Pricing

Class Rules and Recommendations

Safety Rules

Health Policy

Make-up Class Policy

Guest Policy

Refund Policy

Inclement Weather Policy

Pricing

Age ranges are calculated according to the child's age on the first day of class. Tuition includes the full semester of class meetings, a beautifully illustrated songbook, access to recordings of the semester's music via CD, app, and the online Family Music Zone^®, and the support of both Music Together^® Worldwide and your local Meadowlark Music Together.

Scholarships are available upon request. We don't want any child to miss out on a musical education due to their family's financial situation, so it the tuition is a barrier to you, please contact us to discuss scholarship options. On the other hand, if you can afford a little more, consider donating to our scholarship fund. A small contribution can go a long way towards making sure all children have equal access to fun, safe, educational activities.

Class Rules and Recommendations

• Please try to arrive on time so we can start on time. The Hello Song is a beloved ritual that eases the transition into class and welcomes each child personally, so you don't want to miss it! I find it's a good idea to aim to arrive at least 5 minutes early, to account for delays and allow yourself time to settle in and catch up with friends.
• Water bottles, baby bottles, and breastfeeding in class are fine, but please do not bring food into the classroom. Eating while singing and dancing can be a choking hazard, and snacks can be distracting to other children in addition to your own! You may want to give your child a snack shortly before leaving for class instead.
• We usually take our shoes off for class in order to keep the floor cleaner, allow us more freedom of movement, and help make sure we don't step on little toes. Bring socks if you'd prefer that to bare feet, and if someone really wants to keep their shoes on, just make sure they aren't muddy.
• Please silence cell phones and avoid using them during class, so you can fully participate with your child. If you'd like to take a picture or two, I recommend waiting until play-along, after you've already spent most of the class singing and moving with them.
• As a caregiver, your job is to model participation for the children! Your child is watching you in order to figure out what the deal is with music class, so relax, get into the music, and enjoy yourself. You don't need to be perfectly on-pitch or in-rhythm; you just need to show them that it's fun to sing, listen, move, watch, and make music together!
• Since young children are working so hard on learning how to speak, in can be difficult for them to pay attention to anything else when a spoken conversation is happening. Please try to avoid chatting with other families during class, or even giving spoken instruction to your child if you can help it! Instead, try showing them what to do, singing your words, or using gestures or sign language. Though there may be times plain speech is unavoidable, the less we talk, the more we can keep the children's focus on the music.
• Instead of showing your child how to play an instrument by moving their hands through the motions, simply play it yourself! That way they can watch you if they want to know how it "should" be done, but are free to expirement with their own hands. They'll get to practice motor skills, rhythm, and decision-making, and compare the cause-and-effect of their movements to other people's. Their exploration may even lead them to discover new techniques that are fun to hear, satisfying to do, or just plain silly!
• Don't worry if your child isn't following along. They'll learn best when they're able to experience the music in their own way, whether that's sitting quietly while they watch and listen or jumping around in the corner with three scarves on their head. Learning music is all about the cycle of receiving audio-visual information and experimenting with the actions and noises you can perform yourself, and your young child is an absolute expert at learning. Let them do it at their own pace, and you'll be amazed at what they can do.
• You'll get the most out of the program if you're making music outside of class, too! Listen to the recordings at home and in the car to get familiar with the current collection. Make sure you find chances to sing without the recordings as well, since your voice, your ideas, and your active engagement are incredibly meaningful to your child. Use the songbook to help you remember the songs, or use it as a bedtime book and let the illustrations inspire new verses or stories. Weave music into your daily routines, making up new words to match what you and your child are doing. Get creative, get silly, or even just get one verse in on your way out of the door; show your child that music is something we can have fun making together at any time, not just in class.

Safety Rules

In Music Together classes, we try to let our children freely experiment with their voices and movements. However, safety is the most important part of any learning environment, so we do have a couple of rules:

• Be gentle with other children and give them space when they want it.
• Sit down when using rhythm sticks, drumsticks, or anything else that could cause injury in a fall.
• Do not throw egg shakers or other hard instruments/props (although dropping them or gently tossing them between your own hands is alright).
• Do not stand on benches or chairs.
• Any running needs to be slow, directed, or a little farther away from people who aren't running.

Beyond these, use your judgement; if a behavior could result in someone getting hurt, then try redirecting your child towards a safer alternative. While I usually recommend avoiding moving your child's body for them, when it's a matter of safety it may be necessary to pick a child up and move them to a different section of the classroom, or hold onto an instrument along with them to make sure it doesn't go flying. On the other hand, if a behavior is just different from what everyone else is doing, there's no need to worry too much or intervene too directly! Keep modeling participation, and let your child learn in their own way.

