Monkey Chatter

After months of lockdown, our Monkey Music teachers are really excited for a fresh start this Autumn term and to welcome lots of new and existing families to their classes. We’re thrilled to get back to doing what we’re so very passionate about – enabling families to share precious time and to enjoy the power of music together. Despite continuing Monkey Music classes online throughout the pandemic with ‘Monkey Music at home’, we’re delighted that we have been able to enjoy our face-to-face classes again since April.

Monkey Music classes offer a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment where parents, carers and children meet in small groups to share interactive musical activities. Babies are born to love music and Monkey’s gentle songs and lullabies have been specially composed to support all aspects of learning and development.

Monkey Music’s baby-friendly percussion instruments release magical sounds – by reaching out and grasping for the sounds your baby will be stimulating their physical and emotional development. Incorporating sensory stimulation through music is something each of our Monkey Music teachers are passionate about.

Babies learn about the outside world via their senses, and it has been proven that early-stage sensory stimulation is crucial for their emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Sensory stimulation is the reaction to an activation of one or more of your five senses. All sensory stimulation contributes towards the development of a child’s ability to navigate the outside world. Sound, touch, and sight are the hero senses before they start to wean and discover taste and smell.

“Over the past year, music has been a powerful tool for many families, particularly for those who have struggled with anxiety and a feeling of loneliness because of COVID-19. When the first national lockdown hit, our franchisees moved their music classes online so they could continue to teach, albeit virtually,” explains Monkey Music CEO & Founder, Angie Coates.

“We also provided a support mechanism for parents and carers when classes reconvened in venues which aided emotional wellbeing, not just for the children. With classes now back in venues, our Monkey Music families are reunited in a safe, supportive and nurturing environment to meet and enjoy musical activities together.”

From the first few months of a baby’s life, it has been shown that the incorporation of sound, touch and sight are pivotal in aiding their future development. By tapping into the individual senses, you can accelerate your baby’s development and learning skillset and help them to better navigate the outside world.

Music has long been associated with triggering emotions, recognition, and learning. From the outset, babies react to sounds having spent 9 months acclimatising themselves to the sound of their mother’s heartbeat in the womb. After birth, the parental heartbeat continues to play an important factor in guiding the response mechanism of the baby and often it is the proximity to the heartbeat that creates the connection and the association of a safe and nurturing environment.

Music is an essential and important part of a child’s life. The earlier children are exposed to music the better it will be for their personal, social, and musical growth – taking part in a music group or another music-related activity, it will help develop social skills and build confidence, as well as improve brain power and memory functions. The last year has shown how music can nurture children’s development and wellbeing in a fun and practical way.