By PAT NEWMAN
pnewman@TheCitizenNews.com

Carter Rogers' got the beat and he and his mom, Leslie are all smiles. Tapping out a tune on a pint-sized drum is one of the toddler's favorite activities during his once-a-week music class.

Carter is one of about a dozen budding musicians in Heather Arnold's Tikes and Tots Music Time session. The 45-minute class introduces the 5 and under set to rhythm, beat, song and dance. While Arnold, the mother of a 19-month old son named Zachariah, directs the group in a series of songs, impromptu jam sessions and movement exercises, it's the moms who continue the program at home.

A tape, CD and songbook accompanies each session, allowing parents to plug in their children's favorite songs for a ride to the supermarket or a morning break from Sesame Street.

The classes meet in the aerobics room at Gold's Gym on Ga. Highway 74 in Peachtree City. Rogers said she and her son enjoyed the class because it was “so much fun.” Cheryl Jashek, mother of 2-year-old Dylan, said he has adapted comfortably to the class routine.

Arnold's easy-going manner and ready smile sets a relaxing tone for the class. The children move about the room at will and are quick to respond to her soft-spoken directions to select a pair of rhythm sticks or return the instruments to the bag she holds open for easy deposit.

Circle time activities unite mom and child for a rollicking variation on the classic tune, “Itsy, Bitsy, Spider,” or a dramatic interpretation of “The Elephant Walk.”

Tucked in between the songs and games are valuable snippets of musical information. “By learning music and working on the skills, anyone can develop their musical potential,” Arnold tells the moms. “We're not just stuck with what we're born with,” she adds.

Tikes and Tots is a metro-based business using the techniques of Rob Sayer's “The Music Class,” a well known children's music program offered in Atlanta. Kim Rash and Scott Miller, partners in Tikes and Tots, claim the program offers parents “an opportunity to help with their children's overall development, as well as build basic music competence.”

“Our company's mission is to help children develop to their full potential. Music is one of the best ways to help with the overall development in all ages, but especially in infants, toddlers and preschoolers,” Rash said.

For class registration (Cost: $140 for 10 weeks) phone 404-325-7799 or visit www.themmusicclass.com.

An open house is scheduled for June between and .

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