New York City’s original music-in-Spanish program, where children from infancy through age 3 share the joy of music, dance, and the Spanish language with their families or caregivers, through weekly forty-five minute classes spent singing, dancing, playing percussion, and more, in a playful, supportive, total immersion environment.
WHAT'S A CLASS LIKE?
The teacher, children and their adults sit in a circle on the floor, singing traditional Spanish-language children's songs. We use small hand percussion instruments for some songs, and move around the room (sometimes as people, sometimes as elephants or ponies!) during others. Then we dance together, followed by a jam session to music from a different Spanish culture each week (i.e. Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, Spain, etc.). We wind down with a lullaby, and it always seems too soon to sing goodbye.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM MUSICA PARA MI:
First and foremost, to have fun making music in Spanish! More specifically:
Música Para Mí’s musical goal: to provide children the opportunity to experience themselves as music-makers, not just as passive listeners to music made by professionals. Although the benefits of music to a developing brain have been much ballyhooed in recent research, music is its own reward. A close life-long relationship with music (without the self-consciousness that so many people acquire growing up) begins in early childhood, and affords the individual access to inner peace and profound joy.
Música Para Mí’s linguistic goal: to provide children with a fun, Spanish-speaking social environment outside home or school. This works equally well either to introduce a 2nd language at the prime time for language development, or to reinforce the Spanish spoken at home by the family or caregiver, in a way that’s so fun they don’t realize they’re learning!
Música Para Mí’s cultural goal: to offer a bridge connecting the Spanish-speaking community in New York to their heritage through music. Our repertoire consists of traditional children's music from the Spanish-speaking world. We don't translate English-language children's songs into Spanish, nor do we use original material, for the express purpose of continuing the link to the past; ours are the songs abuela (grandma) and bisabuela (great grandma) sang as a girl. Additionally, our dance and jam sections of the class feature typical music of a different culture every week, strengthening a pan-Latin sense of community.
WHY MUSICA PARA MI INSTEAD OF OTHER SPANISH CLASSES FOR LITTLE ONES?
Unlike when we started in 1998, there are now many offerings in the field. In addition to the experience we've got under our belt as the oldest music-in-Spanish program, here are some differences worth noting in order to help you choose the best one for your child:
Our focus is on making music in Spanish, rather than teaching Spanish. We believe our approach follows the way children learn naturally: by absorbing a multitude of sensory input in a supportive environment and modeling on the adults that care for them, with no focus on results. Our primary focus on music also enables us to limit our repertoire to traditional children's music from the Spanish-speaking world, rather than original material required for language-learning through specific themes (colors, numbers, etc.), which helps further our goal of connecting to the musical heritage of the Spanish-speaking world.
WHAT'S EXPECTED OF YOUR CHILD:
Nothing! Young children aren't expected to sit attentively, clap in time, sing in tune, learn the words, use the instruments 'correctly'…children learn at their own pace, in their own way, and are always observing and absorbing, even when they seem not to be participating. Focusing on results inhibits the natural process of developmentally-appropriate learning, much in the same way that demanding correct pronunciation when they're first learning to speak would inhibit their speech.
WHAT'S EXPECTED OF YOU:
Your participation in class is a crucial element of your child’s experience. A teacher has only a brief influence on a child, whose true role models are the adults involved in her/his daily life. When your child sees you actively participating, s/he sees it as an option for her/himself, and naturally wants to emulate you. The more you participate, the more comfortable your child will be doing so. For this reason, Música Para Mí classes are purposely not meant as drop-offs, and adults are expected to take active part in class.
I WANT MY CHILD TO LEARN SPANISH, BUT I DON'T SPEAK IT. IS MUSICA PARA MI THE RIGHT PROGRAM FOR THIS?
Spanish language learning in Música Para Mí takes place in same the way as the English being learned by the very young brain: simply by being surrounded by it. For child to learn a second language not spoken at home, classes work best as part of a program of exposure, rather than as the sole source. We recommend reading books; listening to music with Spanish lyrics; watching videos, both ones created for the Spanish-speaking, and familiar ones that have been translated into Spanish (i.e. fairy tales, animated films, cartoons, etc.) playing computer games in Spanish (videos and computer games obviously once they are age-appropriate); and, if you can afford it, travel to a Spanish-speaking country!
Perhaps the best method is to find other children for them to play with in Spanish. It's not that hard to find other families who are interested in Spanish-only playdates; often adults who meet in class are only too happy to make playdates with other kids from class. This kind of reinforcement is particularly effective, as socializing is an important component of learning for children (adults, too, now that I think of it!), and speaking Spanish with friends makes it more comfortable. Often children resist continuing a 2nd language when they enter pre-school, when they are immersed in English-only environments; they don't want to be the only ones doing it! So we strongly recommend continuing this trend!
Often adults with no previous knowledge of Spanish feel uncomfortable in a full-immersion environment. Since children are very sensitive to their parents and follow their lead, it's important that you be willing to dive in despite any discomfort, mimicking the sounds you hear and bravely attempting to sing and speak as much as possible, using the songbook and the teacher as sources.
HOW DID MUSICA PARA MI GET STARTED?
Música Para Mí had its beginnings in the fall of 1998 when a pair of bilingual Manhattan mothers contacted the director, Graciela Carriquí, to request music classes for their children and friends in Spanish. Surprised to discover that no such program existed, unlike the variety of music programs for little ones available in English, she developed her own curriculum.
