Registration is open for a 10-week Winter Music Together class for children, led by Laura Hartzler. Contact Hartzler at [email protected] for complete details.

The first session is at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 11, at First Mennonite Church, Bluffton.

Hartzler said: "This winter we are singing the songs and chants of the bongos  collection. We are tapping our rhythm sticks and playing kitchen instruments to American folksong "This Old Man." 

"We are shaking maracas and egg shakers to Dominican Republic folksong "Palo, Palo." We are making a train to Afro-American spiritual hymn "Train is a Coming" and we are jumping, bouncing  running, walking and flopping to Flemish folksong "See How I’m Jumping." 

"As always, we will begin each class with the "Hello" and end with the "Goodbye" song. The children will learn that these songs signal the beginning and ending of class. We believe that it's important to greet and acknowledge the children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and caregivers who will participate in class.  And the children love to hear their name sung in class.

"We will sing songs and chants, sing in rounds, and sing "call and response." Each song will be accompanied by a small or large motor movement or a percussion instrument.  We will sing with high and low voices, tap, clap, jump and stomp to learn rhythm, and explore and make music with drums, bells, sticks, triangles, tambourines, maracas, egg shakers and more.  Although the children will believe that Music Together is only play, they will be learning Basic Music Competence:  to sing in tune and to find and keep and accurate rhythm.