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Hi everyone, OP here. I had to find the thread as it was moved to this new forum. Thank you for all this wonderful feedback ... I am in Montgomery County, so I'll likely have to look into a series of classes in this area; if anyone's got specific teachers/locations that have worked out well, thank you in advance.

And, PP, I appreciate the mention of Kindermusik; all this is new to me, so it's helpful to know what the possibilities are.

I love Kindermusik. Music Together is a competitor. I actually was an editor for an organization for elementary music teachers that teach both so I was quite familiar with these techniques before having kids. I personally preferred Kindermusik, but I would certainly do Music Together if Kindermusik was not available. (I am no longer in DC so I don't know what is local.)

My three year old has done Kindermusik since age 1 and loves it.

If you are shy - it's very easy to do Music Together and not be overwhelmed - I am not shy per se, but I guess I am not super friendly maybe - not sure - anyway, we've done it in McLean now for over two years and haven't made any friends in the class. I am not sure anyone (I don't see people socializing etc), but I do recognize a lot of the same faces. You show up, the class starts, and it's pretty jam packed, and then it's over - so if you just want a fun class it's worth it.

if you're near Falls Church, I highly recommed Maddy O'Neill's Music Together classes. She is an amazing person, and I got as much out of her classes as my child did.

We did Music Together from 18 months through 3 years and both our kids loved it. Most of the classes we have been too have been largely toddlers - some crawlers, some walkers, few sitting still! It is a great curriculum and if you have a good teacher is a very nice kid friendly introduction to music. We used to be in DC and went to Miss Amy's Music Makers and now do the MT classes through Arlington Parks and Recreation. Both have been great.

We've done it in 3 cities now for about 5 years. Great program.

You should be able to visit and try out different teachers and facilities.

MT Montgomery allows you to attend one free class. I did two different MT classes with my older daughter. She didn't do well - constantly running around with little attention paid to music. The instructor told me she would learn even if she didn't pay attention, but that didn't make it seem worth the price. I decided a more active class was better for my kid. She did MyGym and now ballet/dance. She started MT around age 14 months and was around 2 years-old when I decided it wasn't worth the money.

^ Call the person in charge and ask if you can visit.

OP checking in. Thanks everyone! This is really useful feedback ... I'm hesitating a bit on my own behalf, because I'm a little bit shy, though I do welcome meeting new people. So the whole paradigm of suddenly being among a bunch of other parents, their kids, many things going on. I guess I will have to investigate further, to see if we should/could join a class with similar ages, or it's going to always be mixed, to know what to expect. Thanks, still for any new comments coming in ...

Did it with my kid from 6 months all the way to preschool age. It's all the ages in the same class. We loved it!

Started Music Together at around 8 mos. DD loved it from day one. They have activities that are developmentally appropriate and stimulating for every age.

We did Music Together from age 1 to 2.5. The class was mixed-age, but the vast majority of the kids were toddlers, with an occasional baby brother or sister or older preschooler attending with a younger toddler-age sibling. We did develop friendships with a few families in the class - our location was at a church with a small playground outside, and several members of the class stayed to play after the class. My child is 4.5 now and we still listen to the CDs in the car from time to time. If we'd stayed in the area, I am sure some of the friendships would have remained active - as it is, we moved about an hour away when my child was 2.5, but I still keep in touch with some of the parents I became friends with through Music Together and we still get together occasionally.

The class had lots of parent participation and was pretty active - dancing or marching for some songs, some lap songs, playing with scarves and bells, and lots of exploration of percussive instruments.

We have been doing Music Together classes on the Hill since my son was a little over one. He is now just about two. We did another music class for a while as well, but I would really recommend the Music Together program. I think that the music education theories that it is based on are really sound. In order to get the pay off, you do have to do a bit more than just show up at class every week, which is fun, but we listen to the music regularly at home and in the car and I sing the songs with my son to reenforce the concepts. At two, he is now starting to repeat tonal patterns and rhythm patterns and ask me to copy him. I don't care if he becomes a great musician, but I feel like his ear for sounds and patterns is being well developed. The curriculum changes each session, so it keeps it interesting for both you and the kids.

I'm seeing this name come up in threads repeatedly, and I'm wondering if maybe we should try it out. My daughter recently turned one. On a quick read, I think I spotted that the babies class goes until 8 months, then come toddler classes (possibly mixed age). Could any parents on here who take (or have taken) their younger child (say 12 months +) please share your experience? My DD isn't yet walking, but of course crawls a lot. So are those classes the type where you sit together a lot? And how are the interactions -- for example, is it a type of thing where you meet new parent friends, or just have hopefully friendly interactions each time; or it's more just spending time with your child, but in a group setting? Thanks for any input ...