Is your child starting school next year? Give your child the best start with Central Coast Conservatorium’s research-based children’s music program: build confidence, reading readiness, and make new friends.
There is a swathe of evidence which suggests learning a musical instrument can help with your child’s numeracy and literacy development. Central Coast Conservatorium’s Children’s Music Program (CMP) offers early childhood music education for babies up to primary school aged children.
CMP teacher Joanne McMahon is part of our team of dedicated music teachers who have been nurturing a love for music in babies, toddlers, preschoolers and school-aged children for over 25 years here at the Con.
“Our CMP class for 4-5 year olds makes school preparation fun,” said early childhood music specialist Joanne
She said while children in the pre-school CMP class (Mini Maestros) learn singing and music, there are a multitude of benefits for young participants as they get ready for kindergarten and their first year at school.
“Participating in early childhood music classes is one of the best things you can do with children, from babies up to preschoolers.”
“Children are born with particular neural mechanisms just for processing musical information. The person to person interaction we see in early childhood music classes, through singing games and moving to music, really fires up the brain and stimulates these interconnecting synapses.”
Joanne said, apart from building brain pathways, especially for language, music is fun and interactive. “Creative kids love making new friends as they sing, dance and play,” said Joanne. “And parents bond with their children in a very special way as they attend all classes up to the age of three years.”
Participation in early learning music program has a number of benefits:
- Develops social skills (including bonding with the parent or carer who attends the class).
- Increases a child’s sensory development.
- Develops coordination skills.
- Develops concentration.
- Helps children learn the sounds and meanings of words.
- Develops teamwork skills by learning to share and play a variety of different age-appropriate instruments.
- Facilitates emotional expression.
- Develops self-regulation.
- Develops social skills through teamwork and learning to share.
“Also music is one of the first memories formed and the last to go. We attach musical memories to all of the important milestones in our lives, whether they’re happy or sad,” said Joanne who recently attended the National Kodály Music Teachers Conference in Canberra where she met guest speaker, early childhood methodology presenter Julie Logan.
Writing on her website about the importance of early childhood music for children in the year before school, Julie Logan says: Proud pre-schoolers attend these classes without an adult, ready to expand their social skills and musical understanding through more complex listening, singing, dancing and playing activities.
“Without even noticing how much they’ve learned, they’ll be ‘reading and writing’ music by the end of this year. You’ll be amazed at their rate of development over this year. Kinder teachers constantly tell us they can pick our students within days of starting school, as they stand out from the pack, having such a secure foundation in literacy, numeracy and class social skills.”
CMP Class Times
Our CMP early childhood music classes are held on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays in Gosford, West Gosford and Woy Woy. The levels are:
- Baby Beats – 0-2 years
- Mini Music Makers – 2-4 years
- Mini Maestros – 4-5 years
- Young Musicians – 5-10 years
In Baby Beats and Mini Music Makers children are accompanied by a parent/caregiver who participates in all activities.
Mini Maestros builds on the skills and concepts from Baby Beats and Mini Music Makers, while encouraging children’s independence.
Young Musicians is our sequential program for school-aged children aged 5 to 10 years. Each level spans one school year (four terms). Students will study both choral work and learn to play several musical instruments.
For more information and to sign up click HERE:
For the timetable click HERE
