Jingle Tots – festive-themed music sessions for babies and toddlers go down a treat at Bower
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Babies and toddlers got in the spirit of Christmas at special music sessions held at Windsong Music Studio, Bower.
Run by Fiona Murray, of Play Away Music UK, the research-based music education classes are mainly aimed at children up to five years old.
Seven Play Away music families joined her for the last of the festive sessions – Sing a Song of Christmas – held on Friday, December 23. The youngsters were kept entertained with a selection of different festive-themed songs and a whole range of musical instruments.
This is Fiona's twenty-ninth Christmas running sessions for young children and she will be celebrating her 30th anniversary of doing early years music in July 2023.
Fiona, is originally from America and studied at Princeton University in New Jersey, where she started her teaching career in 1993. She came to Caithness in 2010 and runs her Play Away Music UK sessions at her home in Bower.
All the children attending the festive classes received a personalised jingle bell ornament to ring on Christmas Eve for Santa to hear, a tradition Fiona began when she first started teaching. Due to some recent cancellations because of wintry weather she still has some bells awaiting collection.
Unfortunately the Jingle Tot sessions planned for Forse of Nature before Christmas where among the events which had to be cancelled.
The regular week day classes appeal to families interested in a foundation in music education for their children.
As a mum herself and a former nanny, she is well used to working with young children and is able to keep their attention and can even work all their names into songs.
Fiona said: "It is a relaxed music making experience, not a structured performance giving a more engaging experience. It is more than just music education."
She explained that after lockdown numbers started to decline a bit but now people were gradually getting to know about the classes again.
Parents also get a chance to get together and have a chat about things at the end of the sessions.
The music teacher, who has a background in theatre, has also worked with local schools doing programmes for children with special educational needs and has provided music therapy for about eight years.
More information can be found on Fiona's Play Away Music UK Facebook page.
