. They also share the music at home or in the classroom while also letting the child lead the music."

Schwartz also defines a few examples of roles that do NOT work well for caregivers and their children, one of them being:

'The Eloper': "Any parent, caregiver, or early educator knows that raising children can be demanding and exhausting. 'The Eloper', though, makes a deliberate choice to 'check out' of the situation. They sit with their child and they might go through the motions of a song or limply shake a maraca. But their attention will drift off to check their smart phone, or they will look at their watch every few minutes. 'The Eloper' might find a partner and will begin to discuss last night's dinner or how expensive it was to fill up her car. The message to their child is very clear. 'There is something more important than you right now.'"

Your role in the music is so important. It determines how much your child will get out of class, not just in the 45-minutes you are at our center, but during the precious time you share at home and in the community. 

Check out the full article by clicking on the photo above. Which one of the three roles that DO work do you fit into?

Have a great week, and I'll see you in class!

~Kristina