by Elizabeth Connolly
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On Wednesday, June 13th, dozens of children and caretakers flocked to Westwood Public Library (WPL) for Toddler Jam Time with Sarah Gardner, an energetic 45 minute program designed just for little musicians. “I like to think of it as band practice,” said Sarah at the event. “We’re all coming together and practicing. They can practice more at home if they want, and then meet me back here next week to practice as a band again.”
Gardner, who goes by many names, such as “The Music Lady” and “Miss Sarah," is a local, multi-talented musician that’s been performing for and teaching children for over 20 years. For this particular program, the kids in attendance were given a variety of “instruments” to try out, such as empty containers with spoons for drumming, xylophones, shaky eggs, maracas, and even ukuleles. “I got the idea for the ukuleles because in Hawaii they introduce them to children at 2 years old, and typically by about 4 they can start playing them. It’s amazing,” Gardner commented.
In between renditions of “The Wheels on the Bus,” “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” brief, age-appropriate discussions about tempo and timing took place while proud grown-ups looked on. Towards the end of the session, the instruments were swapped for colorful scarves. The scarves were then used for some additional timing practice that was cleverly disguised as simply throwing them in the air during a song.
Toddler Jam Time returned to WPL on June 20 and 27 at 11am. According to her website, Miss Sarah will also be at the library on August 22 at 11am. For more information on this and other programs at WPL, or to register, visit their website www.WestwoodLibrary.org.
