Five Questions with Christy Zarlengo, Director of Children's Music Center of J.P.
We are so excited to announce our first series - Five Questions with…
Over the course of the next few weeks we are highlighting business owners in JP who inspire us, and we hope you’ll follow along and learn a little more about your neighbors.
First up is our partner from the Children’s Music Center of JP - Director, Christy Zarlengo.
How long have you been in JP?
CZ: We have been in JP for 19 years! I started Music Together classes here in JP back in 2001. We then moved into the Brewery in 2006, and have a been a more full-service music school since then (offering classes for older kids including drumming groups, ukulele, a Musical Theatre program and private piano lessons).
What do you love about music, or what is your personal history with music?
CZ: Music has always been my favorite thing, since I was a young child. I am a singer and pianist, I moved here to attend Berklee in the early 90's, and I worked as a musician and songwriter here for over a decade after finishing Berklee. At that time, I started teaching some private piano lessons and Music Together during the day, while playing in the house band onboard the Odyssey (dinner cruise ship in Boston) at night. Gradually, I turned all of my focus to my teaching business and formed the Children's Music Center.
Why have you chosen to work in music for children?
CZ: When I was a little girl, I listened to music ALL THE TIME. I moved to music ALL THE TIME and sang ALL THE TIME. By the time I started studying piano, I was already a very good singer, and learning music came very easily to me. Fast forward a couple of decades when I started working with little kids and music, and I learned that what happened for me as a child is substantiated by all kinds of substantial research into how children develop music competence. It is called "Music Learning Theory," by someone named Edwin Gordon. Though it is way too deep and extensive of a theory to get too much into here, one of the basic tenets is that "The interplay between the music aptitude we receive at birth and the music environments we experience during the first few years of life begins to account for the variety of individual music differences teachers observe among students in their music classrooms."
In other words, all children can develop music competence, BUT their early music environment must be sufficiently rich. If you can't first "think" music (which we do by first 'learning' it in our body through movement combined with vocal patterns), you are not ready to formally study an instrument, and learning music after about age 9 will be sufficiently harder if you don't build the foundation early. Our flagship program, Music Together®, is entirely based upon this research. I absolutely LOVE being able to provide a place where kids can learn music the way I did. Plus, the classes are so much fun to teach!
What's your favorite adult song covered for kids?
CZ: I actually love sharing adult songs with kids that AREN'T covered for kids! I think that kids should have a rich and varied music "diet," which includes lots of adult music. A particular favorite record that comes to mind (and this DOES in fact happen to be a record made for kids, but the music is anything but 'kid's' music) is a local group called Bramble Jam. They can be found on-line, and I believe on platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, etc... It is absolutely fabulous music and the lyrics will have parents cracking up.
What are five words you would use to describe JP?
CZ: Gorgeous, fun, charming, interesting, vibrant
Thanks Christy for spending a little time with us! As a reminder, The Children’s Music Center of JP will be hosting children’s music sessions this month at Hopscotch Labs! Click the registration link for details.
You can follow The Children’s Music Center of JP on social at @childrensmusiccenterJP.