Create memories and make learning fun — in our mixed-age family music classes for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grownups who love them!
About Tam Tam’s Family Classes
In our classes, music is learned through developmentally appropriate activities that support and respect the unique learning styles of very young children.
Parents and caregivers all contribute to the enrichment of their child’s music environment—regardless of their own musical abilities.
A new song collection is used every semester for three years, featuring great arrangements of original and traditional songs in a wide variety of tonalities, meters, and cultural styles.
Children participate at their own levels in family-style classes.
If you have an infant, take a mixed-age class if the Babies class time doesn’t work for you. All of our teachers have had training in working with each age group within a mixed-age setting: infants, toddlers, and 3-5 year-olds.
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. In addition, children of the same age are not necessarily in the same stage of music development. 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 UNlearn 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 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.