Music to your ears
Angie Davies - Founder and Managing Director Monkey Music
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hen a new baby arrives your world is never the same again. Suddenly there’s another voice to be reckoned with. I’m not talking about the screaming one that keeps you awake at night, but the niggling voice that buzzes around inside your head repeatedly asking, ‘what is best for my baby?’ Finding the answers can be a daunting process. There’s a plethora of conflicting advice and opinion on how to rear happy children and picking your way through it can cause more sleepless nights than colic, teething and soggy nappies combined! My own answer was music. As a trained classical musician and having taught music to very young children, I was aware, long before becoming a mum, of the importance of introducing babies to music as soon as possible. All children are born with an innate musicality and only if this is encouraged early enough will a child fulfil their natural musical potential. But the benefits of music for very young children, particularly when taught within a group, go much deeper than this. Early exposure to singing, listening to and playing music can sharpen up a whole range of educational skills. That’s why I set up Monkey Music. Thirteen years ago, I wanted to create a class for my baby daughter which would introduce her to the power of music in a lively, imaginative and social environment. The spin-off benefits for that first group of little monkeys were immediately obvious. Language and numerical skills flourished through action songs and rhymes; fine motor skills were refined through playing hand held percussion instruments, while an awareness of space and one another was developed through movement. The children’s confidence and self-esteem grew rapidly as their To advertise call 07824 469266 or 07854 492638
involvement in the classes increased. Today, Monkey Music classes are a weekly ritual for thousands of young children and families across the country. For many parents music has gone a long way to answering the eternal question, ‘what is best for my baby?’. For others, the classes are simply a time to enjoy being part of a local community and meeting new parents. As for the children? They’re having such a good time at Monkey Music that they barely seem to notice how clever they are! Monkey Music runs classes throughout Edinburgh including Saturday morning classes in Juniper Green. For details of classes and to book a complimentary class contact Alison on Tel: 0131 669 6004 or visit the interactive website at www.monkeymusic.co.uk time of music Nur turing a life
To book your complimentary class, call 0131 669 6004 or email alison.rankin@ monkeymusic.co.uk
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Music classes for babies and young children! Action songs and rhymes Music and movement Fun with percussion Musical games Since 1993 thousands of children across the UK have grown up with Monkey Music. Our unique teaching curriculum was written by classically trained musicians, and introduces music to very young children in a way they can easily understand and enjoy.
Rock ‘n’ roll - from 3 months Heigh ho – from 12 months Jiggety jig – 2 & 3 year olds Ding dong – 3 & 4 year olds It’s fun, formative and a great way of making friends!
www.monkeymusic.co.uk
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