Merry Music Makers

This is a truly unique and creative community. My son is super silly at home but quiet and very cautious around newer situations and people, so to watch him blossom has been heart-​warming! You cannot go wrong with any instructor; each is trained in music and in children’s development, and they go through the Music Together national curriculum training. Classes are designed for children to explore music through tones, rhythms and the freedom to express themselves. We are taking our fourth class and plan to keep coming back!

We love Merry Music Makers! The first class my 2 year old son took was a three week holiday sing along class. My son, who is not usually shy, was very shy and during these first three classes — he clung to me and didn’t really interact with the other kids or Miss Mary. But I could tell he did like the music, and the other kids all seemed to love the class, so I decided to sign him up for the next session of classes. A couple of weeks into the session, he really started loving the class! He was super excited to go to class and was very interactive during class. He doesn’t do a ton of singing in class. but out of the blue at home, in the car, wherever, he will just start singing snippets of the songs that we sing. So, I know he is truly listening and taking in the music while we are there. The classes are really fun for both the kids and the caregivers that bring them. All of the instructors are great — very interactive and fun! I would highly recommend Merry Music Makers! And if your child doesn’t immediately love it, I would also recommend giving them some time to become comfortable with the classes.

We have taken a mixed age class with Ms. Julie since our son was about 10 months. He’ll be three in September, and we can’t imagine a Friday morning without Ms. Julie. She is a truly gifted, warm, imaginative teacher, and kids just fall in love with her. You cannot go wrong with a class or a teacher at MMM. Mary and Maria are phenomenal as well. I’m a professional musician, and I’m blown away by how much actual musical skill and knowledge they are imparting. This is not just a sing-​a-​long exercise — kids are really learning music fundamentals and having so much fun while doing so. Highly, highly recommended!

We love taking classes at MMM, and have been for the better part of 5 years (with 2 kids). Mrs. Maria is great and knows all the kids names by the 2^nd class. The Armory is very convenient for us, blocks from out house!

We had been taking Wiggle Worms classes for a year and a half before starting Merry Music Makers. We were happy at Old Town, but our teacher moved out of state and after going to a few make-​up classes with different teachers, we noticed the quality of the classes varied widely. What I like about Merry Music Makers, that Wiggle Worms lacks, is there is a method being employed and there is consistency across classes since all the instructors are using the same 25 songs each semester. This truly is music instruction and appreciation for the very young, not just a weekly sing-​along. My son knows all the songs from this semester and constantly asks to hear them in the car (you are given a CD with the songs). We’ve enjoyed class with both Miss Julie and Mr. George. Highly recommend this program.

My 1yo has been taking music class at the Music Playhouse on Southport, based on a recommendation. I live in Andersonville and really don’t like having to drive and pay for parking in Lakeview. Walking around my ‘hood I had seen the MMM sign outside the doors of Philadelphia Church. I finally decided to check it out and scheduled a free demo class.
There is a night and day difference between Music Playhouse and MMM. First off, the class size is capped at 12 children at MMM, which is a huge plus. Secondly, and more importantly, I feel like MMM is truly a musical education class — not a soundtrack that the kids dance along to. As someone who has played piano for over 10 years, I really appreciate that and would rather spend my money on a class that is truly educating my son. We really love Ms. Julie — my son is in total awe of her. He’s really shy in class, but we can tell that he is 110% engaged the entire time.
So, so glad that this class is nearby. The CD is great for listening to at home. And the materials provide at the beginning of the class really help parents continue the music education at home.

Parents in Chicago rave about Wiggleworms but in my opinion, Merry Music Makers is where it’s at.
We attend Miss Julie’s class in Andersonville. Miss Julie is talented, engaging, and energetic – all good things when it comes to a children’s music class. The songs are catchier than Wiggleworms and there is a curriculum behind the music and songs (you receive a CD). Also, the songs are not annoying like a lot of children’s music can be.
Siblings 8 months and younger are free!

My 1.5 yo daughter attended the Mixed Age Bongo’s Music Together class at Philadelphia Church with Ms. Julie De Grandpre. The group was a really nice size that allowed her to interact with other kids her age as well as younger and older children. We got a CD and music book for all the songs we did in the class, and my daughter just loves them all now. She is still singing all those songs and her aural skills have definitely improved since we began the class. I would highly recommend both the Music Together program and Ms. Julie.

We have attended classes at Mary Music Makers for 2 years with our 2 year old twins. The experience has been delightful. The laid back atmosphere and interactive musical atmosphere is excellent, our girls love attending and so do we. Highly recommended!

We love Merry Music Makers! We go to Miss Mary’s class in Lakeview and you can just tell she absolutely loves what she does and she absolutely loves the children and really connects with them. My son is 15 months old and has just completed the Fall season. He has been singing and humming and really learning a lot just due to this class. My husband and I have been loving seeing him grow and absorb so much! The class is very engaging, energetic and interactive. While we have done Wiggleworms in the past and its not bad, I feel that Merry Music Makers goes way beyond and is much more of a learning and fun experience for my son and for our time together. We will be involved with Merry Music Makers for a long, long time!

