Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Snell.
Hi Wendy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love for dance started at the age of 3 in Ms. Wilhite’s creative movement class. I remember the thrill when Ms.Wilhite chose my jacket as the “pond” for the class to leap over. I remember the triumph of first clearing that pond. From then on, I was a dancer. I danced in class, but I also danced in my kitchen, living room, hallways, bedroom, and on stage.
As a dance major, I danced through most of college until I decided that I wanted a more balanced life, one that would integrate my other lifelong love: working with young children. Not long after graduating from the University of Iowa, I received a Master’s in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street College in New York, which I put to use teaching kindergarten for six years before starting a family. Since 2012, it has been my great joy to teach and direct Music Together of Decatur, using the best early childhood music and movement program in the world!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I first started my business, I couldn’t get people to come to a free demo. No one had heard of me, so (practically) no one was interested. I had five families in the first class I ran at Music Together of Decatur: three families were covering my expenses; one family bartered with me; and only one family actually paid tuition. But I had to start somewhere.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Music Together® is an early childhood music and movement program– for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grownups who love them. Our curriculum is built on decades of research that combines what we know about music education with what we know about child development. Because we know that children learn through play, everything we do in class is engaging and fun. We also know that young children learn best from the powerful role models in their lives. That’s where the grownups come in! That’s why the “together” in Music Together is so critical.
We always have babies in our mixed-age classes, but we also offer a babies-only music class, designed especially for moms, dads, other caregivers, and babies (newborns through 7 months) who are not yet crawling. This is such a special class. Because none of the babies are on the move, there’s time–built in to the structure of the class– for parents to connect. It’s easy to feel isolated in those early months of parenting. It makes such a difference to have a community where you can navigate the ups and downs of parenting a newborn together. Parents often find life-long friends in this class– for both themselves and their babies– as they grow together through our mixed-age classes.
In addition to these music classes, we also offer the Generations music class for families. The Generations class is held at Benton House of Decatur, a nearby assisted living facility, so that we can include a group of Grandfriends in our circle. Just as in our mixed-age classes, Generations is designed to be interactive music-making experiences for little ones and their grownups— from playful free movement to full-on instrument jams. It’s such a powerful experience for all of the generations– the seniors, the parents, and the children– to sing, dance, and play across the generations.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Community. Parents are craving connection– for themselves and for their kids– and they find it in our music classes. Our classes are micro communities, with a consistent group of caring grown-ups and young children. Through all of the singing, dancing, and playing, families can build meaningful and lasting friendships.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://musictogetherofdecatur.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musictogetherdecatur
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicTogetherOfDecatur/
- Youtube: https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=w4FygkIq-Pw
