Welcome to Heartland Music Together!  This page contains policies, contact information, and details about what you can expect from the classroom experience. Please feel free to call or email at any time if you have questions!

HOW TO CONTACT US

Miriam Klein, Director
Office number: 502-491-3131
Cell number: 502-558-0345
Email: info@HeartlandMusicTogether.com
Because I have a home office, feel free to call me in the evenings at my office number. I’m comfortable with calls up until 10:00p - sometimes it’s easier to make a call after children are asleep. You can also reach me on my cell phone, which is the best number to use before class, and you can call as early as 7:30a.

Karen Ephyria, Registered Teacher
Home number: 502-367-1362
Cell number: 502-619-2310
Email: ephyria@hotmail.com

Lorna Dries, Registered Teacher
Home number: 502-452-1765
Cell number: 502-296-4345

Email: Lorna.Dries@gmail.com
Alisa Jones, Registered Teacher
Cell number: 502-817-7065
Email: lostpye@aol.com

WHO TO CONTACT ABOUT…

• Scheduling a makeup: Miriam has the master calendar for make-ups, so please contact her instead of your class teacher to schedule a makeup.
• Questions about class dynamics or about what we’re doing in class: Talk to your teacher first, but feel free to contact Miriam at any time with questions, concerns, feedback, etc.
• Registration and/or payment questions: Contact Miriam.
• Questions about schedules or particular dates: Ask any of us, or check on the website.

CLASS SCHEDULES AND LOCATIONS

For the most current class schedules, visit the Calendar link on the website. Call in advance to schedule a make-up – please don’t just drop in to a class!

Highlands
St Andrews Episcopal Church 2233 Woodbourne Avenue 40205
Office: 502-452-9581

Middletown [MUMC]
Middletown United Methodist Church
Room C-204
11902 Old Shelbyville Road 40243
Office: 502-245-8839

Middletown [MWC]
Middletown Women’s Club
11719 Shelbyville Road 40243
Office: Miriam’s cell

St. Matthews
The Church Gathered at Calvin 2501 Rudy Lane 40207
Office: 502-896-0303

Westport Rd / Goose Creek Rd
John Knox Presbyterian Church
9104 Westport Road 40242
Office: Miriam’s or Alisa's cell

MAKE-UPS AND MISSED CLASSES

If you need to miss a class for any reason, you’re welcome to make it up by visiting one that meets at a different day, or by visiting two classes in one week. However, you MUST arrange your make-up in advance; please don’t just drop in to a class! It can be difficult for teachers to have unexpected faces in class, and classes can get very crowded if too many families drop in at the last minute. You can call Miriam or your class teacher the same morning as the class you want to visit for a last-minute make-up, but we can’t guarantee that openings will be available on short notice. Miriam is most easily reached in the morning at her cell number (502-558-0345).
You can also schedule your make-up class online. To find the make-up scheduler, just look under the “For Enrolled Families” tab on the menu bar of the website. You’re also welcome to call or email to schedule your make-up.

We generally schedule a week of extra make-up/demo classes at the end of each semester. This is a great time to make up a missed class or bring a friend to check out the fun. You’re welcome to attend during that week whether or not you missed a previous class.

WEATHER CLOSING POLICY

Weekday morning classes:
If Jefferson County Public Schools cancel classes due to weather, then our Music Together^® classes will be canceled, as well. If JCPS has a delayed start, we’ll probably have classes; Miriam will make a decision based on the weather in the morning, post a message on her office voice mail (502-491-3131), and send out an email message, as well.

Saturday and evening classes:
Miriam will make her best decision about closings based on whether there are large-scale closings in the city, and she’ll post the information on her voice mail.
If we cancel classes, we’ll add extras at the end of the session to ensure a complete semester.

HOLIDAYS AND PUBLIC SCHOOL BREAKS

If our session runs through a national holiday or public school break, we’ll still have classes as usual (except for Labor Day and Memorial Day). If you have an older child who is off from school on these dates, they’re welcome to join us in class. (We love to see our “graduates,” who are now in preschool or elementary school!) Please let us know in advance who to expect.

COMMUNITY DIRECTORIES – NEW ONLINE FORMAT!

Every few semesters we like to issue a Heartland Music Together community directory to help families contact each other for play dates and fun outside of class. In the interest of efficiency and saving resources, we’ve initiated an online version of our community directory.

