START YOUR CHILD'S MUSICAL JOURNEY
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The overarching goal of our Early Childhood program is to foster a music rich home environment where music is incorporated into the child’s daily routine and brings all the joyful noise and benefits to the child living with hearing loss.
Our Early Childhood program focuses on children up to four years of age by providing a tuition free music enrichment class for the child and their primary caregiver. Classes provide a child all the benefits of music class participation – experiencing movement, rhythm, and percussion instruments; building sensory awareness and gross motor skills while interacting with other children their age through song and play; and bonding with their caregiver. While deaf and hard of hearing students will be enrolled in class alongside their hearing peers, our network of trained teachers will tailor the structure of classes to be accessible to a child with hearing loss with percussive, repetitive songs that include movement, and single-voice musical leadership.
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EARLY CHILDHOOD MUSIC ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS (UP TO AGE 4)
Our partner schools, Merit School of Music and Old Town School of Music feature unique small-group early childhood music enrichment programs, where the focus is on creating a musical experience for the child. Their top-level Early Childhood specialists incorporate song, chant, movement exercises, and instrument play to develop a child’s imagination, musical awareness, and expressiveness. Young musicians learn childhood classics and new songs in both Spanish and English, learning the essential building blocks of music and taking the first steps on their lifelong journey of musical appreciation.
Our Music to My Ears (MTME) scholarship children are placed in classes with their hearing peers to encourage socialization. All of the teachers have been educated on the hearing needs of a deaf or hard of hearing child. Start your child on their music journey and connect sound to movement at either an Old Town Wiggleworms class or at a Merit School Music Explorers or Tuneful Toddler class. Explore the wide array of classes available at our partner schools which include infant, toddler, sibling and bi-lingual music classes.
In 2022 we have added Community School of the Arts at Wheaton College and Glenview Music & Movement to our roster of early childhood music programming venues. Our newest partner school is Tiny Toes Music. They have locations in Hinsdale, La Grange & Burr Ridge.
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APPLY FOR AN MTME EARLY CHILDHOOD SCHOLARSHIP
The Music To My Ears Scholarship Program allows all deaf or hard or hearing children, regardless of financial need, to attend weekly music enrichment classes and experience the joy of music with their caregivers and hearing peers.
The scholarship will provide one year of tuition-free music classes to (up to 4 years of age) who are deaf or hard of hearing and living in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
SATURDAY AUGUST 3RD
10 AM – 12 PM
FHSR is so happy to be back at Ravinia Park to welcome nationally beloved children’s music artist, Laurie Berkner, as our Cheers for Ears 2024 entertainment.
There will be crafts, and snacks, singing, dancing
and making music together.
Every DHH child will receive a special book, and we will have a raffle with fun prizes!
This event is sold out
Creating a music rich environment in the home has many benefits for the child; from listening skills to speech perception and development, to turn taking and movement but perhaps the biggest benefit is the joy music gives to a child’s life.
By bringing music into your deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) child’s life in a joyful and meaningful way, you can provide a respite from doctors’ appointments and therapies. Music gives the child and their caregiver a special bonding experience.
MORE MUSIC TO MY EARS (MTME) PROGRAMMING
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BE A PART OF IT ALL.
Give the gift of hearing.
Every contribution to FHSR helps improve the lives of children with hearing loss.
We hope you will consider making a gift to support these children. Thank you!
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