Little Maestros is Music to Moms Ears
Sherri Margulies is a an awesome film editor who happens to be the mom of an adorable little babe in NYC and, now, is Mommy Poppins' first contributor. Her first two posts, featured today and tomorrow, are about music activities for babies in NYC. Welcome, Sherri!
Just like everyone else in Manhattan, I learned quickly that I needed to register my little one for some classes in order to get her resume going to get into a good preschool. My nanny, who rocks, thought it best to demo some music classes. Demo classes for a 6 month old, sounded crazy, but I thought she must know something I didn't, and indeed she did. After trying out Music Together and Music for Aardvarks we came across Little Maestros and she was blown away.
Unlike most of the other classes that play recorded songs and have a class leader, Little Maestros has a full-up band. Each class is like a jam session. The kids love the live music, and the class is totally designed for their short attention spans. There's a puppet show, letter games, musical instruments for all the kids, limbo, story time, dance time, bubbles, you name it, if it's fun they are doing it. So for all you out there looking for the perfect music class, you need not look any further, Little Maestro's truly rocks.
Music for Aardvarks Rocks
More Free Demo Classes
Comments
I'm a cheapo parent who
I'm a cheapo parent who doesn't like to spend a lot on activities for their daughter -- especially now that I'm staying at home and with husband's salary freeze and bonus cut. A new transplant from the UWS to the Park Slope Area, I wanted to find something for my daughter to entertain her and to help me find other mommies. We had demo'd a Little Maestro's class when my now 18 month old was 4 months old. I found it overwhelming for her at that age. However, now it is something we both really look forward to every week. It is exciting, entertaining, and educational. We sing, dance, learn words, letters, new musical instruments, play with bubbles, and her favorite -- the puppet show. I find it's worth it's weight in gold. The musicians are all amazing and probably will be on broadway or performing in some major show some day (if they already haven't). That being said, it is pricey. We can't afford to do anything else so it is our one big splurge. But, along with our membership to Kidville comes the opportunity for free play in the indoor play space (depending on your membership). This has really gotten us through the winter months. We love it and will continue cutting back on certain luxuries in order to see the joy in her face each week.
We did do a Music Together sampler when we lived on the UWS. It was lovely and very appropriate for her at a younger age. I think it would still be nice for her but it would be hard to give up on the wow factor of Maestros.
"Just like everyone else in
"Just like everyone else in Manhattan."
Ms. Margulies should speak for herself.
"I learned quickly that I needed to register my little one for some classes in order to get her resume going to get into a good preschool."
This is sick. Typical of this socialist city to dump a two or three year old into a preschool because the parents can't be bothered teaching/spending time with their kids.
Dump them off and assume that "system" will teach them instead of the family.
Preschool and daycare destroys the child. Makes them part of the collective before they have even had a chance to develop a sense of being a unique individual.
The result: a conformist drone that needs constant reinforcement by the group, as apposed to:
Strong, rugged, confident individualist who could care less what the "collective" thinks of them.
"We will get your Children." Alan Ginsburg
Well, in NYC, they have!
Pathetic.
It looks like music together
It looks like music together is doing their normal hit piece on a competitor. They are the Hillary Clinton of the music world.
They will do anything to destroy their competitors, thus as send in chills to bad mouth other people's programs.
Music together is just a well promoted music program that is run with mother's off the street.
You forgot to mention how
You forgot to mention how much Little Maestros costs... around $800
Wow.
[...] Last week’s post
[...] Last week's post about Little Maestros got a bunch of interesting comments which shows how individual choosing classes for your child can be. Everybody has their particular likes and dislikes, another reason to be thankful we live in NYC where there are so many choices that we can find classes that suit our own tastes. [...]
I am a fan of Music
I am a fan of Music Together. You are right that the music comes from a recording BUT the instructors always engage the kids AND the care givers in form of movements, dances, music instruments, props, etc. I like the more traditional kind of music that is played in MT classes.
Little Maestros, IMHO, is way over the top. It's loud, it's noisy, it's hectic. Unless things changed drastically over the last couple years I think it is more for the parents than it is for the kids.
Also--forgot to add that
Also--forgot to add that Music Together includes lots of opportunities for the kids to play their own instruments--it's not just recorded music. In fact in our first class with them, the teacher played the guitar and let all the toddlers touch it at the end of class.
I'm a music together fan as
I'm a music together fan as well. Little Maestros sounds like it would be way too much for my daughter (who will often clutch me the first few sessions of just a regular Gymboree class.) She loves the Music Together CD, and they seem to take seriously the idea of actually introducing kids to music theory, not just having lots of entertainment.
My kids have no expererience
My kids have no expererience with Little Maestros and I can only echo that they liked Music Together. I was most amused at the comment that Sherri makes about resume building for a pre schooler.
For those of you on the East Side check out the St Vartan's Park Playgroup. It's a public park parent playgroup cooperative meaning parents lead the classes in an adorable one room schoolhouse situated in St. Vartan's Park just off First Ave between East 35th and East 36th Streets. We used to live South of that area and both my kids went to this group. It is worth checking out as its less expensive money wide but does require moms / caregivers/ or dads to be involved.
As for Music for Aadvarks we love his CDs as well but no experience with his classes.
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