Warm Welcome!

It was great to return to the Plaza Hotel for another session with some very gregarious kids! One of them couldn’t help but yell “Yay” at any spare moment. Some of the newer faces took a bit of time to connect with the material, so I made sure to go slow so that all the kids could follow along with the words and actions. I also made a point to solicit more engagement from the parents as well, and highlight their importance in the class. It helped! I found that the more the parents sang actively, the more they appeared to enjoy the material. It really is a family affair!

Baby Time!

Our first class at Robertson House this session was a smaller group of all babies. It was great to have the opportunity to do songs that are more suitable for the 0-1 age range. The moms seemed to enjoy the smaller baby class as well. We had lots of fun singing Round and Round the Garden and Charlie Chaplin Went To France while the babies rolled around and giggled. I look forward to more great classes!

A Sweet Goodbye

Today was my last class with the Birkdale staff, kids, and caregivers. I got to finish off strong with some of my regulars and meet a new little friend and mom as well. The kids enjoyed the Elephants Have Wrinkles movement song as well as another rendition of Jingle Bells done with body bells on the wrists. We had a high energy jam session and finished with Sleeping Bunnies under the parachute.

A Sweet Goodbye

We had our last class of 2018 under the warm light of the Christmas tree in the living room at Ernestine. This room has made such a difference in the feeling and energy of the classes this session, and it was nice to have cozy vibes to ring out the year. Though we started off with a slightly smaller group of three, we were shortly joined by the rest of our regular group, plus one older sibling who was excited to join. The difference in numbers not only made a huge difference in energy, but also focus! Everybody was into it, and though the kids at Ernestine weren't quite as amazed at the Vibraslap as the kids at the Plaza, they had no issues with an extra long jam session, topped off with Jingle Bells.  We said goodbye with a Happy Birthday parachute song for two birthdays in the room and plenty of high fives.

Till Next Time!

The final class of the session at the Plaza started smoothly, with all the kids rushing to sit in a circle as soon as I stepped in the door. We sang all the favourites, like Roly Poly, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum, and Little Green Frog. However, the big favourite of the day was the Vibraslap, which we shared around the circle for Instrument of the Week. I played a groovy guitar line, and everyone started bobbing along as everyone added a bit of pizzazz with the Vibraslap. One snag was that I had to urge the grown-ups to grab onto the parachute, but hopefully by next session they'll need a bit less encouragement. The kids loved their maracas, and especially the recorders, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again in the New Year!

Happy Holidays!

What a way to end the session at Robertson House! We were joined by none other than my mom, who happily played some festive tunes on the piano throughout the class. A big highlight was our very special instrument of the week, the cello! The participants first sat and listened as the piano and cello played Silent Night together, then they played along to other tunes with the instruments from our jam bag. So fun to jam with a piano and cello! Everyone was also happy to receive a certificate and gift for their attendance at Rainbow Songs this session. We had a great session and I look forward to many more great sessions at Robertson House!

That's What It's All About!

Lots of energy and smiles today with the kids, parents and staff at CultureLink! For our last class, we sang through some of the hits of the session, clapping our hands for Sticky Bubblegum, and looking around at colours for What Are You Wearing? The kids had a great time singing and dancing along to The Hokey Pokey and freezing in silly poses when it came time to exclaim, "That's what it's all about!" It's all about having fun with music! I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet and work with the great people at CultureLink. Great session!

Small but Mighty Class!

Although we had a small class today, people sang and played their hearts out! The kids enjoyed exploring and playing the African tongue drum. They took turns playing with the mallets and kept a steady beat. A new little girl screamed with delight the entire time we played with the parachute.

Good Vibes!

Today was another big group, with big energy. During Hands Together, one of the kids was doing a bouncy sitting dance that I could only describe as "groovin'". With the larger group, I took a bit more time introducing songs to make sure I could refocus everybody, as it was easy for some kids to get distracted. It was a bit difficult to get some of the kids on their feet for Walk and Stop, but once they were up we were able to run through a few more movement songs to keep them going.

B-I-N-G-O!

Despite a low turnout this week at our CultureLink class, we still had a fun time with all sorts of activities. With only two children and their mom, plus some enthusiastic staff, we managed to crank up the energy with our rendition of B-I-N-G-O. The kids did a great job of quickly moving through all the letter signs as we sung. We also had a great time learning some tambourine skills later in the class. Hopefully we get more participants for our last class next week!