Music Together

Finding a music class up to Yelena's parents' exacting standards in this here mega-major city has been more challenging than one might think. When she was about 6 months, we started her at the Suzuki-Orff school. She enjoyed it, it had a good pedagogic foundation and the teacher was very good at engaging the children. Next session, we were reminded of the first precept of education: it's all about the teacher. The new teacher was so terrible -- all fake bubbly and mispronouncing words that rhymed or screwing up the order of words in songs so they no longer rhymed -- that Eli physically couldn't bring himself to go after a few classes. There was also a father in the class whose sense of rhythm and pitch were so abstract, and always fortissimo, that it took all my restraint not to beat him over the head with an egg shaker while Eli strangled him with a scarf. I switched to a weekday. This teacher wasn't annoying, but she seemed to have a perpetual headcold. I have been told on more than one occasion that I sing like a Muppet (in tune, no oomph), but compared to her I am Renee Flemming. Also, I was sick of driving down to West Town.

Next we tried Wiggleworms at Old Town School of Folk Music. It was ok and for the right parent and child I would recommend it, depending on the teacher. Yelena enjoyed it, but I thought the teacher was way too lenient with the parents, allowing them to kibbitz too much and participate too little. The other problem is that when we made up classes with other teachers, they sang totally different songs. At this age, the point of a weekly class is to build some familiarity and routine, not throw the babies for a loop. Wiggleworms doesn't seem to have any system behind it other than to play guitar and have the kids move around -- which is fun, but I like something a little more formal. There were also way too many children in the class and it was always crowded and too chaotic.

I tried to get her into a Kindermusik class, but at two different places they had stopped teaching the 6-18 month class and at a third the weekday class was full for the entire year.

Finally, I decided to check out Music Together. Yelena started at Music Together of Lincoln Square in December and we are both very happy. The teacher is engaging without being fake or irritating and she has a lovely singing voice. One of the things I love is that the class is for all ages under 4; it's a more natural way to learn, operating under the theory that older kids learn from teaching younger ones and the younger ones learn from watching the older ones. (Also helpful if you have more than one little one.) This also works well for Yelena, since she's not the only kid who isn't walking. I'm not sure if she's self-conscious about it, but I get concerned. There is definitely a method, including a book on how to foster musical development, and the course materials included sheet music and a CD which is, surprisingly, one of the least irritating children's CDs I've ever heard. And there are songs in minor keys and time signatures other than 4/4! (There is even a song in 7/8. No, not Sting's.) Each 10 week session, there is a new CD and book, so we should get a pretty decent repertoire in a couple years. The class size is also reasonable, about 5-7 kids, and the other parents are friendly and involved, not like the Trixie horrors at that Gymboree class I checked out.