Halloween Part 1: Music Together & Mall Trick or Treat

Oliver got his first dose of Halloween on Friday when we crashed a mother's group party at our bestie's house.  Saturday morning he was very happy to once again don his "arrrrr" (Oliver speak for pirate costume...not to be confuse with "garrrrr" for bear...any bear- teddy, panda, koala, grizzly, polar) to wear to music class.  Owen was happy (as far as I'm concerned) to wear his Mickey Mouse costume.

Music class was wonderful as always!  Luckily, the freak October snow held off long enough for my mom to make the drive up from NJ since BDNP had to work that morning.  I don't know what I would have done without her help.  Well I know I would have been stubborn and brought both boys to music class solo, but I'm glad I didn't have to... I'm not ready for that just yet! 

I'll just post a pic or two now... I have a feeling I may put more in another post because once I get going about Music Together I can't stop!

From class we drove over to the mall where Nate met up with us for the safe trick or treating.  It seems like fewer and fewer stores participate in this every year, which is a bummer because there are a crazy lot of kids who attend and the candy runs out way too quick.

It took Oliver a few times, but he warmed up to the idea of trick or treating.  It was so beautiful.  My heart broke just a little bit watching him go up to get candy and hold up his bucket... big brown eyes wide and shining with wonder at this new experience.  Nate says he even said trick or treat a few times... well his version of trick or treat, which is "Cheek-chee"...kinda.

He's just getting so big.  So independent.  It's happening way too fast for me.  The ride home from the mall took longer than normal (nasty slushy snow!  With the precious babies in my car you can be sure I took my time!).  As expected Oliver fell asleep in his carseat, and my heart broke even more gazing on that sweet little face- safe, secure, content and chubby.  I love how cute he is sleeping in the car (hate that it screws up his nap schedule, but love the cute!).  But it makes me so sad looking at the smoothness of his cheeks, listening to the adorable sound of his breath in it's sleepy rhythm... because I can't keep it.  That face won't be there forever.  That cheek will be rough and stubbly someday.  That sleepy inhale will be a man's deep snore.  And I will love that man because he is my baby... but you can bet your life I will miss that baby with all my heart.  I already do, and he's still right here.

Owen was there too... but he had no idea.  Sleepy kid.

Oliver's Saturday

Oliver had an awesome Saturday.

First, a great Music Together class...he was super into it and sang along a bunch.

Second, he took an awesome nap after a story time snuggle with Mommy and Daddy.

Third, he went to a birthday party for a buddy from music class.  Such a fun time!

He got to explore a fire engine, wasn't sure about taking a ride in it though (very loud and rough), and he LOOOOVED getting sprayed with the hose!

Music Together

When I started this blog in May I gave you all an introduction to Music Together in a previous post of mine. I had no readers at the time so I don't know how many have actually seen it...but backtrack and check it out!

We are totally MT groupies! Oliver had his first class of the summer session on Saturday (his fourth consecutive session). AND he is registered for the fall session! We are very excited to be able to continue him in these classes.

I would love to hear from other parents of the Music Together program, or any other music program for that matter. Share your child's musical journey with me! I am so amazed to see what Oliver has taken from these classes that I'd love to compare experiences.

When we started our first session last fall Oliver had just learned to crawl. In fact, he graduated from army crawl to hands-and-knees crawl the evening after his very first class. Now, he is a runner! That in itself is such a change. I love seeing how his independent mobility is incorporated into his musical appreciation. I, myself, have learned so much since we started last September that I know he doesn't need to be sitting still to be getting a ton out of the class. He sits still the least, but in my opinion, participates the most.

Unfortunately, our regular teacher had something come up and missed class this week. Fortunately, our substitute Val brought her baritone ukulele and allowed the kids to explore the new instrument. We are definitely looking forward to seeing Nik next week for class. I know Oliver will be so excited to be reunited after the break between sessions.

Oliver's Musical Breakthroughs:

Oliver leads the class- he is anxious to get started and lets Nik know that it's time to start the show at the beginning of class. He then anticipates what Nik is going to do and will do it just a second too early. It's adorable. It melts my heart a bit. "You're going to steal my job," Nik said to him one day.

