“I grew up listening to the phonograph play all the time at my house,” said Moran. “I lived with my parents and grandfather, who listened to opera. I was always waltzing around the house in some ancestor’s billowy dress, singing.”

One of five children and the daughter of a clergyman, Moran began taking piano lessons at the age of five, but did not study voice until attending Clark University in Worcester. After graduating from Clark, Moran received her advanced degrees in voice and pedagogy from the New England Conservatory. She began to teach at the Performing Arts School of Worcester, and eventually made her way to the South Shore Conservatory in Hingham.

“I started the Mommy and Me classes at the Conservatory,” said Moran. “It was a passion of mine.”

Moran described a video she once watched where a mother sang a tune to her eight-month-old baby, who then repeated the melody back to her. “It made me cry because it was so revealing. It’s so interesting, when I was having babies they were to be seen and not heard. It’s true, I was a real pioneer in the field.”

Subscribing to the Kodaly Method (Zoltan Kodaly was a famous 20th century composer who believed in using the singing voice to teach), Sarah believes that all children are born with perfect pitch and that across the world they sing the same melodies.

“Kodaly said the soul of the child is sacred and must be fed only the best pure and live art,” said Moran. “Music conveys to mankind a unique expression of the human spirit. The development of this potential must begin in infancy.”

About ten years ago Moran left the Conservatory and began teaching out of her home, and wishes she would have done it sooner. She feels it is more organic and comforting, as opposed to teaching in a large bare room at the Conservatory, where she once brought in her own oriental rugs to warm things up a bit. 

Her music class begins with “Teacher” (Moran) rolling a ball to each child and greeting them, asking each child (babies, too) to roll the ball back to her. Parental participation is paramount in class and Moran strongly encourages it.

“You either get it or you don’t,” she said.

Class continues with songs and rhymes, most supported with the use of fun props -- all with a purpose.

“Cognitive interaction, through singing, facilitates the process of creative thinking,” said Moran. “Learning to learn cannot be more fun! Motor skills developed by musical play enable a child to develop physical coordination higher than many adults.”

The babies in class light up and display determined concentration and focus unusual for children so young. They anticipate Moran’s every move and hang on to her every word.

“I wear bright makeup for a reason,” she says, so they may read her lips. “Children learn to speak through reading our lips.”

Smiles are plentiful and movement encouraged. At the end of class there is time for relaxation, with slower melodies and blankets to lay on. There is a beginning, middle and an end to this delightful class and it is clear why children and parents adore Sarah Moran.

“Every class is a little society in and of itself, it fascinates me,” said Moran. “I’m far too old to be doing this, but I can’t stop.”