Music Mobile Online

Family and Intergenerational Programs

# of Students Per Session:	Program is adapted to serve as many or as few people as the school prefers
Grade Levels:	Pre K-6 including families and community guests
Length of Time:	1 - 3 hours or more depending on the program. Short sessions are available if preferred
Examples of Content:	Family Night, Grandparents Day, Family Concert, Mural Making, Songwriting, Instrument Building

Spending a festive evening singing songs, building and playing musical instruments from recycled materials, and sharing a nourishing meal with friends and neighbors is a sure way to raise school spirit and strengthen community bonds. At the center of a Family Night event is Ruth Pelham’s unique blend of exuberance, warmth, and wit that generates an atmosphere of friendship and belonging within a social and educational context. When mixed with her upbeat and empowering songs, what results is a circle of community in which everyone is valued and welcome, and all participants are involved in age appropriate ways. A Family Night event can involve one class, one or several grade levels, or the whole school, and can be geared to a particular theme or occasion. Family Night events are available during all seasons but are especially suggested during the winter months or at the beginning or end of the school year.

During this joyful assembly or workshop, students and their grandparents join together to sing and celebrate their place in the loving circle of human relationships. Centered around Ruth Pelham's acclaimed songs about peace, compassion, kindness, and social responsibility, this fun-filled musical experience deepens bonds among the generations and builds a spirit of love and appreciation. In addition to Ruth singing solo, this program can include students performing with Ruth as well as students and grandparents drawing pictures, creating sculptures, or making murals based on program themes. Materials are prepared and supplied for this program.

Joyful songs of love, laughter, and learning echo as grandchildren and grandparents celebrate the circle of human relationships -- family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers. Centered around Ruth's “Room For Us All,” CD about peace, compassion, and social responsibility, and intergenerational themes, this fun-filled cultural experience deepens bonds among the generations, and builds a spirit of kindness, respect, and compassion. This program can be coupled with workshops where students and grandparents draw pictures, create sculptures, make murals, or plant flowers to build on program themes and goals. Most materials are prepared and supplied for this program.

Imagine children sitting side by side with old people as they draw pictures, create sculptures, make murals, plant flowers, and sing songs that the children composed or learned with Ruth Pelham. While engaged in shared activities with elders, students learn about empathy, patience, sensitivity and love. They also learn skills in communication, song writing, and performance as they sing Ruth’s intergenerational songs such as “Four Hands,” “Happy Birthday Mrs. Miller,” and “The Activity Room.” Structured to take place in the school or at a senior center, nursing home or assisted living facility, this program can involve one or more classes from one or more grade levels, and can take place during one day, one week, or one or several months.