I first found Monkey Music when my own daughter was 8 months old and we were living in Surrey. Eagerly searching for baby and toddler activities, I booked a complimentary class with a group of NCT friends and we were fans from day one! Our amazing teacher made every Friday morning a delight and we were made to feel so welcome. Our regular weekly class also became an opportunity to catch up with friends - and make new ones. It was great to get out and meet new people and also to watch our babies' little friendships grow too.

Our little one went on to attend regular classes with her daddy and it was the highlight of their week. Despite declaring himself the least musical member of our family, he found himself singing along and enjoying each class just as much as our own little monkey. The precious time they spent together really did help their lovely bond to blossom and he would excitedly tell me about the first time she clapped along with the beat, had the confidence to try something new and even wait her turn! Meanwhile, I would be treated to our little girl singing her Monkey Music songs in the bath, the car and everywhere in between.

Having been surrounded by music my whole life, and learning piano and violin myself as a child, I was thrilled to see the enjoyment our daughter experienced by being immersed in music and her love for it at such a young age. She truly flourished through the progressive curriculum and I was amazed by how quickly I could see her develop, especially in her communication and language skills. Coming from a teaching background myself, I had already seen how music not only inspires and excites children but also how it greatly enhances their learning, and it was easy to see such fantastic educational quality amongst the fun.

Looking for a change in lifestyle and more time for us as a family, we decided to relocate to the border of Somerset and Dorset. One of my first tasks was to look into pre-school activities - and most importantly to find a Monkey Music class - but there wasn’t one for miles around. I couldn't find an alternative that matched Monkey Music in terms of quality and structure and which took into account her stage of development along the way. By then, I had been teaching for almost fifteen years and was ready for a new adventure. I loved working with children and their families, and was passionate about child development and Early Years education, but I felt it was the time to move away from a school setting. This was it! I decided I had to bring Monkey Music with us!

As parents, we know how instinctively our babies respond to music. After all, singing is often one of the first things we do to soothe, calm and play with them. Research shows that music enormously benefits their brain, providing experiences that help establish billions of neural connections and strengthen cognitive and sensory development. Studies show that babies who engage in music making and moving to music smile more, use more communicative gestures and are more confident to explore the world around them than babies whose experience is to listen more passively to music. Moving to music with our babies also triggers the release of oxytocin, the hormone that helps us bond with them. Further research has shown that playing with patterns in music helps to set firm foundations for early maths and reading skills. The overall benefits to their development are enormous! 

Monkey Music has evolved with child development at its core. With age-specific classes for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers, and an innovative curriculum that has been fine-tuned over the last 25 years, Monkey Music’s award-winning classes are tailor-made to support your child at each stage of their early development.

In each class, through magical songs, sensory props and interesting and unusual sounds, little ones receive a whole host of captivating visual and auditory stimulation. They learn to use their own instruments to make sounds and move their bodies to the music, developing co-ordination and fine motor skills, whilst carers can be reassured that instruments are designed especially for little ones and are clean and safe in their tiny hands - their set of instruments will have been sanitised carefully before class and are for their sole use only that day!

Babies begin Rock 'n' Roll from 3 months in a gentle class with plenty of emphasis on using music as a lovely bonding exercise for carer and child, whilst providing social, interactive and musical learning experiences for you both.

At around 12 months our toddlers are ready for Heigh-Ho! In this exciting, up-beat class, they learn to play their instruments with greater autonomy and join in with the music by watching and responding to instructions and through their own wonderful creativity.

By 2 years, our little ones are more independent and want to play for themselves! In Jiggety-Jig we harness their sense of rhythm as they learn to play in time with the music and grow the confidence to contribute their own ideas and compositions. They learn to concentrate a little more and develop skills of sharing and turn-taking that they will take to Pre-School.

Ding-Dong, our final stage for 3-4 year olds, introduces our very grown-up pre-schoolers to the wonderful world of the orchestra! We learn how to read and write music using graphic and traditional notation and the children play their compositions to each other.

I so enjoy teaching my classes in Frome, Sherborne, Dorchester and Weymouth, and I am so pleased to be preparing to be back in venues with you again!  Please do get in touch if you have any questions about our face to face classes.  It would be fantastic to have you join us - book your free first class today and join in the fun!