It has been hard for me to believe that my first baby is actually in
Kindergarten, let alone half way through her first year of elementary school. She recently brought home her first progress report and we couldn’t be more proud of the remarks from her Teacher. While we read things we already know, such as, she is independent, a more fluent reader, a great friend, empathetic and always willing to help, has great pencil grasp and penmanship, etc.--I could go on (all you Parents out there reading this can relate!--I know that these skills didn’t just develop overnight. I truly believe that the early exposure to several multi-sensory activities, preschool and its opportunity for socialization along with her innate ability have made “E” so successful and confident.
My husband and I moved to Flemington from Boston in 2005 when “E” was just 6 months old. I had stopped working prior to giving birth and decided to stay home, making us a one income family. As I searched for outlets to socialize as a new mom, I was met with tons of advice and recommendations about which activities to enroll in. Having a background in Special Education, I already had some ideas about what activities were a must, but needed to be sure they were worth our time and money. While I knew the benefits of music, it wasn’t until I sat down and researched Musikgarten that I realized this was a “must” activity.
The curriculum is developmentally based and provides age-appropriate activities. Skills like inhibitory control (very difficult for toddlers) and steady beat (aids in cutting with scissors, walking in line, bouncing a ball) are addressed in an engaging way.
While each of my children possesses different strengths, I know that early music education has helped bring them out. Again, it is not the only reason for their respective success, but I truly believe a strong contributor. I’ve had so much fun bonding with my kids and other families that I even joined the teaching staff because of it.
Neha Gohil is on the Early Childhood faculty of Hunterdon Academy of the Arts
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