Singing, dancing and growing: Music Together Princeton Lab School inspires kids to be creative
Parents at the Music Together Princeton Lab School in Hopewell, New Jersey, say the mixed-age class encourages cooperation and listening.
2 weeks ago
Professional musicians lead a community songwriting and music play workshop at the please touch museum. (Courtesy of Amanda Mahnke)
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The Please Touch Museum’s Wonder Theater on Saturday was packed with parents and children – shaking maracas, singing aloud, grooving about and collectively writing a new song.
The Community Songwriting and Music Play Workshop is one of the many workshops happening at the museum in honor of World Kindness Day last Thursday. It’s also part of Musicopia’s Lullaby Project, a program where caregivers and children team up with professional musicians to create original and personal lullabies.
“We go into areas here in Philly that are sometimes underserved, and connect one on one with caregivers,” said Meghan Cary, a singer and songwriter who works with Musicopia. “It’s not just about ‘mommy and me’ music, and it’s not just about someone writing a song for you. You are connecting with your child by really expressing what you want for them or how you feel about them. It’s a really powerful thing to be involved in.”
The jam session was led by the musicians singing and playing instruments like the guitar, piano and flute. Cary led the workshop, which started with classics like “Wheels on the Bus” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It” to warm up the crowd.
“One of the reasons why I love working with kids is because they are some of the most creative beings out there. They have no inhibitions,” said Oliver Talukder, a teaching artist with the Lullaby Project. “They have no self judgment beaten into them yet, and so it’s kind of fun to see how they create, and how that affects a community artist project like this.”
Throughout the workshop Cary asked kids about their hopes and dreams, and wrote the answers on a white board. Parents were also asked to write what they wished for their kids on star-shaped pieces of paper.
“I hope my child grows up to know her worth,” one said. “I would love for them to become an important part of their community,” read another.
Then, Cary polled the group, asking them to transform these answers into lyrics, come up with rhythms and collaborate on which felt the best. The final result was a simple melodic earworm, with lyrics like, “Keep on dancing, keep on dancing. Be kind. Be strong. Know your worth.”
Kids were buzzing about the theater, stomping their feet and coming up with dance moves. Any children feeling antsy were encouraged to roam about the room and engage in another activity, like coloring.
Shakirah Ray and her 2-year-old son, Asante, stopped by the Wonder Theater after hearing the music. Ray was grateful to have stumbled inside.
“It means freedom to me, because I get to lay back and watch my son have a ton of fun with other kids and parents, and really immerse himself in the community of music and a loving community,” she said.
Asante was singing “keep on dancing” over and over again, even after the workshop had ended.
“I would love to come again,” Ray said. “I hope they make this a monthly series.”
This is the second time that Musicopia has come to the Please Touch Museum for the Lullaby project. Sean Evans, the Please Touch Museum’s Museum Learning Coordinator, called the program infectious.
“It’s almost, like, hypnotizing,” Evans said. “You don’t even know you’re reaching that state. It was so funny. We were just humming and singing, repeating words, and then they started incorporating body movement, and the next thing you know, I’m doing things with my hands. I don’t even know what I’m doing, but this feels so wonderful. It really is just such an incredible program.”
Musician Lia Manaker, who played the piano, has worked with the program before, but was excited to share it with her 3-year-old daughter for the first time.
“I love how people can surprise themselves, that they can write a song that speaks to them, that feels like a real song,” she said. “I’m hoping that the process of creating and making music connects the people in a way where they feel like ‘I can do this.’”
Nathan Rifenburg, Musicopia’s program director, said that parents often come into the room a little self-conscious.
“At first they’re like … ‘I don’t know. I’m not really musical. I don’t think I can do that,’ he said. “But I think as they discover that connection that they actually then have, and there’s this way to express their love and a format that is really vulnerable for them.”
The Lullaby Project is backed by the William Penn Foundation. Rifenburg believes in the program not just because it is fun — which it is — but also because of how music can be vital for childhood development.
“We understand the research about the way that music can help with anxiety in children,” he said. “Music helps foster language in children. There are just so many studies [about] the benefits of doing music. But even for them to just have a moment to sit with a percussion instrument and bang, you know, it’s a very something within us that feels good.”
A 2020 study from the University of British Columbia backs up Rifenburg point. The research, which looked at more than 110,000 students, found that kids who get involved in musical education, like band practice, dance class or chorus, were often academic overachievers. They also tended to gain higher scores on exams in multiple subjects, such as English, math and science exams, than their nonmusical peers.
“Caregivers are the first educators of young children, and that music is such an important part of that early brain development and function,” Rifenburg said. “It doesn’t have to be that you’re playing some Mozart … It could be singing a silly song. It could be a ‘Wheels on the Bus,’ and it’s okay to share that with your child, even if you’re not the best singer.”
Talukder echoed this sentiment.
“It’s so important to take time to sing songs with your kids,” he said. “Or, get them some toy instruments and just let them kind of jam out. You don’t have to wait until they go to school, or you want to get them a private music teacher. You are their first teacher, so go teach them.”
Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series that explores the impact of creativity on student learning and success. WHYY and this series are supported by the Marrazzo Family Foundation, a foundation focused on fostering creativity in Philadelphia youth, which is led by Ellie and Jeffrey Marrazzo. WHYY News produces independent, fact-based news content for audiences in Greater Philadelphia, Delaware and South Jersey.