Monkey Music Newbury, Hungerford and Henley

Val Stephenson

Tel: 01635 860959
Email: Click here to send email

Hi and welcome to Monkey Music Newbury, Hungerford and Henley. My name is Val Stephenson and I have been running this Monkey Music area for the last two years.
I have been a professional classical singer for the last twenty two years which has taken me all over the world, but when I discovered Monkey Music, I thought 'This is definitely for me' as it is a perfect partnership combining my love of singing with my love of children. I have to say that with all the performances I have done over the years, nothing has given me so much pleasure than working with the children and discovering all the wonderful possibilities that music has to offer them at this age. To see their faces when Monkey appears or a new exciting prop or their favourite instrument is to be played, is pure magic. I have watched my little monkeys develop not only musically but socially too and it is such a confidence builder and a learning curve (even for the little babies), that will stay with them throughout their lives. The children learn to bang the drum, shake the maracas, jingle the bells and sing along to many of the catchy tunes (well done mums for joining in too!), all of which is a pleasure to see. It is a great opportunity for Mums and carers to meet and make new friends too.
I have three children of my own who know all the songs just as well as I do and they are a great help to me when it comes to making my props. We have a saying in our house: ?don’t throw it out; Mum might need it for Monkey Music!!?
I am very lucky to have two wonderful teachers working with me, Sally Beach and Lisa Marsh. Sally is a hugely talented professional bassoonist and has played with many of the country's top orchestras. She has a huge Monkey Music fan club and the children all love her. Sally has two children of her own and has been with Monkey Music for several years; fitting it in with family life. Lisa studied music and dance at university, which is where her love of teaching began. Having worked for several different music companies, she found Monkey Music and fell in love with it. After teaching in London for the past year, she has recently moved to Berkshire and I am delighted that she is joining our team. Thank you both for all your tremendous hard work, continued support and enthusiasm.
If you would like to book a complimentary class at one of the venues below please contact me on 01635 860959 or e-mail me at val.stephenson@monkeymusic.co.uk (please include your telephone number so I can contact you asap) and Sally, Lisa and myself look forward to seeing you for some fun music making.

Timetable

Autumn Term 2010 Dates

Term Starts Monday 13 September
Half Term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October
End of Term Friday 10 December

Spring Term 2011 Dates

Term Starts Monday 10 January
Half Term Monday 21 February to Friday 25 February
End of Term Friday 8 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 01635 860959 or email val.stephenson@monkeymusic.co.uk .

Mortimer

Stratfield Mortimer Community Centre, The Fairground, Mortimer RG7 3RD
Monday am

Henley-on-Thames

The Church of The Sacred Heart, 31 Vicarage Road Road, Henley, Oxon RG9 1HT
Tuesday am and pm

Bradfield

Bradfield Village Hall, Southend Bradfield, Reading, Berks RG7 6EY
Wednesday am

Newbury

Nuffield Health Fitness and Wellbeing, Newbury Racecourse, Newbury, Berks RG14 7PN
Thursday am and pm

Thatcham

Krazy Klub, Lower Way, Thatcham, Berks RG19 3AL
Wednesday am

United Reform Church, Church Lane, Thatcham, Berks RG18 3JW
Wednesday pm

Frank Hutchings Hall, Bradley Moore Square, Thatcham, Berks RG18 4QH
Friday am

Hungerford

The Croft Hall, Croft Road, Hungerford, Berks RG17 0JA
Friday am and pm

News

First of all we are delighted to have won the award for "Best Pre-schooler Development Activity" in the What's on 4 Little Ones 2010 awards, and thank you to all who voted for us.

Stop Press - we have a new venue opening at the Krazy Club from September 2010 on Wednesday mornings and if you sign up for Monkey Music classes here, you can have a free play session at the Krazy Klub before or after your music class! (Only valid on the day of Monkey Music).
The classes in Mortimer opened a year ago and we now have a Ding Dong class running at 11.25 a.m. so please call if you are interested. It is a lovely venue and there is plenty of space for parking.
In Henley there are babies everywhere, and on Tuesdays we have added another class in the afternoon at 2.10 p.m. to meet demand, so why not pop down after lunch for a special half hour with your baby. I have spaces in all the classes as little ones grow up and move on to the next stage.
As an exclusive offer to members of Nuffield Health, Newbury I continue to offer FREE membership for Monkey Music classes held there - look out for the posters and leaflets and do get in touch. Our Thursday classes are now all at Nuffield Health in the conference room and there is a lovely place to have coffee and a chat afterwards.
The baby class in Hungerford has been full for the last two terms and a big thank you to everyone for spreading the word. I will have spaces in September as little ones move on their musical journey, so please call if you would like to come along and have some fun.
We had a lovely summer term and, as ever, your children amaze me with how much they have grown in confidence. My babies in Rock'n'Roll have had a wonderful time and at this age it is fantastic to see how much they watch and listen and you realise how important it is to have this kind of stimulation at a young age. I must say 'well done' to all my Mums for weaving so beautifully in our Folk Dance!!!!!
In the Heigh Ho classes I have been so impressed at how much the children are concentrating and now making all the different sounds on their drums by themselves. I love to hear them all saying STOP (some even with a Scottish accent!!!!).
In our Jiggety Jig classes we have had great fun creating our seaside scene with some lovely homework and super flags for our sandcastle. One of the highlights was seeing Monkey relax on his deck chair under the palm tree before he went snorkelling with all the sea creatures!!!
In Ding Dong we have some expert musicians in the making who know all their rhythms and are ready to conduct their own orchestra!!! I would like to wish all my little Monkeys who are going off to school lots of luck and keep up your music.
Thank you, as always, to my two nursery schools; Little Rainbows in Hungerford and Pangbourne Day Nursery, in which we continue to teach every week. We have so much fun with Monkey and I'd like to thank the staff for all their help too! If you are looking for music sessions at your nursery school, why not get in touch?
Finally, a huge 'thank you' to you as parents and carers for choosing Monkey Music for your little ones and for encouraging them on their musical journey. We look forward to seeing you all in the Autumn for another fun filled year of music making!

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