RHAPSODY MUSIC AND ART CENTER

As a first time mom, I thought that joining a MT class would be a good way to "just expose" my son to music. It has definitely become much more than that! Joseph who (who is now 2) has been taking MT classes for almost a year. His speech and language development has grown tremendously in just the past 4 months!!
I realize that in part, this growth is developmental, but a large part is also due to his participation in MT classes. Though he may not always sing in class he is absorbing the patterns, tones, and rhythm of the music. I know that he is watching me participate and learning from the children and adults around him.
What stands out most about the MT teachers is their genuine love of music and children! What I like most about the classes is that they are organized, age-appropriate and well-paced. I would recommend a MT class to any parent who wants a positive experience with their child!

It does not seem possible that my daughter has been taking Janet Billings’ music class for three years now. My now four year old, Paxton, and I began taking Music Together^® classes after a friend raved about the classes. “You have to try it...it is so much fun,” she offered. I was excited at the prospect as I love music and wish that for my daughter. It was after only one class that we knew we had found a fantastic program and teacher.

As we enter our ninth session, I am so delighted with Paxton’s growth and development. Through her experiences in the Music Together and art classes, she has learned so many things. Among them are fundamentals of rhythm, tone and patterning. Furthermore, the importance of sharing and patience through cooperative play, the LOVE of the music, but best of all she has learned to have fun! As a very shy girl, other programs have proven to be somewhat overwhelming or fearsome for her. But with the guidance and support of the phenomenal teachers at Rhapsody Music and Art, Paxton has gradually relaxed and enjoyed herself!

As a teacher myself, I am aware that there are many diverse teaching styles. A common goal is often instruction in “material.” I do know that a true educator is one who understands his student and can relate specifically to his or her needs. This is something that not all teachers are accomplished at doing. Paxton and I have had the privilege of participating in Janet’s Music class and Christina’s art class. It is with confidence that I recommend these teachers to all. They have the gift of connecting with all the children in their respective classes despite the range in ages and help each to strive to attain his/her potential.

Finally, I share the sentiment with the friend who initially introduced me to The Rhapsody Music and Art Center, “It isn’t possible to leave there without a smile on your face.”

Mumma, can you turn my music on.... "Hello everybody, we're so glad to see you.... ". This is my favorite, this is my favorite too... "shoo fly don't bother me... ". This is Kevi's favorite.... Mumma, are we going to music class today? Oh, yeah!! Maya, my three year old, has been attending Music Together classes since 11 months and my son, who is 17 months, since 3 months. I am absolutely amazed at the repertoire of music songs Maya can sing on her own. If she doesn’t know all the words, she hums the melody or makes up her own words. We sing in the car, we sing in the bathtub, we sing at the dinner table. There isn’t a place we don’t sing! Kevin, my son, sings in his own language and what he doesn’t always do in class, he makes up for at home. Both my children equally enjoy the class because of its informal setting and because the class format and songs stimulate children of all stages of musical awareness. The interaction my children enjoy through music is amazing and a very special experience I am so glad I am able to facilitate through our participation in the Music Together classes. I can’t recommend a better way to enrich the lives of our children. Thank you Chrissy and Music Together!!

In the days immediately following Rachel’s stroke almost 8 years ago, we knew music would be important to her immediate recovery. We continuously played tapes of her favorite songs through headphones. What we didn’t know was the profound and extensive influence music has had not only on Rachel’s recovery, but also on our family’s ability to heal and grow together.

Having a child with special needs means that as parents we have to seek out a wide variety of therapies, treatments, and programs to have Rachel model behaviors from her typically developing peers. Having been blessed with a second child who does not have special needs, we’ve discovered that when these two girls play music together their differences vanish and their unique abilities emerge to form a common harmony. When they enjoy “the same” songs, the barriers fall away and they no longer see each other as “different”.

Rachel is very sensitive to routines and familiar patterns. We discovered that not long after her stroke, she was able to recognize when the exit to her house off 495 was approaching, or when we were turning on to our street. After listening to Bongos a few times from her very first MT session, we noticed that she’d learned to recognize not only the patterns of some songs she liked such as Mommies Wake Up, or She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain, but we noticed that she’d start signing ‘all done’ when a non-preferred song came on and would then start signing the opening part of her favorite songs BEFORE they came on. In short order, she had effectively memorized the playlist.

We also soon realized that music was a means for helping her learn about schedules and transition between activities. By creating our own lyrics to familiar melodies, we discovered an approach to helping her identify and establish routines and familiar events, faces and activities that help keep her settled down and focus on any task at hand.

We enrolled Hannah in MT at an early age and saw that as she developed into a toddler, she not only developed her own favorite songs but quickly developed skills that helped her speak and learn language quickly. We noticed that she’d learned to sings parts of the non-English songs like Frere Jacques (in French or Spanish) which is a cultural exposure at an early age that will prepare her for adapting in our increasingly multi-cultural world. We’ve also found that before she was verbal, she would ‘sing’ in tonal patterns by herself in her crib almost every night. As we’d crash from exhaustion at the end of the day, hearing her through the baby monitor was some of the sweetest sounds we’d hear all day. Now that she has a growing vocabulary, we find that she continues to sing herself to sleep frequently with her favorite songs. Also, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that by slowly counting out loud before the instruments came out for the jam session, Hannah had learned to count to 10. This ability to count, as well as her fast-track to developing speech and language has put her preschool educational skills on a solid foundation...and its fun too !!

MT has become the soundtrack to our family time. When we’re out of ideas and energy at the end of the day, we put in a Music together CD. Both girls perk right up and start to sing and dance in their own special way. And here’s the amazing part; we’re surprised to find ourselves up and dancing, again, too! Having spent over 4 months in a hospital immediately following Rachel’s stroke, we’re keenly aware that every day together is a precious gift.

The Jam Sessions in MT are a symbol for life on a larger scale. While so much of society is focused on ‘fitting in’ and not being ‘different’ we’ve found that although we each play our own instrument in our own special way, when we play together, although we are marching to the beat of a different drum, we are learning skills and lessons that help us find harmony with whatever life has to offer.