Play along

The teacher should introduce notation only when the child is ready. The right time is when the child feels a need for notation. … … Another good time is when the child wants to play music that’s so complex it would be difficult to learn by ear. In this case, learning to read music is a natural step toward playing the music the child wants to play. The teacher should play the score for the child the first time through, and demonstrate how the notes on the page are transformed into music. The child listens as he or she looks at the printed notes. This way, the child can begin to see how the notes represent sound and a printed score becomes a piece of music. As the child listens – and maybe plays along – he or she begins to understand the shape of the new piece. … … (Hi, everybody! What does “play along” mean in this context? The dictionary shows that “play along” means "to pretend to agree with sb./sth." And I think it is just weird if I interpret “play along” as this meaning for this context. So, I just think, may I get "play along" as "play with the teacher" in this context? What is your opinion? Thanks so much! )