Guest blogger, Bruce R., sums up the latest NYC Dads Group music class experience with Music Together in the City here in New York City.
This past Wednesday, I took Daisy, my 15-month-old to a great program called Music Together in the City. We went with a group of about 10 other dads and their offspring at this location near Rector Place in New York City. Now, Daisy has been to quite a few music classes. She is a big fan of the baby classics, like the “Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round” and of course, the “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” But she can also rock out to some of the more “modern” tunes, like the “Macarena” and pretty much everything from ABBA.
Anyway, my point is that even though Daisy has a lot of experience in music classes (as much experience as a 15-month-old baby who is not part of the Mozart family tree can have), this class offered a little something extra.
First of all, the teachers at Music Together in the City were great. We had Matty and Shaina, and both of them were talented musicians, but they were also able to interact with the kids in a way that was really special. They were engaged with all their little music lovers, drawing them into the tunes and encouraging participation and creativity. In fact, one little girl (not mine), was so enamored with Shaina that she went right up and snuggled her in a way that I think would leave the little girl’s mom feeling a little jealous. Second, the program was varied. They sang some songs, of course, but they also turned on a juke box and let the kids (and some of the less-restrained dads) dance themselves silly. They also brought out musical instruments, like maracas and tambourines, and let the kids develop their own rhythms. They even tried to get the kids to clap along to the beat — an effort that was ineffective but pretty cute to watch. Perhaps the best thing about this program, though, was the fact that it ended with a wind-down, which avoids foisting a group of over-excited and hyperactive music lovers back on their parents. After a soft and slow rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” Matty and Shaina sang the “Good Bye Song,” leaving all the kids, and many of the dads, wanting to come back for more.
Check out Music Together in the City’s class schedules and locations in Murray Hill, Gramercy Park, Chelsea, Soho, West Village, Tribeca, Battery Park City, the Financial District/Seaport, and the Lower East Side.
Leave a Reply