Music classes for babies and pre-school children

Fun, music and movement for little movers and shakers

Janet Koralambe & Rocky

Rocky! I’ve been running pre-school music groups for just over ten years now. I started, as many of us did, when my own children were small. I was taking them to a group run by a friend and when she gave up I took over the group. For the first year I ran it on my own and then I came across Presma and haven’t looked back since.

Music has always been a part of my life. Some of my earliest memories are of my parents singing to me at bath and bedtime and I have always played and sung for my own pleasure in a variety of different ways. I am a trained primary teacher and teach music in a couple of primary schools, as well as being part of a puppet company which travels about the country doing shows in schools and theatres for young children.

I currently run seven Presma groups a week and one Music Babies. I feel very privileged to watch the children that come to my groups grow and develop. Some are as young as five weeks old when they start and they are often with me till they start school or nursery. I am constantly amazed at how much you can observe their character through the musical activities we do. There are those that want to join in right from the start and others that prefer to sit and watch. Some start by joining in with everything and then go through a shy phase, only to come out the other side ready to make their own particular contribution to the group.

I get a huge amount of pleasure out of working with the babies in the Music Babies session and love it when the three and a half year olds make their own suggestions about the way a song could (or should!) be sung in their groups. There’s also something very special about seeing parents really enjoying playing with their children and joining in with the singing without thinking about it, especially when so many people think they can’t sing!

Given the opportunity, most children respond to music in one way or another. Making music with other people as well as being great fun and important in itself, is also an excellent way for children to learn all sorts of other skills such as: rhythm and pitch patterns, which are important for the acquisition of language, movement skills such as clapping, jumping and hopping, social skills like sharing and turn-taking and perhaps the most important of all – listening.

I look forward to meeting you some time. Do give me a ring if you have any questions or just want more information about the groups I run.

Pictures

Action shot!

Testimonials

“Music babies was a wonderful introduction to singing for my daughter, it was great to come along each week and meet new parents, we have made lots of friends who we continue to see regularly. My daughter especially loves 'Rocky' and we enjoy singing the songs together at home.”