There are no refunds after the first day of classes. Refunds minus a $15 admin fee are available up to the day before the first class.

AAMT is a very small business, and as a Music Together center, we are required to limit our class sizes. We decide whether to hold each class based on the number of registrations just a few days before classes begin. We are sometimes not be able to fill empty spots once a Session begins.

We have offered class credits in the past for families who have unexpectedly encountered very difficult situations outside of their control. Each case is evaluated individually.

DO NOT ATTEND Music Together class if you or anyone in your family has a fever, vomiting, loss of taste/smell, or persistent cough.

Little ones often have runny noses related to teething. Coughing can just be allergies, but it’s hard to know.

Ask yourself if situations were reversed, would YOU feel comfortable sitting near a child with your or your child’s symptoms. Adults at least can wear a mask if you have a stuffy head but aren’t sure if it’s a cold or allergies. Use your best judgement.

Classroom instruments are sanitized after each class.

One of the best parts of teaching Music Together classes in Asheville over the past 17 years is the amazing care and grace that Music Together families have always shown to each other. Each class develops into its own beautiful, supportive community over the course of the Session.

Please continue to demonstrate the same care and consideration for each other that you always have before.

At this time, we are not taking any additional precautions related to Covid. Anyone who wants to mask during class is very welcome to. Please give your teacher a heads-up if you’d rather keep physical distance between yourselves and others.

If weather or logistics prevent us from holding in-person classes, each family will be sent a link to join a Zoom class at their usual class time.

No refunds or make-ups will be given for Zoom classes.

On-screen classes are different from the in-person class community experience. However, in the rare case of bad weather or other logistical difficulties, the Zoom class option allows the Session to stay on schedule and for families to maintain their weekly routine. Zoom classes also allow for a bit of home-based fun and freedom (hide and seek, toy scavenger hunt, snack-when-you-want, etc) that enhance Music Together class in different ways.

If your child is too young for screens or if you prefer to avoid screens, you are invited to join the Zoom meeting and then turn the video off and listen and follow along. Your child may or may not follow your lead, but the role you play and the experience is the same: you are modeling joyful music-making and providing an opportunity for your child to share that experience with you.

Each Music Together class is 45 minutes of musical sounds and movements, inviting every person in the room into musical play and community. Since each caregiver and older sibling in the room is an important musical model for our smallest participants, your musical participation is required. But don’t worry, we don’t expect anyone to sing or dance like a pro, and we have a great time! Participation, not performance, is key.

We always start with the Hello Song, then we move to finger play and lap songs (i.e. Trot Old Joe, Eensy Weensy Spider) and on to large movement songs where we dance, jump, spin, and get the wiggles out. We’ll usually do musical play with two or three different instruments (shakers, rhythm sticks, etc.) and/or props (scarves, balls), and we wind down with a snuggle song and “Goodbye, So Long, Farewell.”

Music Together classes nurture each child’s natural enthusiasm for music and movement as we sing, dance, chant, and play instruments in an informal setting that will enrich her musical environment and guide her towards a lifetime of music-making enjoyment.

Believe, me: Mixed Ages classes are where it’s at!

In the 1980s, Music Together pioneered the development of the mixed-age approach in early childhood music. In each class we strive to create a musically rich, developmentally appropriate environment where the whole family can enjoy music and nurture skills at the level right for each child. Children of different ages thrive when they interact with each other: the babies are fascinated by the older children, and the “big kids” enjoy helping and sharing with the “little” ones. This approach is based on research from music education, early childhood development, and family relationships, as well as many years of experience in the field.

Each class has 6-12 registered children plus their primary caregiver(s).

Absolutely! A couple of important points:

All older children and adults who come to class are expected to participate! Joyful, non-judgemental music-making - This is what our classes are all about! What a great experience for the child to see mom, aunt, grandpa, or nanny dancing along to one of their favorite songs…. as opposed to feeling uncomfortable because these adults are suddenly all staring at me (the child).

An absolutely essential component of the education value of our program is adult participation. Please educate your child's caregiver on the importance of participation - the child will tend to mimic her caregiver more than she does the teacher. If Grandpa or Nanny won't sing, the child may not feel comfortable participating whole-heartedly.

A second absolutely essential component of Music Together is sharing the music *together* at home! You're paying good money for this high-quality program. Allow your child to glean the most benefit from it! Even if someone else brings your child to class, you can connect to her musically and extend the learning and joy by listening to the music with your child, looking and singing throught he songbook together, singing the songs as you go about life, changing the lyrics to fit your activities and moods (as we do in class). Ask the adult who comes to Music Together class to fill you in on the class activities, and try them yourself.

If the attending adult wants to enroll a second child who is from a different household (i.e. the Nanny wants to enroll her own child), the children must be enrolled in separate accounts (not as siblings), so that each family will receive its own copy of the songbook and their own download code.

Limited scholarship funds are available for those with financial difficulties. Ask Kari directly.

