Beat it!

It’s been so lovely going back to classes hasn’t it!!! !

Last week I tookg you all “Back to school” and focused on one of the 5 core elements of Mini Mozarts - the Beat

Now, if you haven’t heard me in class the beat is SO beneficial for your little ones - from that comforting heartbeat sound in the womb and the feel of you swaying as you walk - your baby has experienced the beat since conception. And it’s so important for their basic development milestones;

• Crawling

• Walking

• Running

• Speaking

And later...becoming a Fluent reader….and maybe one day…a fully fledged musician

So HOW do we experience the beat in Mini Mozarts? Well, here’s the fun bit!

• We HEAR it - from the music I play, the songs we sing and the words I say - how many many times do you hear me say “To the beat” or speak words like “Up and down” to the beat in a session..

• We SEE it - scarves, lycra, lights, ribbons and your body moving

• We FEEL it - from those little taps on baby during instrument time to our movement songs

• We PLAY it - drums, shakers, sticks, woodblocks…..this is their favourite part

• We MOVE to it - think of our movement songs, our songs around the lycra….and my fave - Kitchen discos

Youngsters will often move to their own beat - but keeping in time with the beat of music is a honed skill - and one you can help support!

This year, I’m really amping up our reaction to when the music stops in instrument time - to draw attention to the music (or silence).

Instrument time is super fun for little ones - all the noise, colours, textures and the physical outlet of energy….it’s so stimulating! But we want to be engaged with the music in the background also - we want our children to listen AND play simultaneously! Something we have to do as musicians and, well, in life! Think of it as multitasking training for babies and toddlers and really firing up those message centres growing inside their brains. Because even something as simple as a conversation requires us to listen whilst also speaking.

Want to play Mini Mozarts at home? The Mini Mozarts instrument shop is open for the first two weeks of each half term this year. And if you’re organised and already planning gifts - I'll have some gift sets available packaged ready to go for after October half term

If you’re creative - you could make some wonderful shakers….or just let the kids loose with your pots, pans and wooden spoons. Here’s my Benjamin doing just that!

So, if you take one thing from your time in class with me - take the beat!!!