Oliver dances- Baby's got moves! It started as some quick stepping and has turned into spinning and clapping. He will even do the Imagination Movers dance moves ("Reach High, Think Big, Work Hard, Have Fun".... but he really only "works hard"; and from the closing song "Jump Up, Get Down, Stand Up, Turn Around" ...he does every one of those moves).

Oliver remembers music- with every class we get a set of two CDs. We pretty much focus on whatever the current CD is and replay the others during breaks between sessions. We recently rediscovered the first CD we got almost a year ago (Oliver was around 9 months old)... and he remembers the songs! He remembers them so well that started clapping along with a song seconds before the clapping started. I was driving the first time he did this and was so surprised that I didn't have to coax him to clap. So cool. We've also gotten him to "shake those 'simmons down" along with the song and it's too cute. Too cute!

Oliver loves instruments- we learned this very early on but I hadn't realized just HOW much he loves instruments. I had gotten a ToysRUs rewards coupon for $5 and thought, "Hey it's a rainy day, let's take a ride and see if we can find a cheap little toy." Well...he was miserable the entire time we were in the store. No toy held his interest at all. Then I took him over to where the instruments are and showed him a ukulele. Loved it. Found a Handy Manny guitar. Double loved it. Keyboards? Oh we wish that $5 rewards was more like $100!

Oliver sings- it took me a second to notice that was what he was doing, but he started singing along to the Sesame Street theme song and the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme. It's just a high pitch squeal but it's definitely him singing along. In the car, I've also realized he is singing along to songs on the radio. He has joined in on two different Mariah Carey songs, The Who ("Whoooooo are you? Who who? Who who?" of course), and the intro to Alice in Chains' Rooster. I think as long as there is some very high notes he is going to join in.

Here is a picture of Oliver during his first session of Music Together

And here he is now!

Our Music Together experience is offered by Musical Folk.  Again, I expressed my love for Musical Folk back in May, so be sure to read that post!  Here it is.

And check out the Musical Folk website!

Another Wonderful Saturday

Saturdays are a big deal for us.  All three of us are dressed and out the door by 9am...and we look forward to it.  Considering the king of our castle is up by 6 if not before, 9 am doesn't seem that early, but usually we aren't dressed and out until after lunchtime (Mommy and Oliver that is, Daddy is off to work... as much as he'd like to be lazy in the mornings with us.  What a great guy!). 

What is so great about Saturdays? It's music class day!!!!  When Oliver was about 9 months old daddy got a NICE bonus at work and agreed with me that we should try a baby music class.  It seemed pricey but after our van unexpectedly needed work we axed the Disney trip we were originally putting the bonus towards, so it didn't seem too bad in comparison.   

I googled music classes and found the New Haven Kids blog which RAVED about Musical Folk (www.musicalfolk.com).  Musical Folk offers a 10 week session of classes in a number of locations throughout the Greater New Haven area, and follows the Music Together (www.musictogether.com) program.  The program is amazing! Just amazing! It was developed by child development and music experts and junk... whoever and however... it is just wonderful!

After signing up for the class I listened to samples of the music (a little backwards, no? whatever) and thought "Oh gee...this will be interesting."  My first impression was that it was a little too folksy, earthy, crunchy than what we are used to.  Well I am hooked on the music now!  It is definitely not the nursery rhymes you'd think of right away for a mommy and me music class.  These are traditional songs, international and cultural songs, GREAT songs!  They are designed to get your child moving and interacting as well as settle down and listen and relax.  They promote musical development by highlighting rhythmic and tonal patterns at the ends of the songs (sounds like I know what I'm talking about right...see parents learn just as much as the kids!) and they promote the use of instruments with a "play along" song on each CD.

Ok, obviously I am a fan of the Music Together (MT for us groupies) program, but I am a HUUUUGE fan of the Musical Folk experience.  The classes are all about being silly and singing and playing.  On the very first day the instructor warns you that you need to be silly and do everything he does to promote imitation from the children.  Even if your own child is ignoring you another is watching and you need to model for them as well as your own.  They are fully aware that children all learn in different ways and are accepting of all them! 