Participation in the directory is entirely optional and you can choose how much information you want to share. In the first few of weeks of class, we’ll hand out paper directory invitations and send out an email directory invitation. To participate in the directory, simply fill out the directory form in class or reply to the email. We’ll assemble the information and post it on a secure page of our website. You can change your online listing at any time.

To access our community directory online, you will need to create an account on our website. This is very simple – just input your name and password to create an account. Once your account is created, you’ll be able to access our community directory and any additional parent resources at any time, as long as you’re a part of our Heartland community. If you prefer a paper format for your directory, just let us know and we’ll print one out for you upon request.

If you’ve participated in our directory within the past year, you don’t need to fill out the form again unless you want to change your listing. Because this is an evolving document (and we’re only human!), there may be missing/incorrect information. Please let us know if we have incorrect data or if you’re not listed as requested.


WITHDRAWALS

We make schedule and financial decisions based on the information we have at the start of classes, and when people withdraw after the start of classes, this can cause us some financial consequences as well as scheduling headaches. For this reason, we’re instituting a formal withdrawal policy.
If you withdraw within the first three weeks of class, you’ll get a complete refund or credit, less the cost of the Music Together CDs/songbook. After the third week of classes, no refunds are given. However, if you have special circumstances, please let us know right away. We’ll do our best to honor your needs as well as ours.


VISITORS IN CLASS

You’re welcome to invite your friends to join us in class at any time. We love sharing the Music Together experience with friends – it’s been one of the biggest factors in our growth over the years. We ask only that you schedule friends’ visits with us in advance, so we won’t have too many new faces in class at one time. There’s no charge for local visitors – we love to have them! If you’re bringing non-local friends or relatives, we’d appreciate a $10 donation to our scholarship fund on their behalf. (This is a donation, not an obligation!)

Remember, if a friend enrolls and mentions your name as a referral, both of you get a $15 discount off your tuition for one semester. The referred family must be a NEW enrollment, not currently or previously enrolled.
Note – If you’re caring for a non-enrolled child, you’re welcome to bring them for up to two visits. If they will be visiting for more than two classes, we request a donation to the scholarship fund on their behalf. Alternatively, we might consider enrolling children who are frequent visitors.


PRIVACY

Heartland Music Together respects your privacy and will never share, sell, or rent your personal information with third parties for their promotional use. Your email and mailing addresses will be shared only with our licensor Music Together LLC for educational and quality assurance purposes.
Music Together LLC sends enrolled families an informative e-newsletter four times per year. If you do not wish to receive the e-newsletter, please let us know. Music Together respects your privacy and will never share or sell your email address to anyone else. If you prefer not to receive the e-newsletter, you may unsubscribe via www.musictogether.com/subscriptions.


ILLNESSES

Please keep your children at home if there is any chance they could be spreading a contagious illness, especially if there is coughing, sneezing, very runny noses, etc.


SANITATION IN CLASS

It is normal and developmentally appropriate for young children to put things in their mouths. Younger children, especially, gather information about their world through oral exploration. While we can’t prevent young children from putting instruments and other props in their mouths, there are a few things we can do to help keep our play materials sanitary. If your child is in a particularly oral stage, please keep the items he or she has mouthed from going back into the general collection. You can either wipe the items on the spot with alcohol wipes (always available on a countertop in class), or put them aside for your teacher to sanitize after class. During the play-along segment of class, you can gather some items that are particularly mouth-friendly (i.e., smooth, plastic, and sturdy), and set them for your child away from the general collection of instruments; please be vigilant about setting things aside so they don’t get into another’s hands until they’ve been sanitized.

You can help support sanitation in class by being aware of oral exploration (even if it’s not your child engaging in it) and taking steps to prevent mouthed items from going into another’s hands. The health of our Music Together community is in all of our hands! Hand sanitizer, alcohol wipes, and antiseptic spray are always available in the classroom. Feel free to use any of these materials at any time during or after class.


DISTRACTIONS

Sometimes children need to bring a special toy or “lovie” from home. Please be sensitive to the reactions of other children if your child has brought a toy. Toys that sparkle, make sounds, or have moving parts can be especially distracting for other children. If a toy is distracting, suggest to your child that it “watch” or “listen” from a special place in the room, or that the toy can “nap” during class. Use your discretion and creativity.