I’M CONCERNED THAT EXPOSURE TO A SECOND LANGUAGE WHILE MY CHILD IS STILL LEARNING ENGLISH MAY BE CONFUSING. WILL IT DELAY OR COMPROMISE HER/HIS LANGUAGE SKILLS?
A delay in children with occasional exposure to a second language is rare. Current research shows that children raised in completely bilingual environments--for instance, only Spanish spoken with one parent, only English with the other--average a 6 to 8 week delay in their language development (some children experience no delay, or demonstrate precocious speech, while others may be several months behind). Given the normal variation between children, it's often hard to know if bilingualism is the primary factor, or even a factor at all. But a possible delay is insignificant in comparison with the long-term benefits, at the very least above average language skills in general, as well as ease learning other languages. This is true even if they never master the additional language to which they were first exposed! Familiarity with Spanish in particular lays the groundwork for an easier understanding of other Romance languages such as French, Italian and Portuguese, as well as giving an instinctive grasp of Latin and the structure of all the languages it informs. As the language of the largest, fastest-growing minority in the United States, and especially in New York City, Spanish is the most logical choice!
WHAT KIND OF MUSIC IS USED?
The curriculum consists of traditional children's songs from all over the Spanish-speaking world; the exceptions are those that are not specific to children, but still typical (i.e. La Bamba, La Cucaracha). Each session offers a different collection of favorites from an ever-evolving repertoire. Most are universal, although versions often vary slightly from region to region. Just like in English--some people sing "eentsy weentsy spider" while others insist it's "itsy bitsy". Ethnomusicologists agree there is no "right" version, only what’s standard in the subject’s area of origin.
MY CHILD IS OF SCHOOL AGE AND SHOWS MUSICAL TALENT. IS MUSICA PARA MI FOR US?
Música Para Mí develops general music skills (rhythmic and tonal) and appreciation, in an informal group environment, for children from infancy through age 3. If you think your older child may be ready for more formal training, talk to the music faculty at her or his school for advice and recommendations regarding joining a choir or beginning to study an instrument (voice lessons for children before puberty are not recommended).
I LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY AND AM INTERESTED IN THE PROGRAM, BUT NO CLASSES ARE OFFERED NEAR ME. WHAT CAN I DO?
A minimum of 8 students are needed to begin a new class. If you know of some other families in your area who would be interested, and would be willing to provide some support with your knowledge of your neighborhood (in terms of possible locations, distribution of flyers and other forms of advertising), we would be happy to work with you towards that end.
WHO ARE THE TEACHERS?
All the teachers, even those with a lot of experience teaching the very young, go through an apprenticeship with Graciela, both to learn MPM's pedagogic philosophy, and to make sure they meet her high standards. About half of the potential teachers who apprentice with Graciela do not end up getting hired, so you get only the best!
Angelica Ayala has been teaching for Musica Para Mi since 2004. She works as an Artist-in-residence in the New York City Public School system and at Teatro Sea, has taught in El Puente’s Brooklyn after-school program, and appeared in children's theater with Teatro Sea and Los Kabayitos. She has appeared in theater, films & television in her native Venezuela, as well as Italy, France, Miami and New York City. She has received an ACE award in 2007, and HOLA awards in 2007 and 2008 for her appearances with Pregones, Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, and Thalia. She is currently pursuing an MFA at Brooklyn College.
Mariel Sol is our most recent addition, and began teaching for us in January of 2011. She teaches music and leads playgroups for young children in both Spanish and Hebrew. An Argentine-Israeli singer and songwriter, she is just finishing production on her first recording as a soloist.
WHAT IS DIRECTOR GRACIELA CARRIQUI'S TEACHING BACKGROUND?
She has received her Orff Method Certification, Level 1 (early childhood music pedagogy) from the Bloomingdale School of Music in New York City, and holds a certificate from the Center for Music and Young Children in Princeton, New Jersey, for the successful completion of advanced training. She began teaching at Families First in 1996 and taught Music Together in Brooklyn for 6 years. She was the Music Specialist at Plymouth Church Preschool in Brooklyn from 1997 through 2003, where she also worked as the director of the Cherub Choir (for 5 and 6 year olds) from 1998 to 2003. 1n 1999, she served as a special music consultant for the faculty of the Helen Keller School for the Blind, in Brooklyn. She was the music teacher at La Escuelita bilingual preschool during the 2004-2005 school year, on Manhattan's Upper West Side, and also offered an afterschool music class there, and returned to the faculty in the fall of 2010.
WHAT IS HER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE?
She is a singer and composer of contemporary Hispanic art songs. In recent years she has appeared at Greenspace, Rose Lounge, the Sugar Bar, Satalla and the Knitting Factory in New York, and at Jazz at Pearl's and Yoshi's in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Born and raised in the U.S. by jazz musician parents, she received an invaluable informal education at home, and began private studies of classical vocal technique and music theory at the age of 15. Starting as a singer with her father’s jazz band at 18 in the San Francisco Bay Area, her performing and recording career includes a three-year stint with salsa greats Willie Colón and Rubén Blades in the early 1980's. She toured the U.S., Latin America and Europe with them, has appeared as a vocalist on 8 recordings (with Willie Cólon, and other notable Latin music artists such as Hector Lavoe, Ismael Miranda, and Soledad Bravo), and on numerous television and radio programs. She has also toured the Northeast with various regional opera companies; acted Off-Off Broadway and in street theater; and sung both jazz and cabaret at various nightclubs in San Francisco, New York, and Italy.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions we haven't answered. Gracias!