Squeezing in time outdoors has been a priority for our family. From playing on the deck or in the back yard, spending time at the playground or the zoo, we’ve managed to get some sun and old-fashioned playtime.  Luckily November weather hasn’t been too bad for the stay-at-home momhood, but December may be another story.

I've turned to music in my determination to keep my kids active. To help me with this unfamiliar territory, I've enlisted Tara Hoisington, owner and director of Inspired Sprouts, a company focused on fostering kid creativity and learning through family music sessions. If you need some backup on her expertise, just check out her stellar bio.

I recently attended a birthday party where Tara was hired to lead the kids in some musical activities. We started talking and here's what I found out:

Q:  How did you get into music?

A:  I was lucky in that I was sung to and encouraged to play musically at a very young age.  One of my earliest memories is of my mother singing a lullaby to me, and it just seemed magical (and my mom is not a musician by any stretch of the imagination!).  Music always just seemed to be a part of me.  I did begin formal instruction in elementary school choirs and then eventually moved on through high school voice lessons, and college and grad school music programs, but I really think the root of “getting into music” was my exposure to it at such a young age.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?

A: It may sound clichéd, but I really enjoy being able to have a positive impact on a child’s life.  Twenty five years from now, when the students in my classes are raising children of their own, they most likely won’t remember me. They may not even remember the classes! What will stick with them is the wondrous feeling of making music with their mom, dad, grandparent or other loved one, and they will instinctively do the same thing with their children.  In an increasingly media-driven society, being a Music Together teacher gives me the opportunity to provide a space that nurtures real live community music-making experiences, a place that makes families feel good about singing and playing together. You don’t get a much more rewarding job than that!  

Q: What would you suggest for a parent to do "musically" for their child at home? 

A: Sing, sing, sing! Sing in the morning, at transition times, at meal times, at rest times, all the time. Trust me, your child does not care how much musical training you have, they are thrilled that you are spending time with them making a playful noise! Another great home musical activity is dancing with your child. If they are not yet mobile, scoop them up, turn on your favorite song, and let loose! If they are moving around on their own, pull down your shades and dance around with abandon. It won’t be long before they join you! These may sound like simple activities, but they teach children the basics of rhythm and melody, which are the building blocks of musical structure.

Q: When thinking about placing your kid in a class, what things should a parent consider? 

A: I think the most important thing is to make sure that the class is developmentally appropriate for your child and allows him/her to learn in a non-formal, playful way. Young children learn best through play, so any valuable early childhood education class should embrace a non-performance oriented environment, one where a child can explore free from the fear that he isn’t “getting it right”.

For example, Music Together embraces a child’s natural tendency towards learning through play.  The four key tenets of Music Together’s philosophy are:

1. All children are musical.
2. All children can achieve basic music competence (i.e. being able to sing in tune and carry a steady beat).
3. The participation and modeling of parents and caregivers, regardless of their own musical ability, is essential to a child’s musical growth.
4. This growth is best achieved in a playful, non-performance-oriented learning environment, which is musically rich, yet immediately accessible to the child’s and the adult’s participation.

To find out more or to register for Music Together classes offered by Inspired Sprouts with locations in Springfield at Turning Pointe Dance Center and Union, please visit their site  or call 973-379-0656.

To find out more about Music Together classes offered by Music Together of Union County with locations in Scotch Plains, Westfield, Cranford, Garwood and Madison, visit http://www.mtofunion.com.

Sheila Sayah is a wife and mother of three who regularly blogs about playgrounds on her site, www.njplaygrounds.com.