I can’t say enough good things about Merry Music Makers, the Music Together program and the amazing teachers! After moving to Chicago this spring we tried a lot of various toddler classes and activities, with mixed results and even a few tears. Certain classes felt like performance hours, some were underwhelming, some were simply too much for baby (and mom) — we struggled to find something that was a good balance for the investment. Discovering Miss Mary was a game changer!
My 18-​month old daughter is now in her third semester of weekly class and we both love it tremendously. The music is so fun and different from anything I’ve seen for kids, and it’s so easy to enjoy at home and continue the dance party in our kitchen, since each semester you get a music book and CD. What really makes the difference though is the teachers — Mary and crew bring such an enormous amount of passion to what they do and that gets the kids so engaged and involved, naturally and without pressure. The kids are just allowed to be kids, running, dancing, singing or not, whatever they feel that day — and all the while they’re learning and participating and having fun with peers and caregivers! They get tons of exposure to music — each class has time for play with instruments, each semester features a range of songs from around the world, each week brings something new and unique so mom is happily never bored. Definitely worth checking out and seeing if it’s a fit for your family — we highly recommend!

I have been a musician for 30 years and absolutely LOVE Merry Music Makers. The programs provided are second to none and the staff has always been professional, courteous, helpful, FUN and super excited to see the progress of the children & parents alike. Thank you Ms. Mary, Ms. Katie, and all of the other wonderful teachers that work tirelessly to provide an education in music for our future generations.

My 2 yo daughter has been enrolled in a ton of classes since she was 1 (gymboree, swim lessons, dance — baby take a bow, Lil Kickers, Park District, etc.) and this is by far our favorite. It seems to be the best class for her developmentally and my nanny (who usually takes her) agrees this is one of the best classes and she has also been to alot with prior families.
My daughter is shy and doesn’t always participate in the class but she picks up a ton and practices what she learns and sings to the songs when at home.
We love miss Mary and will continue taking this class!

I have been bringing my daughter to MMM since she was about 1 year old & she (and I!) LOVE it! We are big fans & I have introduced about 5 families to this school & they have all signed up! We really enjoy the Music Together format — I think its one of the better kids programs around. And MMM does a Wonderful job of really bringing this program to life.
We have had Ms Mary & Ms Julie & a couple of the substitute teachers & have really enjoyed all of them. You can tell that they all really enjoy what they’re doing.
Keep up the good work! :)

Merry Music Makers is part of the «Music Together» program. In the weekly 1-​hour music class the kids get to sing, play instruments, dance, and all for songs familiar to them from the CD that you get as part of the 6 – 12 week semester. This CD never leaves our car. The kids know it and demand it – some songs are unique to Music Together, but many are folk classics and others are adapted from cultures around the world. There is a mix of melodic songs, chants, and always a few songs thrown in with a fun and different beat pattern.
Prior to moving to Chicago we participated in a class through the program in another city. It was ok, but Merry Music Makers just does a fantastic job in making music education fun. Ms. Julie is a gem. Having now had two kids learn from her (it’s not learning to them…) has been very fortunate for our family. Ms. Mary is also great, and on the rare occasions we’ve had substitute teachers they have all been wonderful. The kids do learn (a lot!), but not through a rigid didactic program. Instead, it is the repetition and strong guidance of the teachers that imparts the learning… and most importantly, the guidance on how to carry that over at home.
My wife is classically-​trained as a musician, so having quality music education starting at a young age was important for us. Nonetheless, to the kids it just seems like singing songs and playing instruments. Now that they are getting older, it is fulfilling to have them be able to keep a beat and sing on-​key. But more importantly, they just really enjoy music and I credit Merry Music Makers with helping to make it part of our daily routines.

We love Miss Maria! She has a way of making every child feel special and truly loves them all. Her passion for teaching the importance of music in child growth and development is genuine. I really thought this class would just be a fun little something to do on Saturday mornings but I find myself really looking forward to it! My 14 mo old daughter squeals with delight in every class. We look forward to many more mornings with Miss Maria

Our daughter is 17mo and we have been bringing her to MMM since she was 6mo. She loves the routine, singing, and movement. MMM allows your kid to participate as little or as much as they want without scrutiny or disencouragement– as other music classes we had tried. We have been with Ms Maria at the Broadway location from the beginning. She is the best! She is so engaging and the kids really love her. She makes every class energetic and fun. Would recommend to anyone!!!

I nanny for an almost two year old boy who LOVES this class and Miss Mary! She is such an amazing teacher and is so good at engaging kids both before, during, and after class. She places a huge emphasis on just letting the children be themselves… It’s ok to let them play around, dance, wander, talk during the songs, whatever they want to do! No need to «shhhh» your kids, just let them explore music and have fun!
It really is amazing how much the younger kids pick up from class, even though they may seem very shy during the session. My little guy loves listening to all of the songs outside of class and I often catch him singing the songs, doing the motions, or making the silly noises he learned in class. We both look forward to it every week and have already signed up for a new session!

I’ve been taking my almost 3yo daughter to classes here since she was about a year old and we both look forward to them each week. We’ve been to the mixed-​age classes with Ms. Julie and Ms. Mary, which are always engaging and enjoyable. We’ve even incorporated some of the songs into our car rides and bedtime routine. Recently we switched to taking Ms. Julie’s French music class. I was a bit worried about diving into a class in a language that my daughter is unfamiliar with, but she didn’t seem the least bit fazed as Ms. Julie made it easy for us all to participate and enjoy. It’s also worth noting that it’s a breeze to bring my infant with us to class, because there are not a lot of classes in the city that are easy for all of us to enjoy together.

Merry Music Makers is amazing. We have been going since our 3 year old son was 6 months old, and his 1 year old sister has loved it since she was a newborn. They are both engaged and singing and dancing to the songs at home. Plus, the CDs they provide are like crack for the car. If the kids are sick of a long trip, throw the CDs on and they both are happy!