Mixed Ages & Threes and Fours
About the program
FAQs
Music Development and Research
Enroll in a Class
About the Program
Mixed Ages - This is the essential Music Together class, one that a child can attend from birth through age four - and through all nine song collections. Child development researchers recommend mixed-age groupings because they foster natural, family-style learning. Younger children enjoy watching and imitating older ones; older children learn by leading younger ones; and adults are happy because the children in the family can go to class together. Each child participates at his or her own level in singing, moving, chanting, listening, watching, and exploring musical instruments. The class provides a variety of adult-child activities that are fun and offer new ways to play musically at home. Parents, grandparents, or nanny, individually or together, may accompany the children. The whole family is welcome for this important family music experience.
Threes and Fours - Although most three and four year olds thrive in a mixed age environment, we do have another option for your family. (Discuss your child’s readiness for this class with the school directors.) In this family-style class, which still looks very much like a mixed-age class, you and your child may experience additional musical activities such as rhythm improvisation, independent singing, dance improvisation, and dramatic play. Teachers work with individual skill levels and interest. Younger siblings are welcome to attend the 3s/4s class with their older brothers and sisters.
FAQs
Mixed ages
Why mixed ages? Early childhood educators consistently recommend mixed-age groupings as an optimal learning environment for children under five years. In this setting, older children learn from being in a leadership role (a role they may not take when they're in a group of their peers,) and younger children benefit from the example of an older child. Classes have a family feel, rather than a school orientation, an environment your child will have ample opportunity to experience when he enters the world of formal education in a few years. In addition, children of the same age are not necessarily in the same stage of music development and a mixed-age environment creates a space for exploration and discovery, rather than peer pressure. The Music Together curriculum is designed to teach on many levels of complexity at once, and Music Together teachers are trained in the art of mixed-age learning.
Should my infant be in class with older children? Absolutely. Just as siblings in multi-child families learn from each other, so do the children in our mixed-age classes. Your baby will learn by watching and imitating you as well as the older children in the room.
Will my older child regress being in class with babies? No. You may notice your child revisiting some behaviors she has moved past but do not confuse this with regression. Your child will not UN-learn skills she has already gained. This process of revisiting actually affirms the progress your child has made as she recognizes that she no longer exhibits these behaviors. It also signifies empathy as she adjusts her behavior in order to relate to the younger children in the room.
May I bring both of my children to the same class? Yes! Not only may you, we encourage you to! In each class we strive to create a musically rich, developmentally appropriate environment where the whole family can enjoy music and nurture skills at the level right for each child. Mixed-age classes also provide a rich learning environment because children of different ages thrive when they interact with each other.
Threes and Fours
How is a 3s/4s class different from a mixed age class? This class is similar in structure to a mixed-age class. However, in this family-style class the teacher may extend musical activities to include exploration in rhythm improvisation, independent singing, dance improvisation, and dramatic play. The Music Together approach has been integrated with great success into the preschool setting and we utilize our experience in that realm to inform our work in the parent/child threes and fours classroom.
Do I attend the 3s/4s class with my child? Yes. Remember that you are the most important model and teacher for your child especially during this crucial stage of primary music development. Your participation and enjoyment is essential to his musical growth. The most important things you can model for your child are simply pleasure, interest, and the desire to participate in music activities!
Can my younger child attend the 3s/4s class as well? Yes, younger siblings are welcome to attend the 3s/4s class with their older brothers and sisters.
Music Development and Research
"Although humans are not usually born in litters, we seem to insist that they be educated in them." - Lillian Katz, Ph.D.
Research supporting mixed-age classrooms indicates that academic achievement is the same as, or better than, the academic achievement of children in same-grade (age) classrooms. Mixed-age classrooms do not negatively affect student achievement, and students in these classrooms have significantly more positive attitudes toward school, themselves, and others (Stone, 1998; Veenman, 1996). Here are some of the benefits of mixed-age classes in Music Together.
- Children are viewed as unique individuals, each with his or her own unique learning style. The teacher focuses on teaching each child according to his or her own strengths, unlike in same-age classrooms that often expect
all children to be at the same place at the same time with regard to ability.
- Children learn at their own rate with no peer pressure.
- Children develop a sense of family with their classmates. They become a "family of
learners" who support and care for each other.
- Older children have the opportunity to serve as mentors and to take leadership roles.
- Children are more likely to cooperate than compete. The spirit of cooperation and caring
makes it possible for children to help each other as individuals, not see each other as
competitors.
- Older children model more sophisticated approaches to problem solving, and younger
children are able to accomplish tasks they could not do without the assistance of older
children. This dynamic increases the older child’s level of independence and
competence.
- Children are invited to take charge of their learning, by making choices within the context of music activities. This sense of "ownership" and self-direction is the
foundation for lifelong learning.
Articles of Interest
The Importance of Music in Early Childhood by Lili M. Levinowitz, Ph.D
Early Childhood Music Education in the New Millennium by Kenneth G. Guilmartin
The Music Together Experts Blog - an interactive blog focusing on a variety of topics from field of early childhood music education.
Old-Fashioned Play Builds Some Serious Skills by Alix Spiegel from NPR.org
Play in Education from the National Institute for Play
Schedule of Classes
Below is a list of all of the Mixed Ages/Threes and Fours classes being offered.
Please note class codes: U12=Summer - Summer Session 1: 6/18 - 8/3 (6 Weeks); Summer Session 2: 8/6 - 8/24 (3 Weeks)
| Code | Day/Time | Type | Location | Instructor | Enroll |
| AC001/Session1/U12 | Monday at 9:30am | Mixed Ages | Ansche Chesed Synagogue: 251 West 100th Street | Bill Pace | 
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| AC002/Session1/U12 | Monday at 10:30am | Mixed Ages | Ansche Chesed Synagogue: 251 West 100th Street | Bill Pace |
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| AC003/Session1/U12 | Tuesday at 9:30am | Mixed Ages | Ansche Chesed Synagogue: 251 West 100th Street | Alicia Anthony |
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| AC004/Session1/U12 | Tuesday at 10:30am | Mixed Ages | Ansche Chesed Synagogue: 251 West 100th Street | Alicia Anthony |
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| AC005/Session1/U12 | Wednesday at 9:30am | Mixed Ages | Ansche Chesed Synagogue: 251 West 100th Street | Liana Stampur |
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| AC006/Session1/U12 | Wednesday at 10:30am | Mixed Ages | Ansche Chesed Synagogue: 251 West 100th Street | Liana Stampur |
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| AC007/Session1/U12 | Thursday at 10:30am | Mixed Ages | Ansche Chesed Synagogue: 251 West 100th Street | Bill Pace |
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| AC008/Session1/U12 | Thursday at 11:30am | Mixed Ages | Ansche Chesed Synagogue: 251 West 100th Street | Bill Pace |
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| CFM011/Session1/U12 | Monday at 10:00am | Mixed Ages | Center for Family Music: 102 West 75th Street | Danny Mahon |
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| CFM012/Session1/U12 | Monday at 11:15am | Mixed Ages | Center for Family Music: 102 West 75th Street | Danny Mahon |
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