LATEST NEWS: Adelaide is regrettably postponing all pre-school and early years music and movement work until further notice, while she is on maternity leave. See below to find out what these activities usually involve and watch this space over 2011 to find out if music and movement classes look likely to resume.

Pre-School Music & Movement

Throughout our lives music gives us personal and social pleasure and this is as true for the 3 year old as it is for the 63 year old. Research has shown time and again that music also stimulates and develops the mind and body in other areas: if children regularly participate in good quality music activities from a young age, they are more likely to be brighter linguistically, socially, physically and academically.

Adelaide trained and taught with the Music House for Children in London from 2004-2007, and has participated in Kodaly and Dalcroze training programmes at the British Kodaly Academy and at Chetham's School of Music's Early Years Department.

Adelaide's pre-school programmes involve a mixture of familiar and new songs and song-games each week, using colourful props, live and recorded music, and the children's own imagination to make the music come alive. There is lots of contrast: one minute, children might be lying 'asleep', listening to a gentle lullaby or hearing the sounds of an Indian Sitar for the first time; the next, they'll be jumping in time to the 'boing', marching to a steady beat, or tiptoeing across the pond, trying not to crack the ice, while they listen to strange, icy music... Adelaide spends lots of time on rhythm, movement and feeling the beat, so that after only a few sessions all the children can move, clap or play in time to music.  Meanwhile, regular singing, using a careful and thoughtful selection of songs that appeal to the imagination, but are also easy to pitch, enables children to gradually develop their singing voices naturally and effortlessly. The use of age-appropriate  activities delivered by a fun teacher ensures that children enjoy music and that they see music as an interactive, social pleasure (far more than a class-room subject or one-to-one tuition might suggest) right from the beginning.

Adelaide is available to do one-off workshops and music parties for children at your special event, as well as ongoing music programmes for 3-5 year olds at your pre-school or community centre.

For Ash Tree Music activities for 0-3 year olds please click here

Contact us to check references, availability and prices.

If you would like to register your interest, and find out what exciting music your pre-school can enjoy even at the earliest of ages please get in touch. The head of Dunscore Pre-school, which has been enjoying educational and happy music-making with Adelaide since January 2008, is more than happy to provide references on request.