Merry Music Makers – Rogers Park

Merry Music Makers is an early childhood and youth music education school based on Chicago’s north side, offering group music classes, private instrument instruction, summer camps, birthday parties, and in-school programming across multiple neighborhoods. Founded in 2002, the school has been building foundations in music for over two decades and operates classes at six locations spanning Lakeview, Lakeview East, Andersonville, Edgewater, Lincoln Square, and Lincolnwood. The primary studio is located at 3759 North Ravenswood Avenue, Suite 119, in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, with additional classes held at community partner spaces including Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy in Lakeview East, locations on Clark Street in Andersonville, the Edgewater Playhouse on Bryn Mawr Avenue, and Luther Memorial Church in Lincoln Square. The school uses research-based curriculum delivered by trained music educators to inspire the musician inside every child in a fun, supportive, and exploratory environment.

The cornerstone of the school’s programming is its early childhood music classes built on the internationally recognized Music Together curriculum, a research-based program designed for children from birth through age 5 and their caregivers. These 45-minute weekly classes bring families together for age-appropriate music-making experiences that go far beyond simple singalongs, teaching foundational music concepts such as rhythm, pitch, dynamics, and beat through interactive songs, movement, and hands-on instrument exploration with drums, triangles, maracas, and other instruments. The Mixed-Age class is the school’s most popular option, welcoming babies, toddlers, and preschoolers together with their favorite grown-ups in a format that allows siblings of different ages to attend the same session. A dedicated Babies Only class is available for infants from birth through 8 months, providing a supportive community for new parents while nurturing early physical, socio-emotional, language, and brain development through music. An Ages 3-5 class is also offered for families seeking a session geared specifically toward older preschoolers. Each registered family receives a download of the semester’s song collection, an optional CD, and a songbook to extend the music-making experience at home.

Merry Music Makers also offers its core Music Together classes in Spanish through the Music Together con Español program, which incorporates Spanish vocabulary and folk songs into the standard curriculum. This option is designed for Spanish-speaking families looking for a more accessible class experience as well as any family interested in exposing their children to the Spanish language through music. Each semester’s song collection includes a mixture of English and Spanish recordings along with Spanish translations. An outdoor classroom option is available seasonally, bringing the Music Together experience into an open-air setting. The school operates on a semester system with 10-week and 7-week session options.

For older children, Merry Music Makers offers a suite of Big Kid Classes designed to bridge the gap between early childhood music exploration and formal instrumental study. The Rhythm Kids program provides an engaging group experience for children moving beyond the caregiver-and-me format, building on rhythmic skills and musical independence. The K-1 Piano class offers a positive, creative, and exploratory first introduction to music for four- to six-year-olds in a group setting, incorporating piano playing alongside broader exploration of pitch, patterns, and rhythm. This class provides excellent preparation for more traditional piano lessons but is equally beneficial for children who may go on to study other instruments. Private instrument lessons are available for children ages 4 and up through a partnership with LYRIQ Music School, with instruction offered in piano, violin, guitar, ukulele, and voice. Minimum ages vary by instrument, with piano and violin starting at age 4 with a parent in the lesson, guitar and ukulele at age 6, and voice lessons beginning at age 9.

The school’s Summer Jam camp program provides immersive music experiences for children ages 3 and up, inspiring a love of music through hands-on instrument exploration and introducing young musicians to sounds and styles from around the world. A three-week Holiday Sing-Along mini-session runs after Thanksgiving each year, celebrating the season with favorites from Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa while filling the gap between the fall and winter semesters. Birthday parties and venue rentals are available at the Lakeview studio, offering families a music-themed celebration space. The school also operates in-school music programs, bringing its curriculum directly into preschools and elementary school settings. Additional community programming includes free classes, drop-in classes for families seeking flexible one-time visits, parent events, and a Chicago New Moms initiative that connects new mothers with musical experiences and community support.