Babies & Grands, a new mom-and-me music class for children ages 6 months to 6 years, teaches the fundamentals of music to kids in Hastings-on-Hudson. The intergenerational classes are held at Andrus on Hudson.
Nine-month-old Hunter Coe
makes music with Andrus
resident Sister Anne Mary Blute.
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Folk musician and performer Jenny Murphy combined her past experiences as a musician and a former senior advocate for the village of Hastings to create Babies & Grands, an intergenerational mom-and-me music program that takes place at Andrus on Hudson, a nursing home in Hastings-on-Hudsonin October. “I found [the toddler and elder] populations to be isolated from each other,” Murphy says. “We don’t have the intergenerational communities of days gone by that benefited from traditions in the arts, so I went to Andrus [and pitched] to bring mom-and-me music classes into the nursing home.”
Babies & Grands, for children ages 6 months to 6 years, teaches movement and the fundamentals of music to the children, their caregivers, and participating residents of Andrus by using instruments, recorded music, traditional music, and original music that Murphy writes for the program. “The interaction between the toddlers and the elders is so heartwarming and so rewarding,” Murphy says. “The families love it.”
Murphy decided to start Babies & Grands after working at camps and other programs under someone else’s curriculum. “I would start to incorporate my own ideas and thought it would be rewarding to create my own program,” Murphy says.
There are three classes held on Tuesdays, through March 19 for the winter session and April 9-June 18 for the spring session. Babies & Grands at Andrus on Hudson is located at 185 Old Broadway in Hastings-on-Hudson. For more information and details about a free trial class, visit babiesandgrands.com, email info@babiesandgrands.com, or call 914-274-8117.
