Music Together: Song circles that bring our community together

Remember how easy it was to make friends as a child? “I’m Jennifer; let’s play!” Boom, BFFs. Before we developed all the social anxieties and hang-ups of adulthood, building a community was as easy as stacking blocks. Every block had a place and every block helped keep the tower strong.  

Upon entering parenthood, new terrain was laid before us and we didn’t get a map. These days, it’s harder to make friends and harder to maintain the friendships we have. Our work and home lives take up all our time and we don’t remember how to approach new people as friends, rather than strangers. We may end up feeling lonely on our parenting journey and maybe even a bit jealous of how easily our kids fall into new friendships.

Enter Music Together. Their song circles are a welcome reminder of how fun and natural it can be to make friends in your community. With weekly gatherings and a research-based program, they take the guesswork out of how to build a network of like-minded friends and do it all while immersing families in the joy and learning that comes with making music in a group. 

Each artistically, conceived song in all nine of their collections (nearly 200 songs in all) is an invitation to engage with those around you – in a musical way. Over and over, friendships are formed while families sing, dance, and play instruments. The best part is that it happens without force.

Music Together takes pride in helping your family’s natural musical talents emerge thanks to their community-based approach. Every baby is born musical and every parent still is (even if you don’t believe it!). Staff at Music Together make it their job to create an environment where those inborn traits can flourish.

I speak personally with 18 months and four semesters under my belt when I say this program continues to be, hands down (or up, with shakers!), our most favourite hour of the week. It has sparked a musical fuse in my son that otherwise would have fizzled. In observing his response, I found a new love for music myself.

Music Together focuses on the process, not the product. They’re not out to create mini Mozarts, but rather to foster a musical way of being. They want your children’s futures to be filled with song – not just at birthday parties and during the national anthem, but every day. Their goal is to make song, dance, and instruments a natural part of your family’s life and to encourage the next generation of music makers.

Music Together’s spring semester begins in mid-April. With classes six days a week in locations all over Edmonton, they are sure to have something that suits your family. 

Did I mention they offer unlimited make-up classes and that the program is eligible for the Children’s Art Tax Credit?  It is. So go register now.