Your 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-year-old is developing quickly and exploring new activities, mastering new skills, and gaining independence. As a parent, you may be making choices about extracurricular activities that complement their new school experiences and support their growth—in music and in life. The Music Together Big Kids program helps your child take the next step in music development by blending the elements of Music Together that parents and children love with new activities, skills, and challenges that are developmentally appropriate for 5- through 7-year-old children. As you may know, Music Together mixed-age classes support the development of tonal and rhythm competency, family music making and the disposition to be life-long music makers for infants through 4-year-old children. Big Kids classes focus on Basic Music Literacy, laying the foundation for formal music instruction in school or in private instrument lessons, as well as a lifetime of joyful music making. At Music Together, we recognize your older child's new capabilities and provide a developmentally appropriate curriculum that includes solfege, instrumental solos and ensembles, choreography, harmony singing, vocal development, and drumming skills. The Big Kids classroom is a safe, familiar, fun environment where your child can experiment with new musical activities like conducting and improvisation, story songs, "silly operas," and game songs. Parent participation is the hallmark of the Music Together program, but many children of this age are ready for more independence in the classroom, so parent attendance in each Big Kids class is welcome but not required. You and your child will receive a songbook, CD, and HomePlay activities so that the entire family can continue the fun and learning at home and you can stay connected with what your child is learning in class.
Big Kids Tuition Includes
• Ten weekly 60 minute classes.
• During class, children learn musical skills and appreciation through a special Music Together curriculum developed just for 5-, 6-, and 7-year-olds. Every family enrolled in class receives a Music Together Big Kids edition songbook with activities specially created for 5–7-year-olds, two professionally recorded CDs, and weekly HomePlay activity pages.
• Younger children are not developmentally ready for the structure of a Big Kids class. To be eligible, your child must have turned 5 by the first day of class.
•While this can be a "drop-off" class, you (or another caregiver) should plan to attend the first and last class of the semester. You may attend any and all classes if you wish. However, due to the structure of the Big Kids class, we cannot accommodate younger siblings (except for babies younger than eight months). You and any younger siblings are welcome and encouraged to join the last 10 minutes of every class.
Big Kids Classes will be held on Saturdays at 10:30am April 20th- June 22, 2013. Click HERE to register!
Music Together Within Therapy
Noel Anderson is a board certified music therapist (MT-BC) and vocalist. Most recently before moving to Virginia, she worked full-time developing and implementing a music therapy program for children and adults with multiple disabilities. She received a bachelor's degree in music therapy from Immaculata University after completing her clinical internship at Kardon Institute for Arts Therapy, in Philadelphia. Mrs. Anderson continued her education by obtaining her certification in Neurologic Music Therapy from the Robert F. Unkefer Academy of Music Therapy at Colorado State University. She is also a member of the American Music Therapy Association. In addition, Noel is a certified Teacher of Music in New Jersey. Her experience includes working with children and adults with various developmental and neurological disabilities; including cerebral palsy, chromosomal abnormalities, intellectual disabilities, brain injury, and autism. In addition to writing music for her clients, Noel enjoys writing her own personal music. She also regularly performed in her hometown as a soloist and chorister in area churches and fundraisers. Noel is currently pursuing her Master of Music Therapy at Temple University. Visit Noel's website at http://www.wix.com/noey543/anderson-music-therapy -----------------------------------------
What is Music Therapy? Music Therapy uses music and music related activities to promote emotional, cognitive, social and physical growth. It is typically used to support non-musical goals. Music Therapy is a creative, flexible and sometimes spontaneous means of using the appeal of music to help people of all ages and abilities. For more information, refer to www.musictherapy.org.
What to expect from Music Therapy?
After assessing the strengths and needs of each child, the qualified music therapist provides the indicated treatment including creating, singing, moving to, and/or listening to music.
Through musical involvement in the therapeutic context, clients' abilities are strengthened and transferred to other areas of their lives.
Music therapy also provides avenues for communication that can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words. The use of augmentative and alternative communication devices in class are encouraged.
Research in music therapy supports its effectiveness in many areas such as: overall physical rehabilitation and facilitating movement, increasing people's motivation to become engaged in their treatment, providing emotional support for clients and their families, and providing an outlet for expression of feelings.
(American Music Therapy Association)
