The Music Tree is a stimulating early music and movement program catering for children from birth to 8 years of age. Classes are a mixture of songs and activities designed for enjoyment and the promotion of specific learning and developmental goals.

It is natural and instinctive for young children to respond to music and it is up to us as parents to foster and encourage this response.

Research increasingly shows that music helps strengthen a child’s learning processes, especially in the critical early years. Best of all, it is through interaction with those adults who are special to each child that this can be most effectively brought about.

Music is one of the few activities that uses both sides of the brain, logical and creative at the same time. If a child is having fun, then their brain is open to learning.

Music helps a child develop a number of skills including listening and concentration, control and co-ordination of large and small muscles, memory skills, an ability to control the movement of their body in space, logical thinking and problem-solving, group social skills; participation, taking turns, sharing and working together, language skills and self-confidence.

The combination of sound and physical contact is the most valuable and direct musical experience you can give. Parents do not need to be particularly musical or have great singing voices to enjoy music with their children.

Your voice is the most important sound to your child, and they don’t care how in tune you are and will take much more notice of your enthusiasm and smile than the level of your musicality (unfortunately this is unlikely to last into adolescence).

Remember you can sing at anytime of the day, in the car, bath time. Nappy changes are a great time for touching and tickling songs. When babies are crying or colicky a lullaby may not only help calm and soothe the child but the parent as well.

As children grow and develop you can add to and change the songs to suit. Music games and singing precede toys in the order of games that you and your baby can play together, and are one of the most intimate pleasures you can share thus helping your child to a lifetime of loving and participating in music.