What exactly do Colourstrings classes involve?

Babies & Toddlers
Colourstrings classes for babies and toddlers are a wonderful way of introducing your child to music.  The focus is on enjoying music together and you’ll learn lots of tickly, bouncy and cuddly songs and rhymes to do with your baby.

Babies and toddlers will develop an awareness of beat through knee-bouncing songs and movement to music.  And their senses will be engaged through use of puppets, simple percussion instruments, scarves and ribbons.  Every class ends with a lullaby and listening to live music.

2-3 years
In this class, children are becoming more active and love finger rhymes - especially those that end with a tickle!  Your child will enjoy lots of movement activities: dancing, marching, and swaying to the beat.  

Musical concepts such as fast and slow, loud and quiet, and high and low are explored through action songs.  Children will become adept at using percussion instruments.  Puppets and props will encourage children to find their singing voices.

3-4 years
Children in this class attend without their parents, to further their independence and social skills through music.   This age group enjoy lots of partner games and dances, and are developing their solo singing.  Children are actively involved in suggesting actions for songs and develop their ability to keep a steady beat on their bodies and on instruments.

4-5 years
In the preschool year, children are introduced to rhythm notation.  They develop their sense of rhythm and beat, and begin to learn about pitch through the use of solfa hand signs (do-re-mi etc.).  Children are confidently singing by themselves, in pairs and as a group.  They take part in lots of partner games and dances, and begin to ‘compose’ short rhythm patterns.

Primary 1 & 2
Rhythm skills are further developed so that children can fluently read, write, copy and improvise short rhythm patterns.  Pitch skills are extended to include more complicated melodies, and children begin to read pitch notation.

From Primary 2, children begin to play familiar songs on the whistle.  Their knowledge of music theory is developed and children begin to read traditional music notation in preparation for any future musical study.