Monkey Music Blackheath and Greenwich

Rebecca Maskell

Tel: 020 8764 5185
Fax: 020 8764 5185
Email: Click here to send email

My name is Rebecca Maskell. I started teaching for Monkey Music in 1996 and I was the first to run my own Monkey Music area. A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, I studied the cello, piano, organ and singing, and went on to become a freelance cellist. I also taught on the Sheila Nelson String Scheme in Tower Hamlets and was a peripatetic 'cello teacher at Dulwich College Prep School for ten years.
When I was first asked by Angie Davies to teach for Monkey Music, over ten years ago, I had no idea what I was letting myself in for! It is the hardest job I have ever undertaken, but also the most rewarding. Over the years, I have watched the company grow and develop and I have become Monkey Music's Company Training Manager. Our standards have remained as high as ever.
I personally have had the pleasure of meeting so many different people and have gained great satisfaction from teaching the children (and their carers!) to enjoy music making in a stimulating and fun environment. As my areas have become more established, I have been able to build lasting relationships with parents, nannies and their children. One of my mothers is on her fifth child at Monkey Music. Another mother and her little girl, who have now left Monkey Music, regularly leave a bar of my favourite chocolate under the windscreen wiper of my car! Recently I completed The Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer 60km walk. I walked on behalf of Monkey Music and raised £2000. During my walk with monkey, I was regularly serenaded by walkers who turned out to attend Monkey Music in other parts of the country, there is no escape!
I am often asked if I have any children. I have in fact got four, 2 girls and 2 boys. They all have very different personalities and whilst it is hard work having a big family and working full time, life is never dull!

Timetable

Autumn Term 2010 Dates

Term Starts Monday 6 September
Half Term Monday 25 October to Sunday 31 October
End of Term Friday 3 December

Spring Term 2011 Dates

Term Starts Monday 10 January
Half Term Monday 21 February to Friday 25 February
End of Term Friday 1 April

Please ensure that you have booked your class before attending!

Venues

To book your complimentary class at one of the venues below, please telephone 020 8764 5185 or email rebecca.maskell@monkeymusic.co.uk .

Blackheath

Friend's Meeting House, Lawn Terrace, Blackheath Village, SE3 9LF
Monday am
Thursday am and pm

Friend's Meeting House, Independent's Road, Blackheath Village, SE3
Friday am

Greenwich

The Forum @ Greenwich, Trafalgar Road, Greenwich SE10 9EQ
Tuesday am
Wednesday am and pm

Greenwich West Community & Arts Centre, 141 Greenwich High Road, Greenwich SE10 (2 mins from Greenwich DLR)
Thursday am

News

This term has flown by. Spring has sprung and all the little monkeys in my Heigh ho classes have been bleating and mooing away! By far the most popular prop has to be my meowing cat with paws that move. The only tragedy is that after the song, it has to go away so there have been a few tears! The remote control duck also goes down well!
It never ceases to amaze me how much young children can achieve and this term has been no exception. I have watched the children in my classes grow in confidence and I am so impressed by the way that the younger ones can concentrate for a whole half hour!
The Rock'n'roll curriculum is for our very little monkeys aged 3-12 months. This gentle curriculum combines traditional nursery rhymes with original music, accompanied by some unusual percussion instruments. It is important to realise that, although the babies are very young, they can still benefit so much from this curriculum, which is specifically geared to this age group. It is a very special time for parents and their babies to enjoy half an hour of mesmerising rhymes, pulse based movement and a variety of instrumental songs.
The Jiggety jig curriculum is excellent, and caters brilliantly for this age group, often supporting the activities the children are doing at nursery. A few weeks ago our songs were based around dressing up and the children enjoyed dressing in their favourite costumes - there were a lot of pink fairies and Spidermen! The second half of the term, we talked and sang about animals and their babies. The children really enjoyed playing our animal lotto, listening to the farmyard animal sounds.
The Ding dong curriculum has been renovated with some excellent new material. At the beginning of the term we looked at emotions and how music made us all feel. We listened to different genres of music and discussed the effect the extracts of music had on us. Rhythmic notation using the Kodaly method of stick notation has been introduced, culminating in a nail biting game of rhythmic lotto where everybody won! The curriculum has also featured stimulating listening games and my favourite song based on left and right. We have even managed a 'sleep' at the end of the lessons to listen to the song of the blackbird. I am always astonished, and so are the parents, at how much children of this age are capable of.
I have a team of excellent and dedicated teachers, all personally trained by me. We all strive towards providing top quality, value for money classes to our customers.
This year, we have been lucky enough to be nominated on the whatson4littleones website for:
Best National Baby & Toddler Development Activity; Best National Preschooler Development Activity 2-5 years and Most Outstanding Activity Leader for the Under 5s: Rebecca Maskell.
Come and join in the fun - ring and book a complimentary class at any time of the term at a venue near you!

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