Brushwood Center teams up with Old Town School of Folk Music

RIVERWOODS – Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods is partnering with Old Town School of Folk Music to bring free bilingual music programming for youth to Brushwood Center every Saturday.

“¡Hola! Wiggleworms” celebrates being bilingual. Rooted in traditional folk songs from Spanish-speaking countries around the world, the class is alive with singing, dancing and musical discovery.

Children and their families will delight in the musical play of Wiggleworms while they explore the Spanish language and experience the joy of learning language through music.

“We are so excited to partner with Old Town School of Folk Music for this program series,” Parker Nelson, director of public programs and music at Brushwood Center, said in a news release. “So many families in Lake County, Illinois, are Spanish speaking or bilingual. We are thrilled to share in the joy of music with them and their children.”

Families can come to Brushwood Center every Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. through March 16 to experience and learn traditional and contemporary singalong songs in both English and Spanish. Families can expect the class to be full of movement, interaction and musical play with puppets, shakers and props as children explore their emerging language skills.

The free program is ideal for children ages 1 to 5, but open to younger and older siblings, too.

The series will be led by Karen Girolami Callam, who has been singing, teaching and performing music for many years – from bilingual children’s classes to musical theater to her jazz trio to classical choral works and liturgical cantoring.

“We’re going to make joyful noise together and warm ourselves inside the welcoming space at Brushwood,” Girolami Callam said in the release. “This session offers opportunities to share time with our children while we sing and play in Spanish, regardless of the language they speak at home. Music is a great portal to language development.”

Girolami Callam works with teachers and students in early childhood settings in Lake County. She loves to speak as well as sing in Spanish in her classes.

Brushwood Center is located at 21850 N. Riverwoods Road in Riverwoods.

To learn more and to register, click here.