Cromwell and Districts Presbyterian Church
MAINLY MUSIC
The aim of mainly music
The aim of mainly music is to provide an environment where preschool children develop skills to enhance their preschool education, through the use of music, rhythm, rhyme, and other music related activities with the participation of a parent or primary caregiver.
About mainly music
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Young children and their caregivers enjoying music, rhyme, rhythm, creative dance and more.
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Preschool children developing skills – co-ordination, fine motor skills, gross motor movements, social interaction, gaining an appreciation of music and musical styles, as well as language development.
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Providing children with a structured environment and then a time of free play.
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Bringing grown-up and child together for a time of safe interaction, and in doing so, teaching families some rhymes and songs that can be used at home to help with cleaning up, colours, counting, and more.
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An opportunity for parents to network with other parents of preschool children. And for families to find a sense of ‘old fashioned community’.
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Opportunities for families to be helped - practical needs such as meals, transport, help with shifting house, and babysitting.
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Celebration of Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day - reminding parents that they are undertaking a very important role as parent.
There is an African continent proverb that says, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’. mainly music provides that village.
A quick overview
Started in 1990, mainly music is a fun music group for parents or primary care givers to enjoy together with their young child. Throughout the session, children develop gross and fine motor skills, language, imagination, mathematical and pre-reading skills as well as socialize with others. Each mainly music is associated with and is run by volunteers from a local church. Children are introduced to music, creativity and more, plus families given a chance to think about the God-part of life. Amazing to think that all this can be achieved in a loving, shared family environment.
What to expect
When you come to mainly music, engage with your child and you’ll find they participate more and gain more educational value as a result.
Children will learn to name parts of their body as they interact with the songs and rhymes.
The sessions contain a lot of movement, helping children use and develop their gross motor skills.
Co-ordination and co-operation are two outcomes of many of the songs and rhymes.
Children will listen for instruction and look to see what others are doing – then copy. Their ability to grow skills in this area ensures readiness for school.
Marching is a contralateral movement – which involves opposite sides of the body working together. These movements stimulate both sides of a child’s brain – which helps to activate and strengthen nerve-cell pathways which link both sides of the brain.
Hand/eye/body co-ordination is very important as children grow and develop. At first a child will not be able to achieve this movement. But as they practice and gain opportunity to perfect the movement (which happens at mainly music), their skills will develop and their brain will be strengthened. This rolling action is also a contralateral movement.
In a mainly music session, percussion instruments and props are used to assist children’s learning and engagement in the songs and rhymes.
