Mini Music Makers

Mini Music Makers Online

Ages: 0 - 7

Music has an extremely positive effect on a child’s development. Our online classes for babies and toddlers use singing, movement and play to support cognitive, language and motor skills. The emphasis is on fun: tickling games, bouncing songs and lullabies which bring music to life.

Our weekly 40-minute classes provide you and your child the opportunity to make and enjoy music together in a fun and friendly setting. These playful sessions provide an engaging introduction to music and provide quality time between parent and child from the comfort and safety of your own home.

Classes

At Mini Music Makers the main emphasis is on learning subconsciously through fun activities. Your child is sure to enjoy singing songs with puppets, tapping drums and shaking shakers aong with the group. You and your child will learn a range of new bouncing and tickling songs and nursery rhymes that you can take away and enjoy away from the classes too.

Benefits for your child

The structured NYCOS method offers your child a progressive journey through musical learning. Research in this area has shown that early musical activity can have huge benefits in many areas of child development including language, motor skills, memory and concentration. At Mini Music Makers your child will be given access to these benefits whilst having fun at home.

How it works

Online classes are run through Zoom, which is free to use online or download. You will be emailed a meeting link prior to each class, along with a list of suggested props or instruments (common household items) to use. We recommend using a PC, laptop or large tablet rather than a smaller device so your child can easily see what is going on, and that you have some floor space available to join in with the actions. The leader will mute microphones for particpants for the majority of the class so you can hear exactly what is happening without the sound quality being degraded.

Safety Information

We understand the need to ensure everyone’s safety and wellbeing during our online classes, which is why our classes are password protected use a waiting room system meaning that new participants can only join once the leader or office staff member in attendance has appoved access. You have complete control over whether everyone else can see you by enabling or disabling your camera as you wish. Your session will not be recorded or photographed unless you have been asked for permission beforehand.

Benefits for you

This is not only an opportunity to develop your bond with your child as you explore music together, but it is a chance for you to connect with like-minded parents of other young children in a relaxed environment.

Leaders

Our enthusiastic class leaders are fully trained in the unique NYCOS method of early years music education, based on the teachings of Hungarian Composer and Educator  Zoltán Kodály. Our leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and are a mix of nursery teachers, music specialists and freelance professional musicians.

Book Online

Financial assistance is now available for NYCOS Mini Music Makers. We can cover up to 100% of the cost of the classes, just follow the link on the booking page to apply.

CLASS DETAILS (BLOCKS 1 & 2):

MONDAYS with Tracy Curle
18 months – 2.5 years:
2.5 years – 4 years:
0 – 18 months:
3 – 5 years:		 9.30 – 10.10am
10.20 – 11.00am
11.10 – 11.50am
13.20 – 14.00pm
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TUESDAYS with Helen Robbie
0 – 4 years: 10.20 – 11.00am
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WEDNESDAYS with Sarah Naish
0 – 18 months:
18 months – 4 years		 9.30 – 10.10am
10.20 – 11.00am
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THURSDAYS with Mary Macleod
3 – 5 years:
0 – 3 years:		 9.30 – 10.10am
10.20 – 11.00am
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FRIDAYS with Marion Lang
0 – 3 years:
3 – 5 years:		 9.30 – 10.10am
10.30 – 11.10am
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SATURDAYS with Rosanne Brackenridge
2 – 3 years:
0 – 2 years:
4 – 7 years:		 9.30 – 10.10am
10.20 – 11.00am
11.10 – 11.50am
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YOUR SESSION LEADER:

ROSANNE BRACKENRIDGE

Rosanne, an experienced singing teacher, has enjoyed a successful career as a professional opera singer with Scottish Opera, Geneva Opera & English National Opera. Her solo venues include the London Coliseum, the Met (New York) and the Royal Albert Hall. She continues to work as a performer with groups including Perfect Harmony Voices & Rosalba. Her extensive involvement with Music in Hospitals is very special to her. She is invited to join the annual audition panel in the quest for new musicians to take part in this challenging but rewarding work.

TRACY CURLE

Tracy brought her own children along to Mini Music Makers and loved watching their musicality grow as they had fun singing and playing. She was excited about bringing more children to an appreciation of music using the Kodály approach following her training with NYCOS. She has been a Mini Music Makers leader in Linlithgow since 2010. Tracy also delivers musicianship training to young people in West Lothian Nurseries and Primary Schools through the Youth Music Initiative as well as being on the teaching staff of the NYCOS West Lothian Choir. She has travelled to Hungary to observe best practice in Early Years and Primary music teaching and has recently been studying part-time for a post-graduate qualification in Kodály Pedagogy at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

MARION LANG

Marion was one of the first Mini Music Makers leaders and has run very successful classes in Stirling since 2003. As a Nursery Teacher with more than 35 years of experience in education, she also uses the principles incorporated in Mini Music Makers to enhance all areas of the Nursery curriculum. Marion also enjoys choral singing and is an enthusiastic member of several local choirs.

MARY MACLEOD

A graduate of Edinburgh University, Mary was amongst the first of a generation of students to be inspired by the Music in the Community course led by Professor Nigel Osborne. She then went on to study Teaching, Performance (cello) and Music Therapy at postgraduate level and has had a varied career incorporating all three. As a parent Mary has enjoyed singing and playing with her daughters and their friends in nursery and toddler groups, and is delighting in watching their musicality blossom. She was introduced to the Kodály approach through attending classes with her daughter and is very excited about being able to share this musical world with other parents/carers and their children.

SARAH NAISH

Sarah grew up surrounded by music, and started playing piano at the age of four. At school she sang in choirs and learned to play the cello, before being introduced to her first love, percussion! After studying music for five years at university, Sarah started teaching percussion, and has been a percussion instructor in West Lothian since 2001.  She still enjoys Mini Music Makers classes with her young son, and after seeing how much he benefited from them, she felt inspired to become a Mini Music Makers Leader herself.  She is looking forward to introducing other little ones to music.

HELEN ROBBIE

Helen Robbie is a music graduate of Edinburgh Napier University, where she studied saxophone with Sue McKenzie and wrote her undergraduate dissertation on the Kodály method of music education. She teaches musicianship for NYCOS and Edinburgh Young Musicians, and works with the Falkirk Youth Music Initiative, teaching in nurseries and primary schools. Helen is also Music Director of two community choirs for adult singers.

Helen has twice travelled to Hungary to observe best practice in Early Years and Primary music in the home country of the Kodály method and is currently studying part-time for a post-graduate certificate in Kodály Pedagogy at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She has attended Mini Music Makers sessions with her son since he was a few weeks old, and was delighted to take on the Falkirk classes this year.