Somewhere I my training I heard that the average family knows only 3-5 songs to sing together. That was my family before I found the Music Together®® program.
I often my daughter Elaina now eleven, the story of her birth. 
Right from birth she was the most alert baby! She stared right into my eyes from the second she was born, and although most babies fall asleep shortly after birth, she stayed awake and we just gazed at each other for hours! I didn't have a clue what to say to this precious little blessing and my heart was more full than I could ever have imagined! After the 500th "I love you!" the joy in my heart searched for a song! I didn't know what to sing: nothing seemed appropriate for this moment! I resorted to the Christmas carols I grew up singing as a child- they felt joyous and I knew the words. I sang Christmas carols all night long until about 4:00AM when we both finally passed out! I lived happily in what I now term " First-time Mommy Land" for many months and slowly discovered some children's music, mostly the "Wee-Sing" collections and some songs from our Gymboree classes: "Welcome, welcome everyone.."- I can still hear it in my head! A friend had given me a World Lullaby Collection and I loved it! In college I studied Photojournalism and Cultural Anthropology. Hearing the soothing and mysterious lullabies in foreign languages somehow connected me to the hearts of all the mothers in the world.
Becoming the mother I wanted to be for my children was a challenge. As a friend of mine put it "It's tough even if you have a strong support system!" My husband and I were longtime adventurers, older parents, new to the area and without available family. I remember vividly one day when Elaina was 2 1/2 and doing the normal things that children do at this age-misbehaving, resisting direction, and generally challenging parents every minute of the day- I was short on sleep and patience and I yelled at her! ARGG!! That moment sent me to counseling! I look back and laugh at how silly it all seems now, but NOT to someone in "First-Time Mommy Land!" It was about this time that I took my first Music Together® class.
I remember how much I loved being with the other parents and TALKING in class- whenever I could. Somehow I missed the introduction and explanation of the program. EEK! I was the teachers nightmare parent, there to have fun and to socialize! One day our highly annoyed teacher came right over to me and another talking mom in the middle of class - with a tambourine in hand- to pointedly make an effort to get us to stop talking and to participate. I didn't have a clue that this was such a quality oriented education and researched based class and not a "play group!" In my sleep-deprived new-mom state, I remember finding my materials after about week 4 and thinking, " Hmmm, I should check them out. WOW!
Then a funny thing happened: Elaina sang the tonal patterns in her car seat one day on the way to class. (I'm sure I didn't know what these were at the time!) She loved the class! I saw her remarkable enjoyment of the music at home and I also found myself singing instead of yelling at my little terrible two-year-old. I went home and picked up the Parent Guide and read it cover to cover. The information in it created a huge "AAHH HAA!" experience for me. From that day on I began to fully appreciate the depth, research and significance of the Music Together® program.
The true beauty for me was the way the music weaved joy into every day of my life with my children. Difficult transitions turned into song and became manageable and fun! Tricky times like getting through the grocery lines and waiting anywhere became easier because I was able to use our music to distract and engage the girls -now 5, 9 and 11 years old. Rituals like bedtime and bath time became musical. I also learned to appreciate my own "learning style" and how different mine is from the learning styles of each of my children. Add to that, some more amazing benefits: using music to sustain a good mood while dealing with the endless number of tasks, sleep deprivation and exhaustion that can come with juggling work, children, and the busy lives we tend to live today, learning music from cultures all over the world, the wonderful people I met through the network of the Music Together ® Community - teachers, families and now treasured friends and also witnessing, understanding and supporting my owns children's musical development.
I was hooked!
There are generations of people who grew up singing and making music at home but I was not one of them. I would sing constantly and my brother would yell: "Be quite!" - or something much worse! Then he would crank up his Led Zepplin record and slam his door! We didn't have music in school until 5th grade and then it was for 45 minutes once week and we listened to someone talk about it! To top that off Music Together research shows that often families label ONE child the "musical" child and in our family that was my brother. Lead guitar and rock music blasted from his room at all hours. In my family my sister was labeled the "artist" and I was the "dancer". I'm grateful that I am familiar with the 20 years of research from the Center for Music and Young Children, in Princeton NJ, so I know enough not to label my own girls. I try to support them ALL musically even if one exhibits more talent or interest at a particular time. The reserach also shows that the "movers", or children who learn through moving and who have a harder time 'sitting still and listening" are the first ones to drop out of music and refer to themselves as "non-musical" but that is often because lessons are taught with an auditory sequential method that is not comfortable for the movers, and I am a mover!
In college I learned some piano and guitar, enough to give me access to singing the heart filled music of the Indigo Girls and Jewel, and some personal songs I wrote, but music making in my experience was for the professionals on the TV or the lucky kids whose parents supported their interest or dragged them to lessons from an early age. I am not alone! In the last 50 years or so, our culture has lost it's connection to making-music in the home! Many schools also consider it unnecessary enrichment or teach it formally and not for pure enjoyment as a personal art to be cherished and nutured. As result many people consider themselves "non-musical". We've become as our founder Ken Guilmarten says "a culture of music consumers". Music "professionals" play music while the television has become the main "passive" way to connect in families. Like so many others the Music Together program reconnected me with my own love of music and gave me the confidence to try it out. I discovered I'm not that bad at it! Seems I'm sort of a 'natural' - so I'm told. I've never desired to be an performer ( I am actually quite introverted like my middle child Lily... ) and "performing" for others doesn't often invite participation of others, but I totally LOVE making-music with the children and a community of friends and getting everyone participating with the music-making. Children want to DO it, not watch it! Music should be an active not a passive experience for children. The outstanding training from the Center for Music and Young Children gave me a huge wealth of information and a vast support network and the confidence to attempt a mid-life career change.
Teaching Music Together® and my own programs, I am able to share my experience with families help ignite their own love for music-making. In turn they give the gift of a "positive disposition towards music" to their children. It is a gift that replaces the television and sometimes the toys! It aids in verbal development. It improves reasoning and math skills. It helps with emotional regulation and expression. It brings happiness and joy into families, and, it lasts and grows throughout life Bonus: The children LOVE it and it provides a rich foundation for more formal training that comes later on. I have heard many testimonials from formal instructors about how they are amazed by the children who come out of our program! (See information on Basic Music Competence in your guidebook.)
In addition to the traditional childrens music , folk music, jazz and my favorite, the blues, I particularly love sharing music from many different countries in the world like Africa, Ireland, Japan, Spain, Cuba, Israel, Bulgaria, Poland and more. I especially love sharing Native American music because it connects to the earth and soul. Every child needs love and family. Many children do not have either. Music connects people of all places and backgrounds to our basic humanity. By sharing the music of many different people I hope that we can, in a small way, gain and share some understanding about the different people in the world and the need for peace on our planet.
Lastly, it is a privilege to work with the most loving, open and beautiful portion of our population on this planet: our children. Each day I stand in the presence of their divine light. I get to share their smiles, their joy, their laughter, their excitement, their hugs and their growth physically, emotionally, mentally and musically! I am truly grateful to have the opportunity to be a part sharing music with children and I hope you will have a chance to join our program and to experience some of the magic of making-music together!
Sincerely,
Terry Taylor,
Director, and Certified Teacher ( 9 years ), CMN and NHMTA member and most importantly -- proud, grateful ( and tired -LOL !) Mom to three beautiful girls.
Exeter Family Music Center