Have I mentioned yet how much I love these classes?  We are in the middle of our third 10 week session and we hope to keep it up!

Oliver's musical journey has been so fun and amazing to us.  When we started the class I was a little disappointed in his lack of participation.  But that was his personality- from birth he had this expression that he was there to observe and take everything in, and that's exactly what he did in class.  We quickly saw his interest awaken- first at home, with his excited response to several songs in the CD.  He began to sit up and pat his lap to his favorite songs, and then he started crawling over to the stereo and patting his lap asking us to turn it on.  It was beautiful.  And he loved the drums!  He drummed on anything he could and in class we always made to sure to claim the drum for him during the instrument play portion.

Still, he was quiet in class.  I get it, we are all more comfortable at home.  Well the last day of class that first session was like a breakthrough for him!  Over the course of the session we noticed him becoming more and more independent- crawling away from us to sit in the middle of the circle or in front of our teacher.  On the last day he just seemed to get it.  He appeared to participate in new ways and really enjoy the class with a more active level of participation.  All of the children in the class seemed to have the same musical breakthrough that day.  It was wonderful, especially when we learned that the entire class re-registered for the next session to start after a break of a few weeks.

Since our first session Oliver's confidence is grown in leaps and bounds!  He clapped for the first time in class, he vocalizes from time to time (that is still more of an at-home thing), he is on the move from the moment we get there, checking in with us every once in a while.  His instrument play at home is amazing (in class he is more concerned with handing out instruments to everyone than actually playing them himself). 

We bought him a drum from Target filled with bells, shake eggs and rhythm sticks when we first started these classes and since then his toy instrument collection has tripled at least!  At Christmas time I was in The Christmas Tree Shop for some last minute things and found instruments to add to his stocking.  I'm pretty sure they were under $1 a piece.  I almost put back the triangle thinking it was too advanced for him, but at that price I figured "what the hey?"  I'm sure you can guess what his favorite instrument was for months!  Our rough and tough boy was so gentle with his triangle.  He had the coordination to hit it and every resonation made him smile. 

On Easter, my cousin gave him a toy drum.  I found him sitting with my mother and playing with it and I broke into the stick tune from class: "Hey hey, what do you say? Let's all click our sticks today.  Ba dum, bum bum ba dum..."  He turned away from the drum and hit the sticks on the floor, just like we do in class (and every once in a while he will participate and mimic this during class time).  Then he surprised me.  He brought the sticks up to his head and in a second I realized he was doing a variation that our teacher does with the song: "Hey hey, what do you say? Let's be aliens today. Do doo, do do do doo..." and we put the sticks on top of our heads and move them like antennas.  Never before has he done this.  Not at home.  Not in class.  It was just another piece of evidence that he is taking things in even though it can seem sometimes like he's not paying attention.

The Music Together program is really amazing.  Check out their site, it's full of information.  You can even follow them on Facebook.  And Musical Folk is a wonderful provider of this program (if you are not in the New Haven area there are groups nationally that use the MT program..google it!).  We have been lucky enough to attend classes with several teachers through make-ups or substitute teachers during our regular class time.  They are all great at what they do, but I guess the one bad thing is that you will become sooo attached to your own instructor and their way of doing things that you will definitely have a preference.  We love our teacher Nik!  All the kids are so fond of him, and he plays the guitar in class (so does Liz the director of Musical Folk) and it has an incredible effect of the kids.  Like the Pied Piper, they flock to him when the guitar comes out and he is so great about letting them explore it. 



I also value the class as a socialization time for Oliver and I who are pretty much each other's only company for a majority of the time.  I am so fond of the parents in class with us and I love that I've been able to see the other children in class develop and grow alongside Oliver over the past few months.

Since the first session that we used bonus money for, Oliver has been gifted his second and third sessions (Christmas and birthday gifts).  The classes are not cheap.  But we find them so worth it that my husband and I have agreed to keep it up as long as we can.  We agree that it is a great use of any gift money that any one of us receives for whatever occasion. 

We are so happy with our experience and I hope I expressed that clearly enough to encourage other parents to look into MT and begin their own musical journey.