“Welcome! I’m delighted that you are here, and I invite you to sing along, move along, play along, or just go along with your child and with the music.  I ask that if you have a noisy or crying child at any point, please walk out of the room with him until he is ready to come back in. (And thank you for turning off your cellphone!)”

That is all the instruction parents need to engage naturally and joyfully with their child in the first class. Instructing parents amidst an antsy group of little children is counterproductive. We don’t want to wear down the children nor bog down the parents with expectations. Communicate to parents as you might on Twitter—delivering the greatest meaning with the fewest words. The suggested opening communicates delight and ease, and invites parents to be themselves with their child.