START YOUR CHILD'S MUSICAL JOURNEY
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. This class provides all the benefits of music class participation such as 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 our students are enrolled in a mainstream class, the structure of the classes are geared towards a child with hearing loss as they are single voice, percussive, repetitive and include attaching movement to songs all of which make the class accessible to our children.
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.
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 teaching our little ones childhood classics and new songs in both Spanish and English allows for learning the essential musical building blocks and taking their first steps on a lifetime 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 versed 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.
Joy Faith Knapp Music Center
38 South Peoria St.
Chicago, IL 60607
Old Town School of Music
4544 North Lincoln Ave. &
909 W. Armitage Ave.
Chicago, IL
Armerding Center for Music & the Arts at Wheaton College
501 College Ave
Wheaton, IL 60187
Music & Movement
1000 Elm Street
Glenview, IL 60025
Tiny Toes Music
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.
FHSR was so happy to welcome nationally beloved children’s music artist, Laurie Berkner, as our Cheers for Ears 2022 entertainment at beautiful Ravinia Park.
Everyone who attended got to do crafts, sing, dance and make music together.
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 it can provide a respite from the doctor’s appointments and therapies giving the child and their caregiver a special bonding experience.
MORE MUSIC TO MY EARS (MTME) PROGRAMMING
MUSIC RELATED BLOG ARTICLES
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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!
