2022 Memorial Day Issue

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Families Happily Make Music with Interactive Class Story by MELISSA SUMMERS Photos by KAREN FUCITO Anyone strolling by Memorial Park in Mount Arlington on a sunny afternoon in April might have been pleasantly surprised to hear the lively tunes and playful giggles coming from the cozy nook surrounding the white gazebo. Genevieve Schmidt, 62, has been hosting children’s music classes in the area through Music Together for 28 years, bringing joy and developmental benefits to kids from birth to early childhood. Before Music Together, Schmidt owned another business called Play Arena. She ran a storefront but also traveled to teach gymnastics, dance and other active kids’ classes in other locations. “I ran it till I had my second son and then realized I didn’t want to work that hard,” she said. “They told me about Music Together, and instead of moving around all that gym equipment, now I can travel with just a cart.” Music Together is an international company based out of Princeton, N.J. “They are in 40 different countries and 4,000 communities worldwide,” Schmidt said. “Everyone does the same collection of music at the same time, no matter where you live.” The curriculum is divided into semesters— Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer—and the collections cover three years without repeating, according to Schmidt. The classes are held in various locations and in different formats for babies, toddlers and older kids. But the benefits go far beyond sing-alongs and dance parties because the program is designed to touch on skills essential to a young child’s growth. “There are tonal patterns and rhythm Henrik Horstman hits sticks with his parents, Christon and Liz. patterns,” Schmidt said. “Rhythm patterns have no melody to it, like ‘bah, bah, bup, bup, bah,’ that kind of thing, and it helps them with learning to repeat things back. They are learning by listening and following.” Tonal patterns make up the melodies. “The songs are placed in the children’s voice range. At this age, they have probably six notes, so if you don’t sing in their voice range, they are just singing on one note,” Schmidt explained. “Music within their voice range teaches them to parrot back the melody, and they’ll learn how to have a conversation—so it’s my turn, then it’s your turn, then it’s my turn, etc. That’s why we do it.” And it’s not just vocal development, according to Schmidt. “Everything we do, we do for a reason. We hit this stick and then this stick because crossing the midline is a pre-reading skill,” she said. “Your eye has to transition from the right side of the brain to the left side of the brain to read across the page. The science does show that you do need to do things with both hands and legs because it straightens the connection between the left side and the right side of the brain.” Parents say there is something for everyone in experiencing Music Together. Denville resident Jillian Wells has been bringing her kids, Carina, 2, and Theo, 5, to classes whenever she can and has been coming since Theo was a toddler. “Theo likes to play instruments, and it makes him get up and dance,” she said. “He even makes up his own songs.” The program, she said, nurtures parents’ ability to interact with their kids. “It makes things 100 percent easier. It gives them room to be silly.” Schmidt has had to adjust her classes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. “Before, when we got up and danced, we’d dance in a tight little circle,” she said. “Now everyone has to dance around their own little spot. It’s isolating, but at least when we are outside we Kathy Bolanos with her grandson, Alexander Passaglia. can move a little bit more.” She also had the opportunity to teach online classes. Through a contract with Music Together, she and 14 other teachers sang and danced with a preschool program in Richmond, Va. “It was so cute—you could see a dozen faces and they loved it and it was fun for everybody.” But when she couldn’t be there with the families, it was the babies-only classes that were a real thrill. “It was nice because the mothers were looking at me and the babies were in front looking at them,” she said. “I would give the instructions to the parents and show them with my [stuffed] monkey what to do. This way they were really engaging with their child and just glancing at what I’m doing.” There are lots of ways to take advantage of the curriculum at home and on the go, Schmidt added. There’s a book for each semester that has all the songs and the first line or two of the music and a supplemental CD. On the app or website, you can download the songbook or full score of the music, which is ideal for parents who play an instrument at home. There’s also an option on the app to turn down the lyrics if you want to add your own and the ability to video your creation. It’s a family affair for Liz and Christon Horstman of Landing, who bring their children, Henrik, 20 months, and Luka, 2 months, to the class. They have been coming since Henrik was 10 months old. “We like coming together,” Christon said. “In the wintertime, we were doing indoor classes, but these outdoor ones being so close here are awesome. The kids are outside in the grass and playing around and it’s awesome.” They even brought their own instruments to play along and listen to the CD at home. For parents who are raising children in a bilingual home, early childhood is the best time to introduce multiple languages, Schmidt points out. “For a child at that age, if it’s a nonsensical song, it has the same effect on JJ Weintraub bangs on a tambourine. 26 LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2022 Genevieve Schmidt leads a class in song.
them regardless of language.” This is key for Kathy Bolanos of Randolph. She brings her grandson, Alexander, who is 18 months old. “It’s a blessing when you have little ones, and I love it,” she said. “I can take him to classes, teach him in Spanish and English with different music.” She’s reliving being a parent—as a grandparent. “There are games and songs that I remember from when my kids were little.” Schmidt has a musical family but only participated casually in choirs in high school and college. It’s the flexibility of skill levels and schedules that makes her classes work. “That’s the beauty of it. There are opera singers that do Music Together. One of my teachers was in a rock band at night, and he would do Music Together in the morning.” In the end, it’s about fun and family and experiencing something that will have lifelong benefits. “Usually, he’s running out of the car to come to this,” said Mountain Lakes resident Ben Weintraub of his son, JJ, who is 3. “Our little one, she’s only 8 months and she loves it, too. It’s adorable. Everyone is just really great and engaging and it’s getting them into the fun side of music at a very early age.” For more information about Music Together in the Morris County area visit www. merrymusicians.com. Est. 1991 www.bagelsonthehill.com CELEBRATING 31YEARS AS YOUR NEIGHBOR! OPEN 7 DAYS 5AM-2PM M-F 6AM-2PM Sat/Sun 973-770-4800 fax: 973-770-0572 175 Lakeside Blvd. • Landing, NJ 07850 Next time, skip the line for your bagel fix! Scan the QR Code for a free bagel! daily Facebook specials www.facebook.com/bagelsonthehill SUMMER CLEANING • MULTI SERVICE DISCOUNTS BATTEN THE HATCHES Custom Boat Covers & Upholstery Located at scenic Lake Hopatcong 973-663-1910 70 State Rt. 181 • Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849 battenhatches@yahoo.com BOAT COVERS UPHOLSTERY Maria Pappas, owner Travis Amico, manager Est. 1990 www.battenthehatches.net lakehopatcongnews.com 27
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2022 Memorial Day Issue

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