Experts have pointed to the benefits of music in stimulating young minds since time immemorial. Can mother-toddler programmes be left behind then? M&B introduces you to two such classes in Mumbai to give you a taste of what you can expect from similar programmes...

Aqualified instructor of the Music Together programme which she offers at her activity centre – My Music Gym, Wendy Jetha is originally from the US, but has lived in Mumbai for 10 years. Wendy’s vision for My Music Gym began about eight years ago when she and her Indian husband returned to live in Mumbai with their two-year-old daughter. Wendy looked for activities that she and her daughter could participate in together because she wanted to recreate and grow with her daughter. Now, Wendy has three daughters and she sees the shortcomings of living in a concrete jungle. She is always looking for recreational outlets for her kids.

Aditi Shah is a mother of two, who likes to be hands-on and believes very strongly in spending quality time over quantity. She feels that exposing children to a lot of things (places, objects, concepts) at a young age, in the right environment, goes far beyond the benefits any toy can give. Her source of inspiration and energy are her kids and their smiles and she likes to indulge in all things creative and fun with kids. When she saw a lack of meaningful activities in India, she decided to quit her architect job and become an educator. She now runs fun, casual classes called Musical Bonding across the city...

WHAT IS THE THE PROGRAMME ALL ABOUT?
Wendy: Music Together is a research-based music development programme for children. The premise of the programme is that all children are musical and can learn to sing in tune, keep an accurate beat, and participate with confidence in musical activities. It has pioneered the concept of aappropriate early childhood music curriculum that strongly emphasises and facilitates adult participation. It provides an environment for fostering the musical abilities in all children. During the first class of each session, parents are given a CD and a music book to take home. The take-home materials have all the music we will use in class. There are nine unique collections of music so a family can participate in the Music Together programme for almost three years without repeating any music.

Aditi: Musical Bonding is about parents spending quality time with the child and creating a bond by positive stimulus, imitation, and fun. Through specially created music and movements, the programme introduces to children the various musical instruments, beats, scales, rhythms, pitches and body movements. This is done in an absolute fun, group-play environment where in every session both the parents and the child participate. The kids learn without realising that they are being taught. The focus is on experiencing and inculcating love for music. It also has an added bonus of relaxation for mums, socialising with other children and parents.