Since its beginning in the year 2000, Heart of the Child Music Education has been offering joyful, interactive group musical experiences to children and their caregivers in its hometown of Floyd. The FUN and developmentally appropriate classes foster a love of music while building foundational musical skills, safe connection, secure attachment, and healthy community.
Kari’s welcoming attitude helps adults and children build a sense of community while they gather on the rug for fingerplays and lap bouncing games, play with rhythm instruments, jump, crawl, and swing, wave scarves to choreographed dances, and freeform jam with a menagerie of instruments. It feels so good to be in class, children don’t even notice that they are building the foundational skills for making music together the rest of their lives.
HCME has been literally raising Floyd County children with its Social and Emotional Learning based music program since it began. It still serves Floyd’s youngest members (birth to 5 years old) while watching its first students graduate from high school. One high school senior recently told Kari, “I don’t remember much about preschool, but I remember your music!”
Heart of the Child Music students consistently pursue music creation as they get older, fed by the love of music that HCME nurtures in them in their early years. They go on to participate in programs such as the Floyd JAMs Program and Music Lab Floyd, pursue private lessons, and form their own bands.
Summer Session: July 15 – September 30, 2022
Joy Jammers takes place every Friday from 10:30-11:30am on the back deck of the Floyd Country Store. Dates are subject to cancellation or change pending teacher availability, inclement weather, illness, etc. Classes will be cancelled if Floyd County Public Schools are closed for weather conditions. School delays will not affect the class. You can check to see if schools are closed on Facebook or by calling 540-745-9495 for school closure info (Facebook may have more up to date information than the phone number). If you are unable to access these, you may call Kari at (540) 745-7331.
Purchase a Joy Jammers Spring Pass and SAVE!
- Individual classes are $15
- 4 class pass = $48 ($12 per class)
- 12 class pass = $120 ($10 per class)
- Siblings are 1/2 price
Program and Class Descriptions
Baby Beats
Baby Beats is on hold until we have enough babies for a full class. Babies are welcome to join the 10:30 mixed age class.
A special time for babies and their caregivers, this is an intimate class with lots of opportunity for bonding. It focuses on the amazing capacity of these young ones for growing smarter through music. By watching, listening, and sensing, the babies learn to feel steady beat and discern correct pitches. Before anyone expects, they are copying these same musical qualities with their own bodies and voices. Most people don’t know that this type of loving and supportive early musical culture, gives children the skills they need to play in a symphony orchestra, old-time, or rock band as adults.
The class consists of lap bouncing games, massage rhymes, drum songs, shaker eggs, and rhythm instrument playtime. Circle dances and other movement songs allow babies to be held (or toddle!) while also being in the middle of the music.
No music skill needed on part of adults. Kari will model everything you need to know, and she will keep it fun and relaxed, too. It’s a nice way to meet other parents, too. For babies birth to just walking.
Joy Jammers
A mixed age class for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and their caregivers. Seasonal songs celebrate the abundance of nature we share in Floyd County with fun songs, lots of movement, scarves, balls, and rhythm instruments. Grandparents and other extended family members are always welcome to watch or play along, too. Sharing music fun as a family is the best way to build your child’s love of music. For children up to 6 years.
Which class is right for my child?
Baby Beats is for babies just born to just walking. It is an intimate class for babies and their caregivers only. When toddlers in Baby Beats classes become so active that they want to explore all the things in the store instead of participating in the music, it’s time to move them up to the mixed age Joy Jammers class. This class is for families of babies through 6 year olds. The older children in that class will likely keep your child’s attention, and there will be more large motor activities to occupy those newly mobile legs. If you have multiple children in the birth to 6 age range, bring everybody to the mixed age Joy Jammers class. Your baby will get a lot out of that class, too.
Please contact us with questions.
