It seems as though songs like “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” are part of the birthright of American children. Many youngsters learn them at home, but for the last 15 years children in the Chicago area have picked up the lyrics and the music of our country’s musical heritage at Wiggleworms events.
These classes and sing-along concerts, sponsored by the Old Town School of Folk Music, welcome children aged 6 months through 3 years.
An upcoming Wiggleworms Family Night will give parents and children a preview of the classes that introduce little ones to the world of music. David Hamilton, who teaches Wiggleworms classes, will lead the proceedings.
“I always think that my job is easy because I can just pluck one note and suddenly I have the attention of all the children,” Hamilton says. “The youngest children can’t do much except bob around, but if you get a smile on their faces or get them to watch you the whole time, you’ve succeeded.”
But success shows up in other ways too. Many of the songs have hand gestures. So for “Wheels on the Bus,” hands move back and forth like windshield wipers and open and close like the door on the bus.
“Moms usually take their children’s hands and do the movements with them,” Hamilton says, “but pretty soon you’ll get a kid clapping at the right time or making a movement that’s almost like what we want them to do.”
Although researchers now underscore the significant role music can play in the development of a child’s brain, Wiggleworms is not specifically attuned to those findings.
“I think that that kind of research is really important,” says Kerry Sheehan, program director of the Old Town School, “but that’s not the motive behind Wigglworms. The program for children this young is not about music instruction but music appreciation.”
For children who don’t have any siblings, “this is a wonderful social experience for them,” she says. “We also see it as a bonding experience between parents and children and a networking experience for the parents, who are often first-time parents. People come out of Wiggleworms not only with new friends but also with shared information about doctors, baby-sitters and many other important things.”
In response to families where both parents work, Wiggleworms classes are held not only on weekdays but also weekday evenings and Saturdays. Bilingual classes are scheduled in Spanish, French and Hebrew. The next Wiggleworms Family Night will be at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Old Town School of Folk Music, 909 W. Armitage Ave. Cost is $5 per person (children and adults).
A new 16-week session of Wiggleworms classes for ages 6-12 months, 12-24 months and 24-36 months and a parent or caregiver begins Jan. 2 in Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, Evanston, Hinsdale, Highland Park and Hyde Park. Cost is $180. Call 773-728-6000 for more information.
Other programs that bring music into children’s lives include:
– Kindermusikwelcomes newborns to be a part of the activities, which include music, movement and touch, designed to stimulate the cognitive, social and emotional development of infants. The program also provides educational materials that give parents similar ideas about how to delight their children’s neural pathways at home. Kindermusik programs are available in Chicago and many suburbs: 800-628-5687.
– The Baby STEPS program, offered by the Suzuki-Orff School for Young Musicians, is for children ranging from 6 months to 4 years. The name stands for Starting Together in Educational Process and encompasses a holistic music program for the child and a parent or caregiver that focuses on the intellectual, social and emotional development by increasing sensory awareness, spatial relations and language skills. The next Twinkle Tots 17-week session for ages 6 to 18 months begins Jan. 29, Suzuki-Orff School for Young Musicians, 1148 W. Chicago Ave., 312-738-2646; $175.
