Over the past year, hundreds of Brooklyn families have sang, danced, and grown with Tam Tam. What started as a weekly music class has become, for many, a rhythm that carries through their homes, their neighborhoods, and their children’s earliest memories.
From brand-new parents holding tiny babies, to toddlers bursting with independence, to preschoolers finding their musical voices, Tam Tam’s work has supported families at every stage of early childhood.
One of my favorite things to do at the end of the year is to look at Tam Tam parents’ comments and reviews: I find them insightful and a great way to end the year on a loving and grateful note. Here is what families have loved about Tam Tam in their recent reviews.
For Babies: A First Relationship With Music (and People)
For families with babies, Tam Tam classes are often one of the very first group experiences they share together. Parents frequently tell us that class becomes a highlight of the week. It’s a place where they feel welcomed, seen, and supported as much as their child does.
One parent shared that they began attending when their daughter was just over four months old and were amazed at how quickly music became meaningful: listening intently, lighting up, babbling along, yelping with delight, and recognizing familiar songs at home.
Tam Tam’s teachers are often mentioned for their warmth, expressiveness, and ability to truly engage even the youngest infants. Parents notice how carefully classes are paced, how babies are given space to observe or participate in their own way, and how music becomes a bridge to early social connection.
For new parents especially, Tam Tam offers reassurance: you’re doing something meaningful, joyful, and developmentally supportive together.
For Toddlers: Independence, Joy, and Shared Music-Making
Toddlers arrive in class ready to move, test boundaries, and assert themselves. Tam Tam meets them exactly where they are.
Families often describe how their toddlers sing the songs for days afterward, dance around the living room, or request familiar tunes during bedtime routines. One parent noted that music from class has become part of how their child falls asleep, singing softly until they drift off.
In class, teachers maintain a thoughtful balance of structure and freedom. Our teacher Jemilla, in particular, is often praised for her high musical standards paired with playfulness–inviting adults and children alike into real, beautiful music-making. Parents of 2- and 3-year-olds frequently say that class is as nourishing for them as it is for their child.
And when children encounter a new teacher–like Micah, whose musical presence has left lasting impressions after even a single class–it reinforces that music isn’t just about familiarity, but about meaningful human connection.
For Preschoolers: Confidence, Community, and Musical Identity
As children grow, Tam Tam grows with them.
Families who have attended for multiple years often reflect on how powerful it’s been to watch their child develop a deep, personal relationship with music. Preschoolers begin to lead songs, experiment with instruments, and engage more intentionally with rhythm, melody, and group music-making.
Parents appreciate that Tam Tam’s curriculum includes a rich mix of familiar American children’s songs alongside global music traditions, sometimes sparking emotional connections across generations. One family shared how a Spanish lullaby brought memories of a song sung by a grandparent, creating a moment of cultural continuity through music.
For many families, Tam Tam becomes a constant in a rapidly changing early childhood: our classes offer a place where children feel confident, capable, and connected.
For Musical Parents (and the Ones Who Didn’t Think They Were)
Whether parents arrive already loving music or feeling unsure about singing out loud, Tam Tam classes gently invite everyone in.
Multiple reviews highlight how adults are encouraged to participate: not as performers, but as partners in the experience. Parents sing, clap, dance, and model musical curiosity for their children. Over time, many discover that they, too, are growing musically.
One parent described a Sunday class as the best part of their week–an experience where the group worked together until they were truly making music as a community. That shared joy is intentional: children learn best when the grownups they trust are fully engaged.
Indoors, Outdoors, Always Thoughtfully Designed
This year, Tam Tam families gathered in cozy indoor studios and in outdoor classes in Fort Greene Park. Parents consistently note how intentional these environments feel: our spaces are calm, welcoming, and developmentally appropriate.
Outdoor classes, led by Jelena and Jemilla, offered space to move freely while still maintaining musical focus and connection. Indoor classes provided consistency and intimacy, especially appreciated by families with babies and young toddlers.
Across settings, families remark on the small class sizes, gentle pacing, and teachers’ ability to follow children’s lead while still holding a clear musical arc.
A Community That Grows With You
Perhaps the most meaningful impact of Tam Tam’s work this year is how often families choose to return–semester after semester, sibling after sibling.
Parents describe signing up again and again because the classes feel warm, joyful, and deeply respectful of children. They speak of teachers who “get” kids, who know their names, their personalities, and their rhythms. They talk about homes filled with singing, Brooklyn sidewalks echoing with familiar tunes, and children whose love of music feels woven into daily life.
At its heart, Tam Tam is about more than music. It’s about relationships between children and caregivers, families and teachers, sound and movement, culture and community.
As I look back on this past year, I am grateful to every family who showed up, sang along, and made music with us. I hope you get to teach your friends and family some new repertoire over the coming holidays. Make everyone sing your child’s favorite songs — again! 🙂