I had the pleasure of chatting with Joanna Williams from Musical Tree about her thriving musical classes for babies and toddlers, and the introduction of a new Saturday family class. My girls are much older now, but having watched a Musical Tree class, I have no doubt that they would have loved them when they were younger.
What is Musical Tree?
Joanna is very passionate about offering engaging music classes for children and their parents, and set up Musical Tree to do just that. Her mission is to make adults aware that babies and young children are extremely sensitive to music, and that we can really make a difference by singing, dancing and actively using music with children. It’s lovely to hear how enthused she is about encouraging children’s musical aptitude during the early years, and she stresses what an amazing resource music is to support children’s development.
Joanna is perfectly placed to put her passion into practice, thanks to being an elementary music teacher from Poland, who spent many years in special education, where she led individual and group therapy and ran music therapy sessions for children with special needs. The Musical Tree Programme is created based on Joanna’s professional experience, the early years music education methods she has developed, and the fact she is a mum of two small music fans.
Musical Tree Classes
Bright Beginnings Children’s Centre
Joanna runs Musical Babies and Musical Kids sessions at the Children’s Centre each week. Classes are fun, creative and engaging for children but also parents. Adults and children actively participate with singing, dancing and playing instruments, so children can naturally imitate and follow their grown-up. These are incredibly popular and get booked up quickly, contact the Bright Beginning Children’s Centre on 01481 244919 for more info and to book.
Preschool Classes
Joanna enjoys teaching weekly music classes at 2 of Guernsey’s preschools – Torteval Preschool and Petit Ecole Bosq Lane.
I had the pleasure of watching one of Joanna’s sessions at Torteval Preschool, and I was so impressed with how she kept all the children thoroughly engaged the whole time. It was clear to see that she has a musical gift and lovely voice. She sings all the instructions and has a very soft voice, but still the children listened intently to every word she said. The session I watched was really interactive with props and musical instruments, and none of the children wanted the session to end.
NEW Saturday Family Classes
Joanna has introduced a new Saturday music class for those aged 0-5yrs and their parents/carers. She is excited to give the opportunity for parents to attend (including Dads) who don’t get the chance to attend music classes during the week.
I sat in on one of the Saturday family classes and it was fantastic to watch. There was a real mix of musical instruments, props, singing and movement and Joanna is so positive and encouraging that she seamlessly moved from one thing to the next. Throughout, Joanna encouraged parents to interact with their little one and that was really lovely to watch, especially the Dads in the room, who you could see were really cherishing every moment.
I spoke to a number of parents after the session, and the overriding theme was that they had enjoyed Joanna’s mid-week sessions at the Bright Beginnings Children’s Centre, but due to going back to work/other commitments, they could no longer attend in the week, and were thrilled with the option of a Saturday class. They all spoke very highly of Joanna, and one lady said her daughter Grace had been attending Musical Tree classes for 2 years, and that it was the only class they had consistently attended over that time because Grace enjoyed it so much.
- Class details: Saturday 1pm at Bright Beginnings Children’s Centre
- Cost: £10 per child, per session
- Booking: To book email musicaltree.me@gmail.com or call 07781106913
Having watched a Musical Tree class at Torteval Preschool, and the new Saturday family class at the Bright Beginnings Children’s Centre, I was genuinely impressed with what Joanna offers and highly recommend the classes for babies through to preschool children.
