morning warm-up

This is the classic early childhood music environment that many families are familiar with from the many excellent programs here in the East Bay, but with an ear for inclusion, that invites children, parents, and caregivers of all ages to sing, move, and play–songs, chants, ring plays, folk dances, and lullabies from around the world, as well as instrument play and different kinds of sensory engagement. Truly a feast for the senses, and melodies your family will hum for life.
No experience necessary, and those with skills will find a place for them to shine.

Family style, mixed-age inclusive, parent or caregiver attends with child of any age: all are welcome.
10 weeks: January 12 – March 22, 2026

Ryk Groetchen, facilitator
Don’t see a time that works with your schedule? Let us know by taking the survey.

Cost: $150 – $300 sliding scale per family (not per child) for 10 weeks, with pay-it-forward options to support access for all. No one turned away for lack of funds. Please reach out to make special arrangements or set up a payment plan.

afternoon pick-me-up

Afternoon classes skew a little older, as kids join after school, but always age-inclusive. Otherwise, this is the classic early childhood music environment that many families are familiar with from the many excellent programs here in the East Bay. With an ear for inclusion that invites children, parents, and caregivers of all ages to sing, move, and play–songs, chants, ring plays, folk dances, and lullabies from around the world, as well as instrument play and different kinds of sensory engagement. Truly a feast for the senses, and melodies your family will hum for life.
No experience necessary, and those with skills will find a place for them to shine.

Family-focus: mixed-age, parent or caregiver attends with child of any age: all are welcome.
10 weeks: January 12 – March 22, 2026

Ryk Groetchen, facilitator
Don’t see a time that works with your schedule? Let us know by taking the survey.

Cost: $150 – $300 sliding scale per family (not per child) for 10 weeks, with pay-it-forward options to support access for all. No one turned away for lack of funds. Please reach out to make special arrangements or set up a payment plan.

evening wind down

Come join our experiment! There’s good evidence to suggest that movement and co-regulation before bedtime is conducive to better sleep. Evening wind-down will be offered on a drop-in basis, recognizing the challenges to attending a regularly scheduled activity at this time of day. Folks who attend often will be invited to share their experience, and we’ll provide simple tools for self-observation to facilitate self-reporting.

This is a mixed-age music and movement environment. We will sing, move through the space, play instruments, and even make space for parallel play. This is generally for families with younger children, but all are welcome, and there will be many ways to engage and co-regulate. These environments tend to be more mixed-age than the morning and afternoon, and are adaptable to a variety of ways of participation.

Family-focus: mixed-age, parent or caregiver attends with child of any age: all are welcome
10 weeks: January 12 – Mar 22, 2026

Ryk Groetchen, facilitator
Don’t see a time that works with your schedule? Let us know by taking the survey.

Register to show interest. You are invited to sign up for a 10-week session, or pay-as-you go.

Cost:
Drop-in: sliding scale of $15–$30 per class per family
10-week session: sliding scale $150–$300 per family, with pay-it-forward options to support access for all. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

in-person ukulele environments

I LOVE your in-person classes and I’m thrilled that you’re bringing them back into being.  Hopefully, folks will be moved to take them in these post-pandemic days.  I got so much out of them and still use the lessons of music’s physicality to better impress my ukulele dabblings into my brain!  I’m not someone who is natively musical, so this helped me get there. 

This is a mixed-skill ukulele class–and more! Recognizing that we all need to move, and that movement puts the rhythm in our bodies, we won’t just be sitting still. Classes will include gentle movement and rhythm games to get the rhythms into our bodies. Independent students from about 12 to adult can attend on their own, and younger kids are welcome to attend with a parent or caregiver. My classes are all family-style–why should we be separated from our families to make music? That would be absurd! Class fee includes anyone in your family who wants to attend, young or old. Contact Ryk if you have any questions.

Community-focus: tweens and up can attend on their own, young children accompanied by parent/caregiver, all are welcome
10 weeks: January 12 – March 19, 2026

Ryk Groetchen, facilitator
Don’t see a time that works with your schedule? Let us know by taking the survey.

Cost: $150 – $300 sliding scale per family (not per child) for 10 weeks, with pay-it-forward options to support access for all. No one turned away for lack of funds. Please reach out to make special arrangements or set up a payment plan.

online ukulele classes

3 levels of classes over Zoom

• L1 Beginner ukulele
• L2 Intermediate ukulele
• L3 Player ukulele

Home-focus: Tweens to adults can attend on their own, young children accompanied by parent, all are welcome
10 weeks: January 13 – March 21, 2026

Ryk Groetchen, facilitator
Don’t see a time that works with your schedule? Let us know by taking the survey.

Cost: $150 – $300 sliding scale per family (not per child) for 10 weeks, with pay-it-forward options to support access for all. No one turned away for lack of funds. Please reach out to make special arrangements or set up a payment plan.

homeschool/IS orff environment

Any of my open time periods can be reserved by a coordinated group of 5 or more homeschool or independent-study families with kids K-12. Orff Schulwerk is a fun, flexible and empowering teaching modality employed in many public and private schools. Why shouldn’t homeschool and IS families have access to this type of high-quality musical education experience? Students will sing, dance, and play, and we will build rich and varied musical textures using a variety of on-site instruments, and we can accommodate instruments that kids are already learning in private lessons.

Ryk Groetchen, facilitator
Contact Ryk for open time periods. We can often accommodate a 60- or 90-minute class environment, as desired. Contact Ryk for more information.

Cost: negotiable, depending on size of group. No one turned away for lack of funds. Please reach out to make special arrangements or learn more.