Early Childhood Learning
Quality Educational Music program from birth to 5 years
Music as a universal language incorporates language, literacy, numeracy and creativity. It accesses both sides of the brain – logical and creative – and helps build important neural pathways as well helps with physical and emotional regulation, basically music helps develop the whole child.
Thousands of academic papers have been written about how music benefits all areas of learning, especially in a child’s early years, but above all this, we believe that giving children music tuition is a gift that lasts a lifetime – for us there is no greater joy!
Who is Rhapsodaisy for?
Anyone!
No musical experience is needed – the program will do that for you! It’s aimed at teaching people with no musical training to use music in a creative way.
What does Rhapsodaisy Offer?
There are 3 arms of Rhapsodaisy
The Kindy Weekly Classes Program, the Educator Training Program and the Coaching Program
- The Weekly Music Classes program – a teacher comes to a centre each week to teach a Rhapsodaisy lesson. Parents opt in for their child to attend lessons. Classes are $15 per child, per term (10 weeks) All administration and communication is done by Rhapsodaisy. There is a $20 enrolment fee which will grant you access to all the music files used in the program.
- The Rhapsodaisy Educator Training Program focuses on training Educators to implement the Rhapsodaisy program in their own centre to enhance their day through music. This is a face to face program, run at your centre. This program mainly focuses on learning the Rhapsodaisy songs and games, what they teach and how to implement them and how to modify them to allow access to all children. This can be funded through Kindy Uplift.
- Rhapsodaisy Coaching program – a co-teaching arrangement where a Rhapsodaisy Teacher comes into your centre and coaches the educators through observation, participation, discussion and inspiration. This coaching program trains educators to engage more fully with their students using music eg run a music class, or incorporate more music into the day with varying activities including Kodaly based songs and games, as well as Rhapsodaisy Songs. It also incorporates some behavioural management, giving confidence to teach a varied music program.
What is in the Rhapsodaisy Educator Training Program
- Learn at least 10 new songs and games (from the Rhapodaisy Program (possibly 17 depending on needs and time)
- Learn how each song can be used in the kindy environment
- What it teaches – musical elements beat, rhythm, pitch, dynamics
- What skills it develops
- social and emotional skills
- executive Function skills – mental flexibility, inhibition and working memory
- gross and fine motor skills,
- communication
- oral language and literacy
- Show how to teach language – rhyme, syllables, poems, sound on beat, rhythm, beat
- maths and numeracy
- Show how to use for maths – sounds on beat, counting up, and down in pitch
- Physical skills – singing, co.ordination, gross and fine motor skills,
- Some songs develop understanding of different cultural environments (Indigenous, African, Inuit people)
- Learning how to adapt and modify the program to ensure accessibility for all children
- How to structure a lesson and maintain the attention of children, be creative, allow the children to lead
- Behavioural management
- Extension exercises
- Suggestion and ideas for props
Workshop participants will be provided with:
- Access to Rhapsodaisy Teaching Manual which includes modules about each song
- Rhapsodaisy Song Sheets
- Lyrics sheets
- Beat Sheets
- Rhythm Sheets
- How to teach
- audio tracks for relevant songs
- Song sheets – visual cue cards for each song
- Rhapsodaisy lesson plan sheets to be adjusted to fit your setting
- Certificate of participation for the number of hours of continuing professional development
Rhapsodaisy Educator Training Program
3 Packages are offered
Level 1 Package
The Weekly Music Classes Program – a teacher comes to a centre each week to teach a Rhapsodaisy lesson. Parents op in for their child to attend lessons. Classes are $15 per child, per term (10 weeks). All administration and communication is done by Rhapsodaisy.
Level 2 Package
- 3 hours of face to face training plus all resources
- 3 hours of Professional Training by a Tertiary Qualified music, music specialist and primary trained teacher
- Access to the Rhapsodaisy Website songs – included all songs
- Access to the Rhapsodaisy Teacher Training Manual
- Follow up communication with Teacher
Level 3 Package
This would be a combination of Training and Coaching and as this would be bespoke quote cost would depend on specifics.
WHERE? – face to face – at your centre with your educators. There is the possibility of combining centres for the Training as well – you could share the cost by inviting other centres to be part of the program. With prior arrangement, some of the course material may be taught online.
Our wonderful teachers
Annie Peterson and Wendy Brown are the masterminds behind the Rhapsodaisy Music Program. Annie wrote the music and Wendy developed the Teacher Training Manual.
Together they represent decades of involvement with music, children, education and creative developments. They are passionate about bringing good quality music education to as many children as possible – as they have seen and experienced how music can change lives!
Wendy
is an experienced Musician – having a Bachelor of Music (Piano) and Grad Dip in Piano Pedagogy as well as a Grad Dip Primary Education and her AmusA (Piano). She enjoys her roles as Piano Teacher, Primary Music Specialist and an Early Childhood Music Teacher. Her training as a Kodaly Teacher (Hungarian Musicologist who developed a system of musical training used extensively in the Qld Music Program) positively influences all her teaching. She has seen the positive impact of music on the lives of her students and see the richness music brings to life. She sings, plays piano, guitar and uke and has a special affinity with small children.
Annie
After studying music at QUT and working as a professional musician throughout QLD, Annie developed the Rhapsodaisy Program in response to the learning needs of her own three children. Every child leans on their strengths to successfully learn. They might be good visual learners, aural learners or kinaesthetic learners. She wanted to create a program that was inclusive and multi-sensory in its approach to allow each child to use their unique strengths to learn, whilst being supported by all their senses. Having spent many years playing, producing and teaching music, she was compelled to create an accompanying album of original and traditional tunes. Each song supports the Rhapsodaisy learning activities that children enjoy in class – Music has to be fun!