45 minute music and movement class for caregiver(s) + child
Empowering families with the necessary tools to build the musical foundation of children during their most critical and sensitive periods of age 0-4
SUMMER | Music Play
For summer classes, please complete the MUSIC PLAY INTEREST FORM.
Summer classes will take place July to August and scheduled based on families’ needs.
SPRING | Music Play
SATURDAYS (3/22, 3/29, 4/5, 4/12, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/31, and 6/14)
Babies (0-16 months) @9am
Mixed (0-4 years) @10am
6/14 Classes @3 Brussels St. Suite 224 Worcester
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“I was so pleasantly surprised by what Music Play offers local children. It is much more than singing and dancing and really focuses on the development of musicality with a natural and organic approach.
Ms. Jenie is dedicated, knowledgeable and passionate about music.”
-Chrystina
“We have incorporated not only the songs, but many of the lessons that we learned in class into our lives. Utilizing songs to give my daughter a direction or to help her follow a routine has been so helpful as she has entered the toddler phase. This use of music was a parenting skill that I learned from Jenie in class. In this way, the class was about more than just singing and moving together.
It was truly about fostering a love of music and weaving music into all that we do.”
-Stephanie
Through classes this year, I have come to value how much dedication Jenie puts into preparing for her classes. She always has a strategy for which songs will be in the rotation along with appropriate instrument exposure for the ages of the children. I have loved hearing my sons echo our voices in response to the music.
During all sessions with Jenie, she takes great care to engage each child individually.
-Corinna
Music Play Adventures
Coming Soon: Preschool Music
For the active and imaginative child | Ages 3-5
Embark on story-based musical learning adventures through play that encourages imagination during this special period a child’s life. Build musical understanding and coordination through singing, learning music vocabularies, movement, props, and playing instruments. Children will experience guided exploration and creativity where they can express their ideas and emotions through music and movement.
Sample Activities
• Use props and instruments for imaginative play while singing, moving and making music
• Explore and play percussive instruments while learning and creating rhythm patterns in the context of a song
• With guidance, collectively create music that depicts scenes and characters in a story
• Play musical circle and partner games
Classes will be formed based on families’ schedules.
Goals for Music Play
• Create an interactive environment that immerses the youngest children with rich musical experiences as early and as often as possible
• Serve the youngest children’s musical and total development through play
• Recognize, acknowledge and encourage children’s musical responses
• Learn songs + chants in multiple tonalities and meters
• Offer music and movement activities applying Dr. Gordon’s extensive research on how young children learn music
• Lay the foundation for a lifetime of music during the most critical period of a child’s musical development
Why the earliest years matter
Do babies and toddlers really need music class?
Neuroscience and early childhood research affirm that the first three years of life represent a critical window for musical development. During this time, the brain is exceptionally receptive to sound, rhythm, and pitch. Without rich musical exposure, innate musical aptitude rapidly declines. But when nurtured intentionally, this potential can grow into extraordinary lifelong musical fluency.
In the first months and years of life, a baby’s brain is exquisitely tuned to absorb sound — not just as a sensory experience, but as nourishment. Neuroscientists describe sound as a cognitive nutrient — vital fuel for brain development. For infants, sound is music, and music is information. When we sing to babies, we’re not just soothing them — we’re feeding their brains with the building blocks of understanding: pitch, rhythm, timbre, and emotion.
Without this rich musical input during the brain’s most receptive stage, babies don’t just lose potential music aptitude — they miss out on foundational learning skills. Song helps lengthen attention span, deepen cognitive processing, and spark neural pathways that shape how a child learns for life. A lack of this nourishment can mean diminished attention, reduced engagement, and a lower capacity to process the world around them.
This is why we don’t wait for “instrument-readiness.” We meet children where they already are during this crucial early period — tuned into sound, wired for music, and ready to grow. Through play-based experiences, movement, and curated songs, children don’t just learn music — they live it. They naturally begin to audiate (hear and think music internally), develop rhythmic coordination, express themselves creatively, and establish the musical fluency necessary for confident future learning, including reading notation, improvising, and performing with ease.
What is in a Music Play class?
• A Rich Musical Environment
Immerse children with songs in various tonalities and chants in different meters;
Allow children to learn through listening, absorption and exploration
• Ideas for Caregivers
Recognize musical responses and interact musically with your child
• Purposeful Space and Responsiveness to Child-led Play
Provide opportunities for children to process learning and respond to children’s spontaneous musicking
• Informal Pattern Guidance
• Body Awareness and Movement
Explore and model levels of movement including flow and to steady beat
Just like learning a language, music is best learned by immersion and repetition of live singing and spontaneous interaction. Music Play classes are not designed to entertain young children, but rather to create a playful environment that focuses on using the singing voice, chants and movement that best serve their musical development. To maximize music learning at this stage, use of recordings and language is kept to a minimum in our classes. The music educational process also takes consistency, purposeful guidance and the willingness of caregivers to participate in active music-making. Together, we will give children what they need - the foundation for a lifetime of music.