Here are some ideas on how to redirect various behaviors:

• If your child starts getting too rough with another child, first, move your child out of reach. Then, you can show them a different way to interact. If they were trying to play and just got carried away, show them how to give a soft pat, gentle hug, high five, or wave from afar. If they're upset and expressing that through hitting, show them how to use that energy to hit the floor or stomp around instead. If they were biting, give them a teether if you have one. (If they're prone to biting, you may want to just take a teether into class every day, so its presence doesn't become a reward for biting.)
• If your child stands up while holding sticks, you can motion for them to sit down, perhaps after singing their name to get their attention. You can try doing a silly stick move that inherently requires sitting, like rolling the sticks with your feet, and see if they want to try copying it. You can also sing to them, "Sit down with the sticks, or give them to me." If they don't hand you the sticks or sit down, you may need to take the sticks away, but make sure to keep them available. As soon as your child sits down again, hand the sticks back to them. Or, if they choose to stay up and about without the sticks, that's fine too.
• If your child is throwing their egg shakers, you can show them a different high-energy move, like rolling the shakers across the floor, shaking them with big full-arm movements, or squeezing them very tight and close. You may also be able to distract your child with something silly, like putting the shaker on your head, which has the added bonus of creating a drop to the floor that isn't caused by throwing! While you work on redirecting them, it can be a good idea to turn your child to face the wall or place yourself in front of them, so any thrown shakers aren't aimed towards other children. As a last resort, you can take the shaker away from your child, but put your own shaker away as well, so you can show them how to participate even with empty hands. Bring the shakers back out to give them another chance soon; perhaps at the next verse!
• If your child stands on a chair or bench, motion for them to sit down or come towards you. You can also sing, "Chairs are for sitting." You can try sitting on the bench next to them, to show them the safe way to use benches. If needed, move them off of the bench, to the ground where they can stand and walk safely.
• If your child is running too fast or too close to people who are sitting, you can stand up as well and show them silly ways of moving that are a bit more controlled, like stomping or tip-toeing. You can walk to a far corner of the classroom and motion for them to join you, so they have more space to make big movements without knocking into anything. While you join them in standing and moving, keep singing and doing hand motions with the rest of the class. They may regain interest in the current activity if they realize they can do it while they're jumping around! Once they're paying more attention and acting more calm, or at the end of the song, rejoin the circle, showing them that this is a good chance to reset and refocus.
• If your child is yelling lyrics quite loudly, try switching your own singing voice to something extra silly and fun, like a dramatic whisper, a monotone robot voice, or dinosaur roars. As you do so, catch your child's attention by leaning towards them, turning to face them and making eye contact, or scooting/walking closer to them. If they see you having fun with your silly voice, they may want to give it a try too!
• If your child participates in songs but starts wandering around the moment the song is over, try keeping some movement and interaction going in between songs. You can rock and pat your legs, hold their hand and swing it back and forth, or give them a hug.
• If your child doesn't put their instrument away when the song is over, you can try singing "thank you" to the children who do. They may realize that putting it away is an even better way to get your attention than holding onto it. You can also try starting a different interaction, like holding their hands or high-fiving, so they have a reason to set it down and something fun to replace it with. If they insist on holding onto it, don't worry too much; they'll usually set it down once the next song has caught their attention, and you can quietly put it away then. On days that they do willingly put it away, make sure to sing thank you and give them a big hug!

If your older child is having the same issues week-to-week, it can be helpful to talk to them about it outside of class, when you really have time to discuss it. Don't just repeat the rule to them - explain why you feel that the rule is important, and ask them how they feel about the rule. Try to work together with them to brainstorm ways that you can both keep the classroom safe.

If you're worried about your child's behavior in class, please feel free to contact us. Your teacher can give their point of view on the situation and collaborate with you on ways to redirect, address, or circumvent the behavior.

Health Policy

At Meadowlark Music Together, we believe it is every member of a community's responsibility to help keep each other safe.

Our part:

• We run a HEPA air purifier on low during class and on high in between classes.
• We disinfect or wash all small instruments and props in between classes.
• We have hand sanitizer available in the classroom.
• If we are aware of possible exposure to COVID19 or another contagious illness in our class, we will notify each family who may have been exposed. We will not disclose any names, only that there was a possible exposure to the illness.
• Our teachers will not teach while sick. Instead, they will try to find a substitute, reschedule class, or cancel class.

