But there are times when the parents in the Music Together class, held at the Divine Science Community Center, are more in tune with the program than their children are. While parents eagerly sing along to recorded music, play percussion instruments or perform movements in time with a song, not all of the children are as captivated by the experience. Some children play and sing with the group, while others wander around the room or merely observe.

But according to teacher Annamarie Kirkham, even students who are still in diapers benefit from early exposure to music.

"They listen to everything we're doing, even if they can't do it themselves," Kirkham said. "When the music stops, they register the change. It's just like talking to kids: You never know what they'll understand."

Kirkham, who has been teaching Music Together for about a year, said the songs are simple enough that her preverbal students can at least babble along.

"Anyone can sing the ABCs or 'Twinkle, Twinkle,'" she added.

"Little ears pick it up very quickly," said Laura Barbee, director of Willow Glen's Music Together program. "When they become verbal, they burst into song."

Barbee started Music Together classes in Willow Glen seven years ago and also teaches the program in Fresno and Clovis. Music Together began in 1987 as an educational project of the Center for Music and Young Children in Princeton. Researchers there developed an early-childhood music curriculum that strongly emphasizes adult involvement. The program is now being taught internationally.

The idea behind Music Together is to help children develop basic musical competency, Barbee said, but parents shouldn't worry if the little ones can't find their rhythm or aren't able to carry a tune.

"Basic musical competency is the ability to sing on pitch and keep a steady beat," Barbee said. "Some parents don't. I just kind of smile at them and tell them to copy me."

Even if parents are a little off the beat, Barbee said, their children appreciate their efforts.

"For some families, that 45 minutes in class with their children is the only playtime they have," she added.

"The fact that they're here shows the children that mommy and daddy are trying," Kirkham said.

Parents in Willow Glen's Music Together classes play hard to help their children learn.

"This is the most exercise I get all day," said Lynne Davis as she and her 19-month-old son Ryan pretended to swim across the carpet while singing "You Get a Line and I'll Get a Pole."

Davis enrolled herself and her son in Music Together for the first time this summer.

"I thought Ryan was at the right age to enjoy it," she said. "He likes music at home."

Families are encouraged to re-create the Music Together experience at home and are issued CDs and cassette tapes of the songs they learn in class. Barbee said many children who are shy about expressing themselves in class turn into mini-divas once they walk out the door.

"They participate much more at home than they do here, sometimes when they get in the car," Barbee added.

Davis said Ryan is more likely to put on his dancing shoes in the comfort of his own home, but his moves have become more refined since they've been attending Music Together.

"Since we've been to these classes, he uses his hands more," Davis added.

Some habits Ryan has picked up in Music Together, such as helping Kirkham put away the instruments at the end of class, don't stay with him afterward.

"He doesn't do this at home," said his mom, as Ryan ran around the room collecting tambourines and triangles. "When he sees other kids do it, he's more inclined to participate."

The children also benefit from more than just music exposure at these rhythmic outings.

In mixed-age classes such as those taught in Willow Glen, younger children gain from watching the older ones, and older children hone their leadership skills by teaching the younger ones. Music Together also offers age-specific classes for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

"In the infants class, we show parents how to tap out rhythm patterns on their baby's body," Barbee said. "In older classes, children are more independent and can follow the teacher's instructions."

In addition to teaching Music Together, Barbee gives voice lessons to adults, some of whom she said could have benefited from musical training in early childhood.

"Start them when they're young," Barbee said. "It makes learning an instrument a whole lot easier."

Kirkham said the shared experience between parent and child is just as important as any musical skills they develop.

"Music Together brings back the days when people used to sing together," she added. "That's really lost in our culture."

Music Together offers sessions of 10 weekly classes each season. This fall's session in Willow Glen starts the last week of September.

For more information on Music Together classes in Willow Glen, call 408.227.4803.