Music

If you are looking to teach your child music appreciation, you can probably do a lot better than Little Einsteins.  We love the Music Together program.  The program offers classes led by a music teacher and attended by babies, toddlers, and preschoolers with their parents or guardians.

The class always begins with a "Hello" song and ends with a "Goodbye" song.  Each class then involves the teacher leading the group in interactive songs.  Kids are encouraged to sing, keep rhythm (by clapping, tapping, etc.), dance, run, jump, pretend to sleep, wave, etc., depending on the context of the song.  The teacher will play an instrument during some songs, play a CD for other songs while leading a sing-along, and go without any accompaniment for other songs.  The teacher will bring out instruments for the kids for a song or two, and will bring out a scarf or some other prop for another song.  Parents or caregivers are left with no real choice but to also get involved in the singing, tapping, dancing, or other activity.

At the start of each series of class sessions, the participants get a CD.  The CD includes all the songs that the teacher will use in the class for that series of sessions.

Additionally, the participants can get a songbook corresponding to the CD.  The songbook is great for learning lyrics to the songs used in class (many of which are classics, like "This Old Man," which appears in the "Bongos" book).  Perhaps more fun, however, is the fact that the songbook includes music for piano and guitar.

On a personal note, I've actually been using the songbooks to teach myself guitar so that I can play songs for my wife and son.  I can't say that I'm particularly good at it, but it is a lot of fun.  I get to interact with my family in a new way.