Tunes for Tots​​​​​
Music Classes for Babies & Toddlers and their Caregivers
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In these Suzuki Early Childhood Education Classes, young children and their caregivers participate in vocal, instrumental, movement, and rhythmic activities that ignite cognitive, communicative and social development. By participating, your child will be in an environment in which they can obtain thorough mastery, developing not only their musical abilities but more importantly, their character. “Character first, ability second.” ~Dr. Suzuki
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Brig's Experience​​
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"I was unsure what to expect walking into the very first lesson of Joanna’s Suzuki Early Childhood Education class. Although I was excited for my daughter, she was only three years old and I worried she would be too young for formal music lessons. What I didn’t know at the time was that the Suzuki approach is designed to be natural and nurturing. Joanna was incredibly patient, kind, and enthusiastic, making each lesson feel like a fun adventure and I could see my daughter’s excitement for music, along with her discipline and self-esteem building each week. But perhaps what I love most about the Suzuki approach, is how it emphasizes that every child can learn with dedication and the right encouragement. I highly recommend this class for any parent wanting to introduce their child to the world of music in the most joyous and supportive way."
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Join our Tunes for Tots community!
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Baltimore @ St. Luke's Church
Tuesdays at 10 am (ages 0-4)
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Takoma Park @ The School of Musical Traditions
Wednesdays at 10 am (ages 0-2) & 11 am (ages 3-​​​5)​​
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Age ranges were determined with the consideration of prioritizing well-balanced multi-age classes as well as the individual school's requests for programming.
Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE) teachers believe...
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Every child can learn, ability develops early, environment nurtures growth, children learn from one another, success breeds success, parental involvement is critical, and encouragement is essential
More information
In Tunes for Tots, children, their caregivers, and a certified teacher explore musical concepts within a nurturing environment. In SECE, we believe that every child can learn, and they learn from one another. We believe that ability develops early, and that success breeds success. Through critical parental involvement, modeling, and encouragement, children participate with their caregiver(s) in vocal, instrumental, movement, and rhythmic activities that ignite cognitive, communicative, and social development from an early age. These activities also foster a special bond between children and their caregivers. Caregiver involvement is essential to ensure that we are providing a nurturing space for children to develop empathy, self-regulation, and creativity through the carefully considered Suzuki Early Childhood Education curriculum. A study published in the Journal of Developmental Science in 2012 found that one-year-old babies who participated in Suzuki Early Childhood Education with their parents over just six months smile more, communicate better, show earlier and more sophisticated brain responses to music, show less distress when things were unfamiliar or didn't go their way, and showed increased ability in the areas of focus and concentration. By participating, your child will be in an environment in which they can obtain thorough mastery, developing not only their musical abilities, but more importantly, their character.
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What is requested of caregivers?
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If it's possible, SECE teachers prefer that each child has a caregiver present in class (as opposed to two or more children to one caregiver). We request this for a couple of reasons. Many of the activities we do are child-caregiver-partnered activities. When there are multiple children to one caregiver, the children don't get the individual attention we wish them to have. It is also much easier to redirect a child when there is one child per caregiver.
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We ask that children listen to the reference recordings at home, daily, if possible, to become more familiar with the music. Parents are also encouraged to practice the activities at home throughout the week to aid their children in developing thorough mastery. ​​​​​​​​​​​​