Music Together In The Tri-Valley

My daughter (age 2.5) loves this and there is a great crowd. 5 stars.

Well, this review is long due. My daughter went to Music Together for eight terms including a couple of the big kids ones too. It was truly an awesome journey immersing our family within a musical experience that has now evolved into many other music related things — both fun and learning. Rowena is great teacher, who has the knack to bring out the best in everybody. Prior to this program, I have never ever dared to sing, knowing well that I don’t have the voice or the skill. After enjoying many sessions of Music Together, I have come to discover a new me — someone who loves singing with his daughter. I sing all the time now in the car, with my daughter joining me in chorus. It used to be the Music Together songs initially and now after my daughter moved on to listening to Children’s Folks songs on Pandora, the collection of songs has grown bigger. It’s a joy every time when I see how much my daughter enjoys the idea of singing in the car. My voice is still the same, my skills are perhaps a little better, but what’s really changed is my ability to enjoy my own singing — and I owe that to Music Together. Thank you Rowena :-)

We first signed up for this MUSIC TOGETHER class this past summer with Rowena at the Pleasanton location & my two little children adore this class! They have really blossomed in their love for music and their being more comfortable around the group of different aged children/​parents/​grandparents/​care-​givers. We recently started in the new Fall class.
You receive a different/​new music CD (2) every class session (summer, fall, winter, etc.) and so we keep one in mommy’s car and one in daddy’s car and the music is played daily by constant request from our children. I really love it and it reminds me of when i had my children in Gymboree music class when they were under 2 years old. However, the owner Rowena is soo much more passionate about music and about the learning for each child than the Gymboree teachers were. I really recommend it! I signed up for the free trial class and i have loved it ever since. It is rare to find a class that both my children can attend together, even though there is an 18+ month age gap between them.

I am writing this review after attending a sample class in Walnut Creek with Leilani and a Summer session in Walnut Creek with Scott. I attended all classes with my 2.5 year old and 8 month old baby. We all loved every minute of every class. What a wonderful experience we had. Leilani seemed wonderful, warm and welcoming in our trial class. Scott was fantastic as a teacher all summer. He ran a happy class, and was so loving and kind to my children (and all the children there.) I know this is one of the more expensive music classes but worth every penny. We listen to the CDs at home and enjoy the song books. The kids loved singing and playing the instruments and dancing in class. We all had such a good time– I’m not sure who had the most fun, me or the kids. Also, the director Rowena was so kind. I was desperate to sign up for the fall class but I explained that we were having some financial hardships, Rowena worked with me, giving me a substantial discount, so that I could take the kids for a second session. She could not have been more gracious or generous. I cannot recommend this program enough. So enriching, so much fun.

My son really likes Music Together, but it is way overpriced. The program is well-​thought-​out and robust, with strong teachers who are not teenagers or young twenty-​somethings, and I agree there is a monetary value to good quality, but at ~$ 24 per class, it should be a lot less repetitive than it is.
For example, if you take more than one semester, at least one or two songs on your latest semester’s CD will be the same as in an earlier semester. I have taken 5 semesters and there is a LOT of overlap among songs. I would feel marginally better about paying so much for a class if the songs on every semester’s CD were brand new, but they’re not. And that makes it feel like even more of a ripoff. I don’t understand why this is the only local activity for toddlers that costs more than $ 20/​class (most others are closer to $ 15 – in fact, I’ve taken my son to high quality Spanish, swimming and other classes at a much lower price).
You may be wondering: if I dislike Music Together so much, why have I taken 5 semesters? Again, I don’t dislike the class, I dislike the price. If I found something comparable in quality and at a better price, I would leave Music Together in a heartbeat.

We’ve done a few semesters with Music Together. While I still find the cost quite pricey (the only reason I’m really giving it 3 stars), they have been fun and my child is learning a lot about music. He giggles at songs and recognizes them even when we’re not in class.
I’ve had more than one instructor and Carolyn is our favorite! Definitely give her a try! She is very fun in class!

