Kids embark on ‘Musical Adventures’ with GTMF – JH News&Guide

In Jackson Hole, you can adventure in the mountains, you can adventure on the rivers and lakes, or you can adventure downtown, where Meaghan Heinrich, the Grand Teton Music Festival’s education curator, leads youngsters into the vast and varied landscapes of music.

“Musical Adventures” are back for the fourth year, taking place twice each Monday morning in the Greenspace on the Block, just east of Town Square, and Tuesdays at Teton Village. On select Wednesdays (like July 30) through the eight-week season, Heinrich also will trek over Teton Pass to host sessions in Teton Valley, Idaho.

Kids from birth to age 5 or so and their caretakers will learn about rhythm and tempo, sing songs, and dance with colorful scarves.

“We get people bobbing around with their 1-month-olds,” Heinrich said. Two-year-olds tend to sit and listen, “but then they get home and they sing all the songs.” Older kids “can’t wait to grab the shakers and sing the hello song.”

As an early-childhood music educator, Heinrich knows routine and structure are important and empowering.

“So a lot of the songs we sing are repeats,” she said, “but we can see the kids’ excitement when they know what’s coming next.”

She changes some things up as well, focusing on different musical concepts, using new songs, and even offering a sample of what the Festival Orchestra will be performing over the coming weekend.

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