Your part:

• Do not come to class while ill. Even if it's just a cold, we don't want to pass that cold on to other families! If you or your child has been sick, you must be fever-free for at least 24 hours in order to return to class. You must wait 10 days after a positive COVID19 test before returning to class. For other illnesses, follow your doctor's recommendations regarding contagious periods.
• If someone in your household tests positive for COVID19, or is diagnosed with another contagious illness after attending class, please contact us and let us know. We will notify other families that they may have been exposed, without disclosing any names.
• Please make sure you and your child are up-to-date on your vaccines, including COVID19 vaccines. We also recommend getting a flu shot each year. If you or your child is immunocompromised such that your doctor recommends against certain vaccines, of course you may follow your doctor's orders, but if you are able to get vaccinated then do so! The more people who get vaccinated, the less likely it is that a deadly illness will spread to infants, the eldery, immunocompromised people, or anyone else who is high-risk or unable to get vaccinated.
• We recommend wearing a mask if you have recently been in a high-risk situation, such as traveling by plane, attending a crowded indoor event like a concert, or spending time with someone who may have a contagious illness.
• We recommend that you and your child wash your hands before class.
• Encourage your child to use a tissue or their elbow as a "cough catcher" when they cough or sneeze. We also recommend sanitizing your hands after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose.
• If your child chews on an instrument, or touches hand to mouth before playing with an instrument, try to make sure your family holds onto that instrument until the end of the song when it's collected to be washed.

We appreciate your cooperation in preventing the spread of contagious illness by following these rules.

An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists anywhere people are present. By attending class at Meadowlark Music Together, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.

Make-up Class Policy

If your family misses a class due to illness or other commitments, you may make it up by attending a different session of class, either that week or a different week. All sessions follow the same aproximate lesson plan each week, so if you attend your regular class and a make-up class in the same week, you may notice some similarities. However, this isn't a bad thing, since repetition is always helpful for litte ones!

Please schedule your make-up class before showing up, either by using the online make-up scheduler on our website or by talking with your teacher directly. That way you'll know there's space for you, and the teacher will know how many students to expect. If you know beforehand that you will be absent a certain day, you may make up the absence preemptively. Make-up classes must be completed during the same semester as the absence.

We currently are not limiting the number of classes a family may make up per semester, as long as there are make-up slots available. If space in other sessions is limited, we may set a cap of 2 or 3 make-ups per semester.

Guest Policy

Additional caregivers, such as grandparents, nannies, and close family friends, are always welcome to visit.

Siblings above the age of 5 are also welcome to visit, but keep in mind that our expectations for older kids are closer to the expectations we have for the grown-ups: they must model participation for the younger children by following along with our musical activities, and avoid chatter, electronic devices, or other distractions. If you will be bringing an older sibling to the majority of classes in a semester, please let your teacher know before the semester starts, so they know what size of class to expect. There's no charge for older siblings, but a donation towards our scholarship fund would be appreciated, especially if they'll be visiting often.

Feel free to invite families with young children to come along to class with you; each new family gets one no-obligation trial visit, and bringing friends is a great way to share the magic of Music Together. If they visit on the first or second week of the semester and would like to keep coming to class, they're welcome to sign up for the rest of the semester afterwards.

If you're planning to bring more than 1 extra guest on a given week, whether they're adults, siblings, or another family, please check with your teacher beforehand so they can make sure class doesn't get too crowded.

Refund Policy

If you decide to cancel your registration, it may be partially refundable minus a cancellation fee. The cancellation fee depends on when you canceled and whether you attended a class before canceling.

If a class session is canceled by Meadowlark Music Together before its first meeting, due to low enrollment or other circumstances, we will move your enrollment to a different session if possible. If you are not able to attend a different session, we will issue a full refund. If we have to cancel a class session after the semester has already started, refund amounts will be prorated.

If several meetings of a class need to be canceled by the teacher due to illness or emergency, and you are not able to attend rescheduled dates or make-up classes, credit may be offered.

Inclement Weather Policy

If it is too snowy or icy for the teacher to make it to class safely, they may need to cancel a class meeting. We might not follow the lead of Lawrence Public Schools, since we have different start times and would not need to cancel due to cold, only due to poor driving conditions. We will do our best to reschedule any meetings canceled due to poor weather. If we cannot reschedule and you're not able to make it up by attending another session, we may offer credit.

If we decide to hold class but you're unable to make it due to the weather, or we reschedule class and you cannot make it to the rescheduled time, you are welcome to make up the class the same as any other absence. If we hold class while LPS has cancelled or delayed school, you are welcome to bring any older siblings with you, as long as they participate as outlined in our guest policy.

Still have questions? Check our FAQ, or contact us. Ready to sign up for a class? Check our locations and schedule page, then register.