Learning music is just like learning a language, according to Lauren Garcia-Slawianowski, a Hopewell Township resident and early-childhood music instructor.

“I think we are born wanting to sing and dance,” said Slawianowski, who teaches music to children as young as 6 weeks old.

“It’s kind of like when we raise a child in a bilingual family — children are able to speak two languages just because they’re exposed to it. Their brains are like sponges at this age.”

Starting in February, she will teach “Travels in Song: Explore the Many Cultures of
Western Pennsylvania,” a course for children ages 3 to 5 at the Sweetwater Center for the Arts. The course was developed by Lisa Rae Music Studios, the company that also brought the popular “Music Together” classes to Sweetwater in December 2009.

Slawianowski took an interest in ethno-music during her undergraduate years at
Westminster College, where she earned degrees in music education and Spanish.

“Lauren is an enthusiastic instructor who actively engages her students and provides a warm and welcoming environment,” said Brenda Jaros, Sweetwater’s educational director. “We’ve had a great response to the 'Music Together' classes, so I anticipate a similar response to the new 'Travels in Song' class.”

Students will “travel” to countries with cultural roots in Western Pennsylvania — Italy, Greece, Poland, Kenya, Ireland, China and Japan — learning the languages, music, and art traditional in each. The class will begin in Italy, where students will learn Italian words in chant-form, allowing them to better hear the meter, Slawianowski said.

Students will also learn traditional dances and will use tissue paper and stickers to create mosaics inspired by scenes from Venice.

“There is so much cultural diversity and history in the area,” said Lisa Rae Vaughan, the executive director of Lisa Rae Music Studios. “We thought this is was a fun and educational opportunity to help children understand how this region developed.”

“Travels in Song” was originally developed as an in-class program for a McKees Rocks pre-school, and is now being offered publicly for the first time at Sweetwater.

“Sweetwater has been very receptive to the class, and the people of Sewickley in
particular are very culturally sophisticated and forward thinking when it comes to early childhood education,” said Vaughan, a former Sewickley Academy student.

The hour-long class is limited to eight students and runs for six weeks on Mondays, starting Feb. 7. Classes are offered at 10:45 a.m. and noon to accommodate students enrolled in both morning and afternoon preschool programs. Registration is open until Feb. 14, or until classes are filled.

The course is available for $85 for Sweetwater members and $105 for non-members.

The winner of a current contest to rename the class will receive free tuition to “Travels in Song” or a $50 gift certificate toward a music class offered by Lisa Rae Music Studios. The winning title should reflect the course’s focus on song and dance for toddlers and its exploration of cultures with roots in Western Pennsylvania, Vaughan said.

The contest is open now through Feb. 7, and entries are being accepted at
lisaraevaughan@yahoo.com.