Patch reported that North Shore families can enroll in a new early childhood music program at the Music Institute of Chicago starting in fall 2026. The institute said RCM Smart Start will be offered exclusively at its Evanston, Lake Forest and Winnetka campuses for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
Developed at the Royal Conservatory of Music, the curriculum is described by the institute as an internationally recognized, research-based program designed to accelerate attention, memory, perception and cognitive flexibility. Weekly age-specific classes target core components of early literacy and school readiness through more than 1,000 activities involving movement, instruments, play and music from around the world.
The Music Institute said the program is based on a four-year longitudinal study at RCM. Children in RCM Smart Start classes showed improved letter and number naming, vocabulary and musical abilities, including a 33% reduction in singing error, according to the institute. Experts in early childhood music education and neuroscience created the program to help children develop focus, build language foundations and improve coordination.
Classes begin in September. The institute said sessions are intentionally intimate and likely to fill quickly. Information and registration are available online, while general enrollment for the fall semester remains open for children, teens and adults.
For more information, visit patch.com.