CORNELIUS – On four Wednesday evenings in August, Dr. Marcy Mittelstadt, director of music ministries at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, will offer Lovenotes, a structured program that teaches expectant parents to use the language of music to communicate love and reassurance to their unborn child.

The free lessons, which start Aug. 10 at 6:30 p.m., contain songs for listening and activities for expectant parents from the fifth month to delivery. Class size is limited, and interested expectant parents should email Mittelstadt at mmittelstadt@mtzionumc.net. The classes will meet in the choir room in the basement of the sanctuary building at Mt. Zion, 19600 Zion St.

A parent does not need to sing well to effectively communicate with an unborn child. Mittelstadt is a longtime colleague of Lorna Zemke, the internationally recognized music educator who introduced the program at Silver Lake College.

Mt. Zion also offers weekly Babygarten classes in music and reading for newborns to 18-month-olds.