Kindermusik class has lessons for daughter, mom | Sep 25th 2006
By Jacqueline Dooley
I ditched work last Tuesday to spend the morning with my daughter, Emily, for her very first Kindermusik class. I will, in fact, be ditching work every Tuesday morning to take Emily to Kindermusik for the next 15 weeks or so.
For the uninitiated, Kindermusik is a “Mommy and Me” type of music class for children from birth to age 7. Classes (for babies and toddlers) last 45 minutes, are built around a theme (animals, seasons, the home, etc.) and explore aspects of that theme through music, singing, spoken word and dance.
Kathy Burns, owner of Kathy’s Korner Piano & Kindermusik was our instructor for the class, which contained six or seven bright-eyed toddlers (including Emily). When we arrived, Emily was delighted to see many squishy balls scattered around the room (some of them change color with the heat of your hand!)
It was a deja vu moment for me. I’d stepped into Kathy’s studio on more than one occasion three years ago when my older daughter, Ana, was two. Ana took Kindermusik from about 10 months old until she was almost three though not all classes were instructed by Kathy.
I was unable to take Ana to her first Kindermusik classes when she was a baby because I worked full-time, so my husband (reluctantly) took her each week. It wasn’t until I got laid off from my job when Ana was about 16 months old that I finally got to take her.
The experience of going to Kindermusik with Ana — something I’d wanted to do for a while — was bittersweet at first. I was reeling from being out of work, and felt completely disconnected with the other parents in the class — most of whom stayed at home full time and seemed to feel way more secure in that role than I did at the time.
I had a hard time thinking of myself as a full-time stay-at-home mom — not because I have a problem with that label, but because it had literally happened overnight. I felt like an imposter. I quickly learned to love that role, by the way, though it was short lived. I worked part time for the next couple of years which enabled me to attend a lot more Kindermusik classes with Ana as well as play dates, library story times and visits to the park.
My first day at Kindermusik with Emily was very similar to my first day with Ana. Emily wasn’t quite sure of the room or the new faces or the music. She sat on my lap a lot; she played with the instruments but liked putting them away more. She loved Kathy’s bouncy bean bag chairs just like Ana had.
But there were also some really distinct differences for me personally. I was at Kindermusik because I’d scheduled it into my day — into my life. I didn’t feel rushed to get back to work because I didn’t have a boss waiting for me to check in.
I wasn’t reeling from being suddenly out of work and thrust into a new role that I wasn’t ready for and, best of all, I felt no guilt. Not an ounce! It was such a joy having the opportunity to share an experience with Emily that I’d been able to enjoy with Ana, that I had a hard time worrying about labels at all.
Working mother, stay-at-home mother, self-employed mother, working father — whatever! We were all shaking bells, hopping like kangaroos and singing out loud like we owned the place. I can’t wait until next Tuesday.
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This article was published by the Poughkeepsie Journal on Saturday, August 23rd, 2006 under the title, “Class has lessons for daughter, mom“