Early Childhood Classes

Music Infants
(3-9 Months)

In Music Infants, we use expressive music to celebrate and support your child’s earliest developmental milestones. Each class is a joyful exploration of singing, instrument play, and rhythmic movement, designed to nurture your baby’s natural curiosity. All sessions feature a professional pianist who improvises live accompaniment in a variety of styles, creating a responsive and collaborative musical environment where you and your child can flourish together. 

Music Babies
(10-16 Months)

As your child begins to crawl, walk, and find their first words, Music Babies supports their rapidly expanding world through singing, instrument play, and social movement. At this stage of heightened curiosity, children transition from listeners to active participants—responding to music with increased intent and developing their innate musicality. Each class features a professional pianist who improvises live accompaniment, creating a responsive, collaborative environment that mirrors your baby’s energy and celebrates their growing knowledge of the world around them. 

Music Toddlers
(17 Months-2 Years)

In Music Toddlers, we celebrate your child’s blossoming independence through a high-energy, movement-based classroom experience. These lessons are designed to channel a toddler’s natural exuberance into musical exploration, encouraging spontaneous social interactions and supporting the active developmental milestones of this vibrant age. Every class features a professional pianist who improvises live accompaniment, creating a responsive, collaborative environment that captures and mirrors the unique rhythm of your child’s play. 

Music for Toddlers & Twos
(19 Months-2 Years 3 Months)

Running, jumping, and always on the go—your toddler is ready to move! Music for Toddlers & Twos celebrates this high-energy stage by channeling your child’s natural exuberance into purposeful, group movement activities. 

Our classroom experiences are designed to foster gross motor skills and social confidence within an active, joyful environment of beautiful music-making. To support this physical exploration, every class features a professional pianist who improvises live accompaniment in a variety of styles, creating a responsive and collaborative musical world that moves right along with your child. 

Music & Art for Toddlers & Twos
(19 Months-2 Years 6 Months)

Embark on a creative journey with your child through engaging, hands-on explorations in both music and the visual arts. This immersive class invites adults and children to collaborate as they delve into a rich variety of instruments, art materials, and rhythmic activities in a vibrant social setting. 

To deepen the creative experience, both the music and art portions of the class feature a professional pianist who improvises live accompaniment. This unique integration creates a responsive, multi-sensory environment where the music breathes life into the visual art-making process. 

Flexible Scheduling Options: 

Twice Weekly: Two focused 45-minute sessions (one dedicated to Music, one to Visual Art). 

Once Weekly: One comprehensive 90-minute session incorporating both disciplines. 

To ensure a personalized and intimate experience, enrollment is strictly limited to 8 families per section. 

Music for Nearly Twos & Twos
(21 Months-2 Years 6 Months)

In Music for Nearly 2s & 2s, we celebrate the transition from toddlerhood to the burgeoning independence of the preschool years. At this vibrant age, children are increasingly eager to explore the world on their own terms. 

Our curriculum supports this growing autonomy and creativity through a rich tapestry of musical games, instrument exploration, and expressive singing. These active listening and movement experiences are designed to build confidence and social connection in a joyful, structured setting. Every class features a professional pianist who improvises live accompaniment, providing a responsive musical dialogue that encourages your child’s unique creative voice to shine. 

Meet the Instrument
(2, 3 & 4 Years)

Step into the world of the orchestra! In this engaging series, professional guest artists introduce your child to the violin, trumpet, cello, double bass, trombone, and even more in this diverse array of orchestral instruments. Each session brings music to life through hands-on exploration, spirited movement games, and ensemble playing with small percussion. 

Our curriculum turns "meeting" an instrument into a vibrant, interactive experience that fosters a deep connection to orchestral sounds. To complete this immersive environment, every class features a professional pianist who improvises live accompaniment, creating a collaborative and responsive soundtrack for your child’s musical discovery. 

Percussion Ensemble
(3, 4, 5 Years)

In this dynamic, action-oriented ensemble, students transform into active music-makers as they refine their listening skills and develop their own expressive voices. Together, the group explores the core architecture of music—investigating beat, rhythm, phrase, form, and pitch through hands-on play with a diverse range of percussion instruments. 

Whether performing solo or collaborating with peers, students learn to navigate the nuances of ensemble playing in a supportive, social environment. Every class features a professional pianist who improvises live accompaniment, providing a sophisticated musical dialogue that challenges and inspires students as they master new concepts. 

Music in Make-Believe
(3 & 4 Years)

The magical world of storytelling comes to life as children explore folktales and original narratives through singing, movement, and improvisation. In this imaginative setting, music becomes the primary language for drama; children use non-pitched percussion—such as claves, maracas, and drums—alongside vibrant props to enhance their dramatizations. 