Snacks are also extremely distracting, both for the child being fed, and for the other children who can see the food. Please keep snack foods stashed during class times. If your child is hungry in class, it’s fine to step outside for a few minutes for a snack break and then re-join the class.

If your child is crying, you may choose to step out for a few minutes to help your child calm down. Feel free to use your own discretion in deciding how to help your crying child.


SAFETY AND RUNNING

Some children learn best while they are actively engaging their whole bodies; a child who is wandering around the room is often still actively learning. Please help active children be aware of babies or smaller children as they move around the room. Running around the circle, however, is often a distraction to other children, as well as a safety issue. Please help re-direct any running children in our group. If your child is running, you can try sharing larger movements with him/her, even if the rest of the class is doing a sitting activity. Some children love to be bounced or swung, and this is safer than running. We’ll all get a chance to run, gallop, trot, and move together during some of our active songs, in a way that’s safer for everyone.


TARDINESS

Young children thrive on ritual, and for many children the “Hello Song” is their favorite song. This is the song that helps the group settle into the activity of making music together and specifically welcomes each child by name. The “Hello” and “Goodbye” songs are also the only songs we sing in every single class throughout the semester, so they become especially important to children. Please try to arrive on time, or even a few minutes early, so your child will have time to adjust to the class environment and get ready to participate. It may make a huge difference in your child’s comfort level in class! (Yes, emergencies happen, and young children’s sleep and diaper habits are often unpredictable; please just do the best you can with your own situation!)



USING THE SPACE

We are guests in our classroom locations and people may be working in offices near our classroom space. Please be aware of noise levels as you and your child(ren) are entering and leaving the building. If you attend Thursday classes in St. Matthews, you know that our class space is not acoustically isolated from the gym area. Please be conscious of noise levels if you are playing in the gym while another class is in session.


WHAT TO EXPECT IN CLASS

Children often take many weeks to warm up to a new activity or environment, and every child will approach this experience in his/her own style. Please don’t be concerned if your child isn’t actively joining in, or does something different from the rest of the group. The class is the setting where children are absorbing new ideas, and they often practice these ideas once they get home.

The best way to help your child absorb these new musical skills is to participate and have fun in class yourself. You don’t have to be musically skilled! Just participating in class activities at your own comfort level will help your child develop the disposition to be musical - and this is a gift your child will enjoy for a lifetime. You may have fun noticing how your child’s response to music changes over the course of the class, not just in the classroom but at home, as well.


YOU’RE ALREADY AN EXPERT

There is no wrong way to do the music or the activities, and we have lots of fun playing with different ideas in class. Don’t worry about doing things “wrong” if your style is different from your teacher’s. When you find the way that works for you, you are teaching your child how to be creative, too. Please don’t worry about how you sing! The gift we’re giving our children is not our polished performances, but simply the confidence that they, too, can make music. When we make mistakes, laugh, and go on, we give our children permission and confidence to try it themselves. If you’re a shy singer, experiment with singing out, and don’t worry - nobody will put you on the spot. This is a great environment for building your own musical self-confidence as well as your child’s!


YOUR CHILD IS UNIQUE

We’ll offer a variety of activities, often with the same song over a period of weeks. Your child(ren) will modify these ideas to fit their needs, which may mean sitting while everyone else is standing, or jumping while everyone else is sitting. Often, a child who appears to show no interest in class activities is actually quietly absorbing them, and will repeat them perfectly once back home. Feel free to encourage your child(ren)ren to participate, but let them have the choice about how they do it.
CHILDREN LEARN BEST WHEN THEIR LEARNING EXPERIENCES ARE JOYFUL
When you’re having fun, your joy is contagious. This is your own weekly chance to let go and liberate your personal sense of play. Allow yourself to get loose and silly! Your child will love this chance to play with you on his or her own level.


ENJOY THE MUSIC AT HOME

This class is only a jumping-off point. The songbook is full of suggestions for enjoying the music with your child at home, and you may think of many other ways. Even if you don’t read music, you might look at the pictures together, or follow along with the CD. Feel free to change the words to suit bath time, bedtime, etc. It’s your music and you can change it any way you want.


THANK YOU!

Thank you for choosing Heartland Music Together as your child’s music program. We strive to create the best music program that we can, one which enriches the lives of children and adults. Your choice to join us in class is what makes our Heartland Music Together community possible. Please let me know any way we can improve this program to serve you best. So, happy music-making – we’re looking forward to seeing you in class!

Miriam Klein, Director