Music Together began in 1987 as an educational program of the Center
for Music and Young Children located in Princeton, NJ. It was founded
by composer and early-childhood educator, Ken Guilmartin and professor
of early childhood education, Dr. Lili Levinowitz. Together they
founded a school in Princeton with the specific purpose of putting the
latest research in the field to a test. Since the time of its
founding, Music Together headquarters has continued to utilize the
latest research in developing its programs. This is just one of the
many things that makes Music Together stand out from other early
childhood music education programs. Read more HERE.
About Sol La Ti's Music Together
In the summer of 1997, as a jazz vocalist with a strong background in dance, Gabriele was searching for a
way to share her knowledge with the next generation.
At the suggestion of a close friend, Arleen Kestenbaum,
Gabriele attended a training program to become a Music Together Teacher.
Upon
completion of the training, Ms. Tranchina requested a license to open a Music Together location
in the Morningside Heights, Upper West Side vicinity.
The first class consisted of 7 families. From that point on, the number of families steadily
increased. The main location on 114 St has successfully offered baby classes and
older kids classes (for 3-5 year old children) for many years. Due to high demand
a Mon 5:30pm class evening class for working parents was introduced in 2008.
Working parents have greatly taken advantage of this great opportunity to come together on a
Monday night and enjoy class with their children. Sol La Ti's Music Together has had the
opportunity to connect with DAD groups in hopes to offer a DAD CLASS sometime in the future.
In 1990, Tiana Norgren, of the Children’s Playclub of Morningside Gardens,
approached Gabriele with the prospect of holding Saturday classes.
Her group was looking for a high quality MOMMY AND ME program
to offer to the families in that community.The Saturday morning classes have
been ongoing since that time and enabled parents
to join a fun activity together on the weekend.
A third location was started in the Spring of 2003 at the Harlem School of the Arts,
with the help of Judith Staack, to make Music Together available for the community
of Harlem. In the Summer of 2009 the location was moved to Grace Congregational Church.
We now have an average of 170-200 active families and a staff of 4 teachers.
Gabriele would like to thank Alreen Kestenbaum for introducing her to MT and
Silvia Meo for helping to get the program started.
Our Goal
As one of the smaller centers in Manhattan, the emphasis of these three locations
is a very personal one. In addition to teaching the Music Together classes, our
staff is interested in tightening the community bond, helping to create a feeling
of a cozy neighborhood within the Big Apple. Many play dates and friendships start
in class, and parents and caregivers feel welcome in a comfortable and relaxed setting.
We are proud to say that the adults who join our locations successfully understand
the value of active participation in class. Their joyful contributions enable us to
hold great classes. This wonderful class experience, accompanied by the
reinforcement of the songs at home, results in the children finding joy in music,
dance and music making. This joy can follow them for a lifetime. We hope to help
our next generation to become active music makers, more aware of the quality of
music and its diversity.
In the summer of 1997, as a jazz vocalist with a strong background in dance, Gabriele was searching for a
way to share her knowledge with the next generation.
At the suggestion of a close friend, Arleen Kestenbaum,
Gabriele attended a training program to become a Music Together Teacher.