As the journey unfolds, students transition to pitched Orff instruments, including xylophones and metallophones, as well as unique instruments from across the globe. Through this process, children build a sophisticated musical vocabulary while refining their natural ability to convey character, mood, and form. To ensure a deeply supported and responsive experience, every class features a collaborative teaching team: a lead teacher, an assistant teacher, and a professional pianist who provides a custom, improvised soundtrack for every story. 

Dalcroze Eurhythmics
(3 & 4 Years)

The Dalcroze approach creates a powerful synergy between the ear, mind, and body, transforming music theory into a physical experience. In this dynamic classroom, children internalize the foundations of rhythm—beat, meter, and subdivision—through natural movements like walking, jogging, galloping, and skipping. As students move, they don’t just hear the music; they embody it. 

Throughout the year, students transition from movement to analysis, learning to expressively describe their rhythmic experiences and translate them into music notation. When singing, children use their hands and arms to physically map the architecture of a melody or phrase. By integrating connections to the natural world and tailoring the curriculum to the unique energy of each class, we offer a joyful, kinesthetic path to musical literacy that is ideal for students of all ages. 

Chorus
(4 & 5 Years)

Nurture your child’s natural voice and love for performance. In Chorus, students explore a vibrant repertoire of international folk songs and contemporary favorites while building essential musicianship and ensemble skills. 

Our curriculum begins with physical and vocal warm-ups that foster healthy technique and body awareness. Through collaborative singing and movement games, students are introduced to the core elements of music—rhythm, melody, form, texture, and timbre. To ensure a high level of individual attention and musical support, every class is led by a professional team, including a head teacher, an assistant teacher, and a dedicated pianist who accompanies the repertoire and enriches the ensemble sound. 

Play the Instrument
(4 & 5 Years)

Embark on a comprehensive discovery of the harp, guitar, piano, cello, violin, and recorder. Each semester, students immerse themselves in the fundamentals of three primary instruments, gaining hands-on experience. These explorations are further enriched by professional guest artists who provide expert demonstrations and stylistic insights for each visiting instrument. 

Throughout the year, a vibrant percussion curriculum is woven into every lesson—featuring the Metallophone, Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Djembe, and more. By experimenting with different instrument combinations, students develop the skills for mixed ensemble playing and original improvised compositions. These creative experiences serve as a bridge to music literacy, as students transition from invented symbols to standard music notation. 

• Fall Semester: Piano, Harp, and Guitar

• Spring Semester: Cello, Violin, and Recorder

Great Composers
(4 Years - K)

Every week, a new masterpiece unfolds as we transform the great works of the musical canon into immersive, narrated adventures. In this unique class, the music of a different composer highlights a new story each week, allowing children to "step inside" the world of the classics. By weaving storytelling directly into the score, we bring renowned composers to life—not as distant historical figures, but as the creators of vivid, living worlds. 

Through active listening, inventive notation, and group conducting, students explore the material while learning to place these masterworks within their historical context. As children use music to convey character, mood, and movement, they develop a sophisticated vocabulary and a deep emotional connection to history. To make these stories truly come alive, every class features a collaborative team: a lead teacher, an assistant teacher, and a professional pianist who improvises a custom soundtrack to accompany each weekly tale. 

Family Music: All-Ages Jam 
(3 Months-6 Years)

Big kids, little kids, and everyone in between—bring the whole family together for music making! Family Music celebrates the joy of siblings and caregivers learning side-by-side in a collaborative, high-energy environment. Whether your infant is rocking to the beat or your six-year-old is leading a rhythmic jam, our curriculum offers musical ways for every age to engage. 

Through singing, group movement, and instrument play, we foster sibling bonding and social-emotional growth in an active, social setting. Every class features a pianist who improvises live accompaniment, creating a beautiful and responsive musical environment tailored to your family's unique energy. 

Create Your Own Pod Class

The Early Childhood Department is pleased to offer families a supplementary music and visual art program for pre-formed or created pods. Curriculum and class activities will be specific to the interests of your group. We support the growth of children's independence and creativity through musical games, instrument playing, movement, expressive singing, and listening experiences

Students’ ideas are incorporated into the curriculum, sparking joyous music-making which is supported by a vast repertoire of folk, classical, jazz, popular, and original music. Children gain independence in this welcoming arts-centered classroom, where small percussion instruments, books, and a range of props – including scarves, hoops, and balls – are explored.

Interested? Email Marissa Curry, Director of the Early Childhood Program at mcurry@diller-quaile.org for availability.