HANDS wave in the air as the sound of drums and music fills the room.
But this isn't your typical musical show. The Highlands United Church has been taken over by a group of parents and children bouncing to the melodies of Music Together, a program that introduces kids under five years old to the joys of music.
While the babies and toddlers singing and playing in this class might not be masters of piano or guitar, instructor Caroline App says the course is the foundation to a lifelong appreciation of making and enjoying all kinds of music.
"We're dancing, we're singing, we're playing instruments: egg shakers, drums, tambourines, triangles," says App, a kindergarten teacher currently taking a break from full-time teaching to raise her four boys.
"You're building in music skills at a young age when it's still the best time to get the kids, they are learning their pitch, how to do their tonalities and their rhythms."
She first became aware of the Music Together program attending the class in Vancouver herself, but on moving to the North Shore she realized there's a big gap in the offerings in North Vancouver. That lead her to start the Music Together program in September this year, and in January she's adding an extra class to bring in more kids.
The Music Together program began in New Jersey in 1987 and has spawned an international movement of intergenerational music teaching. All instructors, including App, have taken a course on the specific program.
The classes mix ages up to five years old, and give parents or caregivers the chance to play with their kids, as App says that's the best way for the young ones to learn. It means parents with multiple children can bring both to the same class, and "the younger kids are also learning from the older kids," she adds.
"It's a lovely beginning because it's informal and it addresses or reaches all learning styles and it's multi-sensory, and as a kindergarten teacher I love that."
Included in the price, parents get to take home a songbook with CDs that can be played at home.
The classes are available Monday and Wednesday mornings and last 45 minutes each. The cost for the winter session - three months starting in January - is $140 for the first child and $90 for any siblings over six months old. Siblings under six months are free, and the primary caregiver can bring another parent, aunt, uncle or family friend at no cost.
To register or for more information, visit www.northshoremusictogether. com or by phoning App at 7788995004.