This review is specifically for Music Together in Livermore.
I just started taking my six month old son in September and we now always look forward to Wednesday’s!
Our teacher is Jody, and she is amazing.
I was a little nervous about attending a class like this because I wasn’t sure how uncomfortable I was going to feel singing and dancing around in front of other adults, but Jody makes you feel so comfortable that you don’t even think twice about it.
My son is younger than most of the other children in the class, but he loves watching everything that is going on, and likes playing with (sucking on) the instruments that are provided.
The cost did seem a little steep to me at first, but I think it is well worth it especially since you get 2 CD’s and a book with all of the songs in it as well.

I have been taking my children to Music Together in the Tri-​Valley for almost 2 years now. It was a wonderful activity to do with my oldest when his baby sister came along. Initially, she’d sleep in her carrier in a corner of the room while he got some time with me. Then I’d have her in a sling and we’d all do the class together. My son is now in pre-​kindergarten and no longer attends with us, but he still sings the songs with us and enjoys music tremendously. I think MT had a good influence on him and emphasized his natural rhythm and musicality. My daughter and I continue to attend and truly enjoy the classes together. She loves to sing, dance and make music. Better still, we’ve made dear friends from our classes… which have a nice community feeling. Our teachers are quite skilled and I always learn something in the classes myself… whether it is about my own singing or my kids’ and always about their learning process: children are encouraged to learn in a way that seems to come naturally for them and I’ve come to understand that even if they appear a little distracted, unfocused or not even really that engaged, they’re still absorbing it all. The teachers in this region are great and it is clear how they enjoy it and how much effort the director (and our current teacher) puts into making it a great program. I highly recommend Music Together for children to attend with their moms, dads, grandparents or other caregivers. It is a wonderful program!

Like the other Unilocalers are saying… Music Together is fun and teaches kids not only to appreciate music but learn words. My son has been attending since he was around 8 months and he has gotten so much out of it. He learned to clap, sing, dance, interact with his peers and how to clean up just to name a few.
This isn’t a ‘music’ class per say but more of singing and playing just like a kid would. It’s kind of a working out cause you will be dancing and moving all around. It’s okay if your kids don’t join in on the fun initial, it takes time for kids to warm up and the teachers know that. They encourage them to roam freely til they are ready. I’ve seen this happen with other kids in the class. You can’t force them, in due time they will participate. Every quarter you get 2 CD’s one for the car and one for home. My son knows the CD’s by heart and whenever he’s fussy in the car, CD on… and problem solved.
Our primary teacher is Scott and he is wonderful and engaging. I’ve also experienced classes with Rowena in Pleasanton and she really does love what she does.

I LOVE music together. Both of my kids love it, too. They get to play, sing, and dance, all while learning about music. I’d love to chat about how the classes help them develop verbally and emotionally, but I can’t explain it well, so I’d have to go to their website to cut and paste– at that point you may as well just go there yourself and read about it. I do know that my oldest had well over 100 words at 18 months and was stringing 6 word sentences together by 24 months. None of her little friends were even close, so I’m guessing it was the music classes that helped her out so much.
We’ve love all of the teachers with Scott being the favorite. Both of my kids love all the CDs, too — they dance wildly to most of the songs and sing them constantly.
I’d give it 5 stars, but it’s a little pricey.

My son and I previewed a Music Together Class when he was about 2 years old. I really liked the teacher. I found her engaging and I liked the variety in how music is created (singing, clapping, instruments, etc.) My son was nonplussed. He spent the class running around and trying to get the other kids to chase him. The class moved too slowly and there was too much sitting in one place for my busy boy.

Music Together is a fun and musically educational program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their parents or caregivers — the marketing pitch. For me and my boys, it’s been a fun way to bring music into our family — my husband even loves it. The classes are very informal and the teachers make it easy for you to dance and sing with your children without feeling silly or embarrassed. Their philosophy? EVERYone can sing and dance — you only need a few instructions:) I started taking the boys when they were 8 months old and they clearly recognize the songs and start dancing and clapping their hands whenever they hear music. Did I mention they are great drummers too? Such a proud mommy (he he). I highly recommend it for children of ALL ages!