Mini Musicians

Sunday 27 November 2016

Usually when I’m at The Baby Room, I’m working but Monday’s are special because I’m off and I get to enjoy family time and do the things I love to do for me. So, this morning it was Mini Musicians for Ruairi and myself and tonight, I’ll join Ciara’s wonderful Pilates class for a post weekend stretch and strengthen. We first went to Mini Musicians class when Ruairi was about 10 months old and he absolutely loved it. We’d come through a difficult time with feeding problems and Clara’s classes were such a fun way for us to connect and leave the stress and worry of difficulties outside. Ruairi seems to love music, he loves listening to me sing and he belts out a fine rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle so I knew he’d love being back at classes.

Mini Musicians is founded by Carlow native and mum of one (soon to be two) Clara Hutchinson. Clara is not only an incredibly talented musician, with a wealth of experience as a performer, facilitator and teacher but she is also a really lovely person. Her passion for music shines through in all she does. Clara studied Music and Early Childhood Education before completing a Master’s in Music Therapy. As a mum, Clara says that she realised early in her daughter’s life how innate music is in children, how quickly they respond to musical babble and natural rhythms and how being attuned to their natural musical abilities can strengthen attachment and create a bond that will last a lifetime. Children learn so much through musical play and as a facilitator, Clara says she gets so much joy watching the bond develop and grow between parents and their children in classes. Classes also give parents a repertoire of songs and games to use at home, which can become a huge part of daily family routines.

Clara has recently been joined by the equally talented and enthusiastic Marie Glynn. From Kilkenny, Marie has a Master’s Degree in Music Therapy and is herself a performer. Mini Musicians run classes for three age groups. Their Babbling Baby class is for babies from birth to 1 year. This class is centred around strengthening the bond between caregivers and their little ones, and introducing babies to the magical world of music. Talented Toddlers (one of whom I’m the proud owner of) is for toddlers from 1 to 2.5 years. This class is fun and engaging. It is designed to allow children to explore sounds and instruments, learn songs and games, and develop skills needed for language development and social interaction. Moving Maestros is for children aged 2.5 to 4 years. This class is designed to introduce concepts of pitch and rhythm and develop musicality. The programme is developed in conjunction with Ceol Ireland, who provide comprehensive curriculum-based music programmes.

From helping to build neural networks involved in social-emotional development to the development of language, reasoning, creative thinking and both gross and fine motor skills, early exposure to music has many and varied benefits. To find out more visit them on Facebook or at their website www.minimusiciansireland.com