Schreiber Celebrates Sing With Your Child Month: Offers NEW Music Together® Programming

(LANCASTER, Pa.) – To celebrate Sing With Your Child month (March 2011), Schreiber Pediatric Rehab Center is proud to announce it is the first preschool in Lancaster County to incorporate Music Together®, and internationally recognized program, into its S.T.A.R.S. preschool curriculum.

Thanks to a grant from The Wachovia Well Fargo Foundation, S.T.A.R.S. preschoolers began a 15-week session of music and movement with Music Together® specialist, Cherie Lenahan, in January. The Music Together® program meets with the preschoolers once a week for 45 minutes but the curriculum is comprehensive. Each preschooler is given supplemental materials to incorporate into their class time, as well as at home. Families are encouraged to follow along with a CD and book titled, ‘Bringing the Harmony Home.’ In addition, two family events are scheduled during the semester to encourage family engagement and connection through music.

Although Music Together®’s goals are for children to achieve tonal and rhythm competence, the Music Together® Preschool program model supports other important developmental milestones such as language, cognitive, emotional, social and physical skills. In a reverse-mainstream environment like S.T.A.R.S., meaning a 50:50 ratio of typically developed children and children with special needs, music enhances a sense of community and encourages individual growth and maturity.

In addition to offering the Music Together® Preschool program, Schreiber Pediatric is also offering family classes through its Recreational Therapy Department on Thursday mornings beginning in April. For more information, please visit www.schreiberpediatric.org or www.musictogether.com.