A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Children at the demonstration Monday share a drum as part of a rhythm exercise.
Dancing included colorful veils and streamers along with Breuer's infectious enthusiasm.
Students in the music class move to the music, as Breuer demonstrates with the "Riding in the Car" song.
It's a wonder what Ruthie Breuer might get up to with two good legs. She was infectious enough Monday morning, despite wearing a walking boot on her left leg, to get nearly a dozen toddlers jamming to music. Breuer was leading the last of demonstration classes for a new music program at Cloquet Memorial Hospital called "Music Together." It's designed for babies and those older up to age 5.
A 10-week schedule of classes begins in early April.
"I'm just a guide," Breuer told parents and their children Monday. "You are the ones who will take this music home. It's so good for you and so good for them."
"Music Together" is a worldwide program designed in the late 1980s to bring music and its development benefits to families. According to its website, composer Kenneth K. Guilmartin saw a wider need while teaching music at his daughter's school in New Jersey. "As a teacher, he knew the importance of music in early childhood education. As a parent, he was beginning to see how his daughter's learning changed when he became directly involved in it."
He founded the Center for Music and Young Children to introduce children to "great music, playful, developmentally appropriate activities, parental involvement, and supportive take-home materials."
The Cloquet program will have Monday or Wednesday sessions for 10 weeks beginning April 8. Tuition is $150 for the first child and $100 for siblings and includes a CD that syncs with an app for at-home music. There is also an illustrated songbook with family activity suggestions and other tips on making music a part of a child's upbringing.
Breuer has been an educator in the Cloquet and Hermantown school districts for more than 20 years.
"She came from a family where music was part of their lives from a very young age," her biography from the hospital reads. "She learned that music was a way to bring a feeling of joy and contentment into our world."
Breuer sings, plays the piano, flute and bass guitar in a rock band, and is learning the ukulele. She is also an active actor,
director and choreographer for the County Seat Theater Company, where she is also on the board of directors.
She has a variety of song styles up her sleeve with a bevy of instruments for children to explore and colorful dance accessories.
The "Music Together" sessions are 45 minutes long. The Monday series begins April 8 with 10 sessions beginning at 10 a.m. The Wednesday series starts April 10 at 9 a.m.
For more information or to sign up for the series, go to: musictogethercloquet.com or call 218-830-2227.
