Children can join classes at any stage! In all 3 - 6 year
classes children attend
independent of parental support. If you would like to know why parents are not
required please visit our FAQ page and please email or call us if you have any concerns.
Parents and carers will be given notes on a regular
basis explaining
what your child is working on and why.
Parents and family members are invited to the last
class of
each session to observe what we have been learning but please note that
this is not a performance!
The best way to encourage your
child’s enjoyment and progress is to sing and listen
to our beautifully illustrated songbooks and CD’s at home with your
family. It is important that you have the song book and/or
CD that corresponds with their class as songs are
revisited and children gradually experience more complicated concepts in
class activities.
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3-4 year - Interactive musical games
Puppets, ribbons, instruments and parachutes are an integral part of each class. For the first time young children are encouraged to sing, move and play instruments independently of parental support, however parents may attend until your child feels comfortable. Through our playful approach children are unaware that we now progress onto specific musical details in the Colourstrings songbooks such as dynamics, tempo, form, pitch and beat which ultimately lead towards a deep musical understanding.
Children enjoy interactive games in partners or small groups. Musical stories captivate each child's imagination and encourage them to share ideas in a supportive musical environment where individual creativity is encouraged.
The focus is on developing pitch through creative movement (body sol-fa) and preparing the concept of rhythm by connecting speech patterns through clapping and instrument play. Games with the rhythm bears introduce the children to pre-music reading skills.
Each child will receive a free activity pack to encourage music making at home and reinforce learning.
Singing games, dancing and musical stories are immersed in weekly classes that challenge children's aural perception and develop musicality using the basic music concepts. Children are encouraged to explore and create rhythmic and melodic patterns with xylophone’s, glockenspiel’s, hand bells, body percussion and their voice. The introduction of basic solfège (do, re, mi) underpins the sub-conscious understanding of pitch. Curwen hand signs are learnt which help children to sing more accurately in-tune and visualize when the pitches of songs go up and down and how they relate to each other.
Beat and rhythm are now combined together in partner games and the children start to do two different things at the same time which leads onto 2 part singing. The ensemble aspect of music making is emphasized through the creating, reading and performing of music together.
The focus is on developing accuracy in pitch and rhythm, putting creative ideas into musical language and teaching what music means when they see it written down. The rhythm bears lead the children onto reading and writing rhythmic notation and through songs and pictures the first elements of melodic notation are introduced.
Each child will receive a free activity pack to encourage music making at home and reinforce learning. Visit the schedules page
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5-6 year class - Pitch notation
Playground style musical games challenge children’s aural perception through more complex songs and creative movement. Our dynamic, high energy classes use colourful resources, parachutes, glockenspiels and some of the most beautiful instruments from around the world to help bring alive the musical points.
Through creative movement, improvising and composing children develop awareness of musical form and expression as they become more involved in making choices about the use of dynamics and tempo within a song. The group is frequently divided to develop 2 part singing (rounds), ostinato (a repeated rhythmic or melodic pattern) and performing pulse and rhythm simultaneously.
The focus is on developing music literacy and reinforcing music concepts. Musical vocabulary is familiarised using pictures, flash cards and movement games. Now that their ears have been ‘finely tuned’ we sing in Solfege (do,re.mi) with hand signs which enables children to listen to music and transcribe it onto paper, and to look at sheet music and hear it internally without the use of an instrument challenge children’s aural perception
Each child will receive a free activity pack to encourage music making at home and reinforce learning.
Puppets, ribbons, instruments and parachutes are an integral part of each class. For the first time young children are encouraged to sing, move and play instruments independently of parental support, however parents may attend until your child feels comfortable. Through our playful approach children are unaware that we now progress onto specific musical details in the Colourstrings songbooks such as dynamics, tempo, form, pitch and beat which ultimately lead towards a deep musical understanding.
Playground style musical games challenge children’s aural perception through more complex songs and creative movement. Our dynamic, high energy classes use colourful resources, parachutes, glockenspiels and some of the most beautiful instruments from around the world to help bring alive the musical points. 
