HOW WILL FAMILY MUSIC BENEFIT MY CHILD?

• Rocking, bouncing, and steady beat activities promote the development of rhythm.

• Fingerplays, instruments (rattles, sticks, drums, sand blocks, jingles) and scarf activities build fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination.

• Dancing, stationary games, and circle songs improve gross motor skills.

• Listening activities aid attention span and aural awareness.

• Classroom activities help improve impulse control (their ability to stop an activity at an appropriate time or refrain from a socially inappropriate activity), which begins to develop in this age group.

• Children start to become aware of social norms for behavior (e.g. everyone is sitting, standing, dancing, listening, singing, following directions); however children may not conform to these norms yet.

• Parents learn lots of songs, games, nursery rhymes, and dances for use at home.

• Children learn helpful “work” songs about washing, bathing, cleaning up, etc.

• Frequent repetition of familiar material is vital for the child’s retention and comprehension.

• Students gain independence by leaving parents for listening and/or dancing, while the parent/child emotional bond is still fostered with other classroom activities.

• Students gain skills needed for pre-school and grade school by learning to take turns, listen to teachers, and follow directions.

• It is believed that social interaction by the age of 3 is beneficial for the social skills needed for school later.

• Some students may begin to remember song lyrics, nursery rhymes, and familiar melodic patterns enough to sing them at home (some children may occasionally sing in class, but this is not common until they come to class without a parent or caregiver).

• Each semester is 15 - 17 weeks
• There are four semesters for this age group: ¹⁾Sing with Me, ²⁾Dance With Me, ³⁾Play With Me, and ⁴⁾Clap With Me

• Please keep food, drinks, toys, and other distractions in the car or hidden from view during class.
• No one with a temperature of 100-degrees (F) or higher is permitted on the premises.
• If anyone in your immediate household is in quarantine/isolation, no one from your household is permitted in our facility.
• If you have food or drinks with you, please consume them before class in our Party Room, if it is available.
• Try to make bathroom stops or diaper changes before class begins (there is a changing table in the restroom).  Please dispose of all diapers in the Diaper Champ located in the restroom to prevent odors in our other rooms.
• If your child becomes upset or disruptive, it is a good idea to get a drink or take a short walk (but do try to return when he/she is ready).
• Please silence cell phones during class.
• Please keep parent-to-parent conversation to a minimum during class.
• Do not be concerned or disappointed if your child has trouble sitting or participating fully for every activity. This is not an appropriate expectation for children this age. If the child is present in the environment, he/she is learning. The more classes the student takes, the more actively they begin to participate.

• There is a $15 Registration Fee per child which lasts for the Fall-Fall school year.
• Tuition: $13 per class to be paid for each semester.
• There are discounts for families that have two or more siblings enrolled in group classes or if the same child is enrolled for multiple classes per week. 
• Student visitors (friends and/or relatives) are welcome to attend classes at any time; they can pay just for the class that they attend. Please call Jennifer ahead of time to schedule visitors.
• Tuition and registration fees are nonrefundable except in the cases of extreme illness or out-of-state moves.  Registration and material fees are non-refundable.

• You are welcome to do a makeup class in one of the other Family Music sections, but please call or text the teacher of that section several days in advance
• Makeup classes should be done during the same semester as the missed class

• Family Music Family Packets include:
       1) CD/digital download with many of the songs/activities from class.
       2) Parent Booklet with song lyrics, fingerplays, ideas for home, etc.
       3) Two rhythm sticks (Sing With Me), scarf (Dance With Me), two jingles
           (Play With Me), two finger cymbals (Clap With Me)
• Buying the Musikgarten Family Packets is optional; however, we have found that children who are exposed to the songs/activities more often tend to learn more and participate better in class.
• Parent Booklets are a wonderful resource for parents who are looking for educational and fun things to do with their children.
• Children love to listen to the activities/songs in bed, in the car, and during playtime.
• Musikgarten also sells drums, rattles, jingles, rhythm sticks, Chinese bells, sandblocks, scarves, finger cymbals, and T-shirts, etc. that may be purchased at any time.