This week’s “guest” blog entry is from a newbie group member, Loren. Below, Loren captivates our interest in describing the scene at The Music Garden children’s class in Central Park. You can tell by reading his review that this father puts his child first and finds some camaraderie along the way:
On a beautiful and hot summer morning, a group of Dads and their little counterparts from all corners of the island, met in a shaded area of Central Park for a music class…and to swap their latest adventures of Daddyhood in New York City.
When the show began my 10-month old son, Jonah’s attention was captured from the moment he laid eyes on Madeline, the performer and creator of The Music Garden. The Music Garden is a cornucopia of music, dance and delights for the senses. I have to be honest, I found the performance to be a bit strange, but then I had to remind myself it wasn’t for me (see picture by Adam J. of the engaged kids). This is something I’m learning is a theme of parenthood. I thought the accordion was an interesting choice of instrument. Sort of melancholy for children’s songs, but I am happy that Jonah was getting exposed to different sounds and forms of music. We were getting tired of the guitar jams of all the class we normally go to anyway!
What I did appreciate was Madeline’s makeshift instruments. A Tupperware container filled with dried pasta and wrapped with brown paper topped by a rubber band is very different from the shiny plastic shakers we are used to. It was refreshing to see that my baby can learn to make music out of anything!
One of the highlights for Jonah and I was The Music Garden’s location. Madeline teaches her classes in a beautiful area of the park right next to an excellent playground where there is something for every age group to enjoy. After the class Dads with little ones in tow headed over to the playground to continue our fun and had an opportunity to talk amongst ourselves.
I have to say, my wife always goes on and on about her Mommy group and how much it has enriched her first-time-parent experience. Well finding this group of Dads has done the same for me. Just in a much more manly way! We look forward to our next event and seeing all our new friends again soon!
*The Music Garden is unique in that it is a drop-in class so it does not require a weekly commitment. This seems to be something that Dads tend to prefer. The cost of their classes are only $10 and you can find out the calendar of all upcoming classes here.
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