{"id":1276,"date":"2018-03-28T10:54:48","date_gmt":"2018-03-28T14:54:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/?p=1276"},"modified":"2023-03-03T13:10:54","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T18:10:54","slug":"program-spotlight-music-together-generations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/program-spotlight-music-together-generations\/","title":{"rendered":"Program Spotlight: Music Together Generations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized mtblog-float-r-top\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MT-Generations-400.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2537\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MT-Generations-400.png 400w, https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MT-Generations-400-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MT-Generations-400-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MT-Generations-400-125x125.png 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 125%; font-weight: 600; color: #fd4f57;\">In a Music Together Generations class, \u201cHello, Everybody!\u201d means something extra special.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s because there\u2019s a third generation of music-makers in the room! Generations is a mixed-age Music Together class with the sweetest twist: the addition of senior participants. Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and their grownups visit \u201cMusical Grandfriends\u201d at a local retirement home or senior center and spend time making music as a large extended family.<\/p>\n<p>Including elders in a Music Together class creates a different kind of community-building experience. There\u2019s a sense of being part of something important and of giving back and a shared joy when families arrive to the senior facility each week to see their Musical Grandfriends. Generations classes can even provide a kind of substitute grandparent experience. It\u2019s easy to imagine the sweetness of this class and how great it is for the children and elders. But what about for you? The hidden gem of Generations is how much the parents get out of it!<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s just a starter list of what you can look forward to for yourself when you join a Generations class:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>PLANT SEEDS OF RESPECT. <\/strong><em>Young children learn everything first and best from watching you. If you want your child to feel comfortable around older adults, show them how it\u2019s done! When you sing with an elder, dance over to their chair or wheelchair or follow their lead in a partner activity, you\u2019re giving your child a powerful model of respect and appreciation for elders. <\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong>MAKE A NEW FRIEND. <\/strong><em>Getting to know the elders in your class can enrich your life, stimulate your intellect, and challenge your assumptions about aging and the elderly. If you can, come to class a little early. Grandfriends are usually there waiting and love the company. Compare favorite movies, ask about where they grew up, bring your child\u2019s favorite picture book to share. Your new friends will love getting to know you beyond your role as a parent or caregiver, too!<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong>RAISE YOUR VOICE IN SONG. <\/strong><em>Parents in Generations classes who might be self-conscious singers find themselves singing more confidently because of the Grandfriends\u2019 model. Hearing the elders sing out with delight\u2014without concern about how \u201cgood\u201d their voices sound\u2014is inspiring. <\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong>REALIZE YOU\u2019RE A ROCKSTAR. <\/strong><em>Many Grandfriends have been parents and grandparents themselves so the empathy and support you\u2019ll get from them is very real. After all, they\u2019ve \u201cbeen there, done that\u201d!<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"desktop-only\" style=\"float: right; margin: 1em 0 1em 1em; padding-top: 1em;\" src=\"https:\/\/mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/48d806d8001\/10d0c5c4-20c1-4190-a8ee-2005850ea8d4.png\" alt=\"Making Music Together\" width=\"250\" height=\"auto\"><\/p>\n<ul style=\"padding-bottom: 0;\">\n<li><strong>ADOPT A NEW MINDSET. <\/strong><em>So many of us live far from extended family and don\u2019t have regular opportunities to interact with older adults in meaningful ways. Generations helps you to foster understanding, empathy, and appreciation for older people and for the aging process. Many Generations classes include active seniors. It\u2019s great to see different examples of what getting older looks like!<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong>PASS IT ON. <\/strong><em>Many \u201clegacy\u201d songs that Grandfriends grew up with are getting lost. Families just don\u2019t know them anymore. Folksongs of many cultures are preserved in a Generations class. &nbsp;You can feel good knowing you are helping to keep them alive in your own family!<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ask your <a href=\"\/class-locator\">local Music Together center<\/a> if they offer a Generations class you and your children can sign up for. If they don\u2019t yet, you might be the spark that ignites a new opportunity for your community!<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mobile-only\" style=\"margin: 1em;\" src=\"https:\/\/mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/48d806d8001\/10d0c5c4-20c1-4190-a8ee-2005850ea8d4.png\" alt=\"Making Music Together with Grandma\" align=\"center\"><\/p>\n<hr style=\"border-top: 1.5px #fd4f57 solid; margin: 2em 0;\">","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a Music Together Generations class, \u201cHello, Everybody!\u201d means something extra special. That\u2019s because there\u2019s a third generation of music-makers in the room! Generations is a mixed-age Music Together class with the sweetest twist: the addition of senior participants. <a href=\"\/blog\/program-spotlight-music-together-generations\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":2537,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8],"tags":[139,136,138,137],"class_list":["post-1276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-classes","category-grandparents","tag-classes","tag-generations","tag-intergenerational","tag-musical-grandfriends"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1276"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2557,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1276\/revisions\/2557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}