When Em was born, I had to be creative and come up with ways to keep my only 18-month-old son busy and happy while I did the necessary daily business: nursing her, changing her, getting her to sleep, all without drawing the wrath of a slightly pissed off toddler. Luckily for me, Jax has an unbelievable attention span and has since he was very young. The first thing JDubbs would do when he woke up with Jax was set up the train tracks in Jax’s room so he had something to do while I was nursing. I quickly found out what could keep him occupied for more than a few minutes that did not involve the tv: coloring, trains, simple books that we had read so often he knew them by heart, and music. We had been enrolled in Music Together since he was able to sit (and we start it up again next week for our 6th session) and those CDs plus my Putamayo CDs, in addition to a basketful of musical instruments was a huge lifesaver. And it continued to be so as Em grew and become more aware, increasing her fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Suddenly I had two little music lovers on my hands, and there isn’t much else I’d rather be doing with them than singing, dancing, or shaking our bon-bons (yes, that was a shout-out to Ricky Martin. What?).
We take our Music Together classes at The Purple Crayon in Woodstock, VT, truly one of our favorite places to be. Between the music, art, and playroom, it requires little more than kids to create an environment full of joyful noise. Add into the mix Jax’s first love, his music teacher Kathleen, and the place is magic. Even when classes aren’t in session.
All kids love windchimes, so a windchime they can play that doubles as a work of art? Genius.
Last summer, when Em was still a teeny eat-sleep-poop machine, we attended a free concert at The Purple Crayon that literally rocked our world. If you are fans of kids’ music, or if you are familiar with the Putamayo CDs, then you have probably heard of Melissa Green and her wonderfully pleasant kids’ music. She is featured on the Rock ‘n Roll Playground CD, which is no small feat. She does free concerts all across the country each summer, and once I heard she was coming back, the date was circled on our calendar weeks in advance and I was spreading the word to all my mommy friends, near and far. The day rolled around and, happily, the weather was perfect for dancing in the sunshine, with a bit of playtime beforehand to get our bodies warmed up.
Unfortunately, Jax decided to play chicken with a big kid on a swing, and of course, he got his butt kicked all the way across the play yard (when do they start realizing that walking in front of swings is a bad idea?) so after that, he was a bit subdued–not his normal rockstar self. But once the music started playing, not even a bruised butt and ego could keep his toes from tapping.
Yup, my kids were the first ones up. As long as they have each other, they are very brave.
But it didn’t take long for the masses to join them. The need to get up and dance was pretty contagious, actually.
It was so cute watching the kids jump, clap, shake, and roll. In fact, if you’d like a glimpse into what got their bodies moving, click here to enjoy a video of Melissa performing my kids’ favorite song.
The whole performance lasted about a half hour, but it was so invigorating my kids needed a snack break:
…but it didn’t last long once she invited the kids up to sing with her onstage.
Jax bailed on The Wheels on the Bus when a case of the whiny, I-got-my-butt-kicked-by-a-swing blues came to stay. But Em stayed strong and hung tough with the big kids.
That is, until that darn windchime called her name again.
An appreciation of music, like art, is something that I think needs to be cultivated in kids; not necessarily that I can teach them anything about it, but that they understand that the world is full of beautiful and interesting things worth exploring. And hey, if I can teach Jax to have some rhythm, and give him a leg-up at those middle school dances, then even better!
