FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Carla Campbell, cbc@cdmfun.org, 423-648-6054
Libby Raiford, lfr@cdmfun.org, 423-648-6096

PopTots Brings Live Performances and Hands On Music Instruction to Toddlers

Interactive Music Program for Toddlers and Adults Presented by Creative Discovery Museum and Chattanooga Symphony & Opera

Creative Discovery Museum and Chattanooga Symphony & Opera (CSO) team-up to present the second season of PopTots, a music series that uses music performance and instruction to help toddlers develop cognitive and fine motor skills.

For the next two months, the CSO’s Wind Quintet will perform an interactive concert for toddlers and adults.  Each 30-minute performance will be followed by a 30 minutes of hands-on music instruction led by Museum staff in which children and adults can play more than 20 rhythm instruments, -- including drums, clava, chimes, bells, shaker eggs -- while learning about the educational ways music can improve a child’s speech, motor skills and creative thinking.

“The class is free flowing, but there is a purpose to the play,” said Liza Blair, Arts Manager for Creative Discovery Museum. “Music is a strong learning tool in early childhood development. It’s great for kids to experience music and get their hands on instruments and play music for themselves. Everyone has their own rhythm that relates to how they move and walk. Working with music and adjusting their innate sense of rhythm to the rhythm of class helps children develop their cognitive skills and fine motor skills.”

PopTots programs will be presented on these dates:

* Saturday, April 17, 2 p.m. – Wind Quintet
* Saturday, May 15, 2 p.m. – Wind Quintet

Each program is different, and it is not necessary to attend each class. Participation in PopTots is included in the Museum’s regular admission price. No pre-registration is necessary.

About Creative Discovery Museum
Creative Discovery Museum is open Mon-Sat: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun: noon-5 p.m. 321 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402. Creative Discovery Museum is recognized as one of the top children’s museums in the nation. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to educational enrichment for children age’s 4-months to 12-years-old through interactive, hands-on experiences that foster creative and critical thinking. Creative Discovery Museum focuses on a broad range of areas encompassed by Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Technology and the Sciences. In addition to its exhibits, Creative Discovery Museum provides local residents and visitors with special events, educational programming, teacher resources for the classroom, field trips, after school programming, early childhood education classes, artist residencies, camps, art lessons, science demonstrations, and a branch of the local library. Creative Discovery Museum is a funded agency of Allied Arts and Tennessee Arts Commission and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

          
# # #