Live Music for kids

The Mozart effect is enough to make any parent want to pave a brighter pathway for their little ones. Apparently, only six months of piano lessons can improve a child’s ability to work puzzles and solve other spatial tasks as much as 30%. Quick, find me the nearest live music session as I want to capitalise on this ASAP! Are you just as anxious to hunt down live music for your little ones?

My credentials as a classically-trained musician and piano teacher should, in theory, give my kids a bit of a leg up in this department. The focus is to see what is available in London for pre-schoolers, preferably music that involves participation and using real instruments.

Let’s start with Music House for Children, somewhere I can personally recommend as I taught there for a good few years, pre-kids. Although that was over a decade ago, it was under a very solid and earnest teaching team and management.

I'll introduce what they offer for 0-5 year olds although they cater for older kids too. Based in Shepherds Bush, the weekly drop-in sessions include music for newborns, and music & movement classes whereby live instruments are used. Slightly older kids are offered specific instrumental "appreciation" classes, including piano, violin and percussion.

Mini Mozart has an impressive number of venues in London. Their principle is to allow the child to really interact with the music graduate teachers, and explore usually two or more instruments in any session – by plucking/ pressing/ blowing/ scraping them. These Baby & Toddler music classes cost £9-13 per session depending on location; I would suggest that this is higher than average but worth the extra. There are taster classes to try before you commit.

Monkey Music is a similar company set up by musicians, and has many branches in London. They propose a range of classes, individually suited to age groups. Their method is by singing songs and using props and percussion instruments to "nurture a lifetime love of music".

The ethos behind another such company – Little Notes – is to inject 40 magical minutes into your busy week. Children sing, play, dance, explore and are exposed to live instruments in a variety of musical styles. However in London, there are only classes in Northwood and Harrow.

Here are a few more music-introduction “schools” in and around London, along the same lines. I'll leave you to peruse and hope that you find something inspiring nearby. The vast selection leaves me excited and keen to book something right away!

Rhythm & Babies (Tooting SW17)

Stringnote Academy

Greenwich Music School

Jojingles

Caterpillar Music

British Kodaly Academy (branches in Dulwich)

Closer to home, Bach to Babies in the Holy Trinity Church, 234 Broadway SW19, have a host of live concerts to keep the sprigs amused. For school-aged kids, Cherry Pie Music (Wimbledon) is an independent specialist music school and possibly a stepping stone to the Royal London music conservatoires – Saturday training is for school ages.

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