While this is not the Sprouting Melodies experience that we all expected at the beginning of the session, we have seen so many different benefits that we didn’t even consider would come out of this. I wanted to give you an idea of what we’ve been noticing from our perspective.
Extending the Family Bonds
We have seen so many new faces that go beyond your children! It has been such a joy seeing siblings, spouses, grandparents, and nannies that we haven’t met engage with the kiddos during the session. Especially with more people working from home, it’s been great to have working parents stop in, even for a few minutes to get setup and going! One of the main goals we have for our Sprouting Melodies program is to create bonding opportunities and it’s been so special seeing that reach beyond the studio and into your homes.
C
reativity and Flexibility
Another great thing that we’ve been seeing is the creativity you all have! This new way of experiencing Sprouting Melodies has made everyone put their creative minds to work to find household items that can work as shakers, scarves, and drums. We’re really impressed with all the out-of-the-box thinking that’s going on, and our team is challenging ourselves to stay open to the new ideas this format allows for! Eliza shared the idea of using the screen to “disappear” and go out of view, and I tried this in our Friday class. It was so much fun and the kids thought it was so silly! There are so many benefits that can be derived from the flexibility we’ve had all to harness. While it’s under uncertain circumstances, this has been a great time to learn ways to apply the different ways to engage that you and your little ones are familiar with.
Bringing the Outside World to You
This virtual format for Sprouting Melodies is our way of offering you and your kiddo a connection to the outside world. It’s so easy to feel isolated both physically and socially, but those 45 minutes are a chance to feel a semblance of normalcy and connect with friends who you wouldn’t get the opportunity to connect with otherwise. Our goal is to provide respite for you, whether that means looking forward to joining with your child in making music instead of worrying about house chores or the Coronavirus, or time that you can just let your guard down for a few minutes without worrying about what trouble your toddler might get into!
Creating Routines
We can all build off this experience and use music as a tool to establish a new routine and sense of normalcy. Try things like singing songs that you know during transitions during the day or take some time to sing a familiar Sprouting Melodies song and really connect with each other. You could even try writing a song to help complete a task or do school work!
Seeing Things Through Your Child’s Eyes
This is my geek-moment here! I have been leading Sprouting Melodies classes since the day I started the program in 2009, and I have always wished that parents would be able to see the facial expressions that I see when your babies are sitting on your laps and looking at me. Last week in our Sprouting Melodies classes for our littlest ones, I realized that parents with their babies on their lap can see the image on the screen of the baby responding to the music! When I pause or anticipate a musical phrase, or when a baby gets the musical joke for the first time, their expressions are truly delightful, and I’ve always wished that parents could see it too! Now you can!
Want to try a class? We’d love to have you come see what it’s like for yourself!