Rappers Delight Club

"I will, I will!" calls KeAnna Blue, 8, KeAndre's sister. She scrambles to Goldberg's side and delivers a hand-clapping, hip-shaking rendition of her rap, which makes good use of sound-alikes such as "twister" and "sister," "math" and "bath." A few more kids take their turns, and soon it's time for everyone to head home.

This year, the club plans to record more songs, improve its raps and respond to its ever-growing folder of MySpace fanmail. And, eventually, graduate and go on to middle school.

Grooming Your Lil' MC

Not all kids have access to a group like the Rappers Delight Club, but with a little help from you, your children can express themselves through music at home. Here are some tips to get you started.

DON'T ASSUME YOUR KIDS ARE TOO YOUNG

It may seem as though children would need to know how to read and write in order to generate their own raps, but David Goldberg, the teacher who leads the club, says that isn't the case. "I've worked with 5-year-olds that, with help, can think up and memorize short raps -- about four lines or so," he says. Kids as young as 2 or 3 may have trouble understanding the concept of rhyming, but you can pique their musical interest by playing CDs geared toward children.

Laurie Berkner's "Buzz Buzz" is a big hit with kids, thanks to lyrics that tell a story ("Little red caboose behind the train/Smokestack on his back/Coming down the track"). Grammy winner Dan Zanes makes kids' albums to which children and parents may find themselves singing along. And of course there's always Raffi, whose 1976 album, "Singable Songs for the Very Young," has never gone out of style.

START OFF SLOWLY

Don't rush your kids. Spread out the sessions by having "music time" once or twice a week for no more than one hour at a time. Soon enough, it will become second nature to them and you. Goldberg suggests letting burgeoning Lil' Bow Wows come up with their own MC name. His kids' picks include "MC Incredible" and "Jolyn Googlepuss."

PROVIDE A SOUNDTRACK

Make a loop of one good sample and let it run -- and run -- while the child is writing. Technophiles can use the samples that come with programs such as GarageBand and Logic Express, which come installed on many new computers. Others can look through their CD collections and pick out instrumental versions of songs with slow tempos and repetitive beats. (The Beastie Boys' "The In Sound From Way Out!" is one example of an album that would work well.)

PLAY WITH WORDS

Help your kid think up a couple of things they would want to rap about (interests, people, favorite foods), and then have them try their hand at writing two sentences of any length that end with words that rhyme. Teach or review the concept of similes (What is as hard as a rock? Can they think of things that are as blue as their eyes?), and encourage them to work those concepts into their raps.

Next, collaborate to find ways to make the words go with the music. If the sentences aren't an exact fit with the tune you've chosen, experiment with adding and subtracting words or repeating the first syllable. Most important, whether or not you think your little one has the chops to be the next Common, always be encouraging. If your child is too self-conscious to sing or perform, invite over other kids, Goldberg recommends: "They cheer each other on, and soon those shy kids have the confidence they need." And, as Goldberg stresses, "always remember that this should be about having fun. If the kids don't feel like doing it that day, life goes on!"