by C.C. Long
Ludwig Von Beethoven put it best when he poetically described music as “the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend.” Studies have shown that children and even babies in the womb are affected by music; unfortunately, in this day and age music is being stripped away as a school curriculum in order to make more time for science and mathematics, even though those same tests show that a musical background enables children to deal with those subjects more confidently.
The international organization, Music Together, was created in 1987 by Kenneth K. Guilmartin and Lili M. Levinowitz, Ph.D and was brought to the Upper East Side and Upper West Side by the inspirational and creative tandem of Deanna deCampos and Sally Woodson in the early 90’s. Now there are 12 other instructors with amazing resumes that work with them. It is a triumph of a great idea put to work. The idea behind the program is to introduce children from birth to 6 years old to music, to sing in tune and keep a beat, not to teach them an instrument but to make them comfortable with music. It is a tried and true system that employs a non-sequential curriculum of nine song collections that are rotated over three years; there are also CD’s for home use by parents and children. And while all this may sound stilted and stodgy, it is not. Having been a victim of my own ignorance of how music is conveyed, hauling my daughter to weekly piano lessons for six years at fifty dollars an hour and then being beaten back by the battle of the insurrection of boredom and the lack of interest she quit. Having paid about the same amount of money as putting her through a year of college I was not a happy camper.
One thing I realized was that teaching music to kids by selecting an instrument and forcing them to learn it wasn’t the right way to go. Then the opportunity to write this article about the, Music Together, program did not only synthesized but galvanized exactly how music should be taught to not only children but parents. I was invited to a class by the co-director Deanna and all the great things I had researched and read about the program could not match the inspiration I felt in the class. Eight young musicians ranging in age from infancy to three years old and their parents and caretakers sat in a circle on a carpet surrounded by a white picket fence. Deanna strummed her guitar, starting the session with the, Hello Song, followed by the passing out of egg shaped rattles that all the kids took and shook in beat with the next song, then there was dancing to a Stevie Wonder song, followed by a most amusing session of the passing out child friendly kitchen instruments that the kids bang and pound to their utter delight in perfect time to the music. Some dancing more singing and then before I could catch my breath the 45 minute long class was over. The singing of the final song was the first time the infants got restless with disappointment. Afterwards, some stayed around to strum the guitar, but all left with music in their heart and I left having one of the best hours I had since I was two years old and realizing that this program was getting it right.
Music Together, brings music into the life of children and their parents in what might be deemed an unconventional way. But if comfortable, joyful and inspirational is unconventional it’s well worth it. Music is a necessary part of life and as Nietzsche said it most eloquently, “Without music, life would be a mistake.” So don’t make a mistake by not introducing your children to, Music Together, there are free observation classes so you can check it out. Go to their web site at www.eswsmusictogether.com and find out more.