Thanks for asking! Your active participation in the musical activities is the key to your children learning and growing musically. Come into class with the intent to enjoy yourself and be silly!

We strive to maintain a music-only environment in class. Since it is neurologically impossible for a young child to ignore their caregiver’s voice, keep yours singing or silent, and please wait ‘til after class to chat.

Remember your child is centered on you and will mimic your behavior. Model your own after your teacher. You may feel silly singing “Bye bye, drums,” when it’s time to clean up, but this helps keep the musical pathways firing in all the little developing brains around you.

We are not preschool, and we do not expect children of this age to “sit still and pay attention.” They’ll be paying attention all right, and as long as they are safe, we adults stay out of the way. Your child will learn just by being in the music environment if we adults keep it musical and safe. If your child wanders, wander along after her, and just keep singing.

If she gets into someone else’s personal space or attempts to “borrow” another child’s instrument, try a gentle physical intervention, such as swinging her up to dance with her, trading for another desired instrument, etc.

If any child is running or getting a little body-crazy in class, adults can help by simply putting their bodies in the way as “traffic calming” devices.

Mostly your job is to just relax, and have fun!

Usually yes, but please check with the teacher first.

Whole family music-making at home is extremely valuable to your child's music development. Attending class occasionally may help family members feel more comfortable joining in.

But, we’ve seen situations where a child becomes overwhelmed by all the special adult attention during class and either gets crazy feet or totally shuts down into a lap barnacle. If you think it may be difficult for your toddler to absorb the musical environment PLUS grandma AND grandpa’s attention, in addition to your own, you may want to consider whittling down the party.

As a consideration of all the other families in class, visiting adults are expected to join in the singing and dancing (as physical able) - see above question about grandparents or nannies bringing children. Friendly grandmas chatting with other parents or well-meaning aunties taking photos and/or perusing their phones during class are distracting and detracting to the learning experience for other families in class.

Two make-up classes are allowed each semester for each family, on a space-available basis. Makeups do not carry over from previous semesters. Makeups are available in any class where there is space.

Make-up spots are available on an online sign-up sheet as space allows. Ms. Alison has even generously agreed to allow Asheville families to attend her Black Mountain classes for make-ups (as space allows). Caregivers are responsible for checking the sign-up sheet to reserve open spots for make-ups.

As your child grows and participates in more different activities, you will find that our make-up opportunities are among the most lenient and family friendly available. For instance, your soccer league fee will be the same no matter how many games your child is able to attend in a given season, and regardless of whether weather make-ups are offered or not.

We can never guarantee make-up spaces except in the specially designated make-up classes we sometimes offer at the end of a Session.

Usually, yes! Please let your teacher know in advance if possible. Do not bring anyone to class who is sick. Please take all illness precautions (see above).

Check your e-mail, texts, our homepage, and social media for the status of our classes. We sometimes solicit parent input about whether to cancel.

If we cancel in-person classes, we will probably hold classes at the usual time via zoom.

If we don’t cancel, please should use your best judgement about whether to travel to class.

We are not preschool. We are a multi-age, multi-stage family-style community, and children will respond in many ways. Babies love watching older children dance and play instruments. Babies love being sung to and touched in purposeful musical ways by their caregivers. Toddlers love exploring all aspects of everything we do - small and large movement, playing with the lyrics, mimicking the adults (or pretending to ignore us entirely), manipulating all the instruments, often in new and creative ways. Older children enjoy being the models for the youngers - they often know the lyrics to songs and enjoy showing off their own made-up dance moves - and being mimicked by the adults and toddlers!

It is not age- or stage-appropriate for most of our small students to “sit still and listen.” Safe and appropriate behaviors include lap clinging, high-pitched squealing, crawling about everywhere, spinning in circles, rolling around under the furniture, and more. Trying to talk your child out of these behaviors distracts your child and everyone else from music-making, and will generally only frustrate you and your child. Trust the environment and yourself. If you can see her, and she’s not hurting herself or anyone else, just keep singing. Go be with her if you need to, but keep singing.

The big essential is safety. Hitting, throwing, running are age- and stage-normal behaviors for our littles, though these behaviors can sometimes shock and hurt those around them. We adults must bear with them as they slowly develop the understanding and skills to control their bodies and respect others. There is no need to make punitive responses to these behaviors in class, and often punitive responses can backfire, not to mention scare other children.

The music-making environment can be very very stimulating for children, and they sometimes respond by acting differently than they usually do in other environments. Obviously, we don’t want anyone to get hurt. Preventions and interventions can be as simple as positioning your little one a little off to the side and “point” them away from others if they’re in a non-verbal-happy-throwing phase.

Verbal children can often respond to pre-class reminders about safe behavior.

Bigger kids who MUST run can sometimes be redirected to lie down and “run on the ceiling” or push a wall to “make the room bigger.”

If your child is in one of these phases, e-mail and/or talk to your teacher before class for some tips.