It's been a while since I shared my story with you all...
Eleven years ago, I had an adorable pre-schooler named Olive. (She’s still pretty adorable-ish as a teenager in fairness). I wanted to give her the BEST early childhood violin education, but in South Wales, the options for learning a violin at that time for little ones were as scarce as a dinosaur sighting!
At my job with local music services, I was battling quite a few challenges. My students were starting their lessons at a younger age, parents were unable to be present in the school environment, and kids were quitting faster than I could say “Twinkle, Twinkle.” Managing behaviour in group classes was like herding cats, and the kids were about as interested in my materials as they were in broccoli. Honestly, I felt like a total flop.
Determined to turn things around, I spent the next eleven years creating a fun and engaging curriculum centered around a dinosaur character called Stringosaurus. Because, let’s face it, what kid doesn’t LOVE dinosaurs?
This curriculum was all about whole-body learning and was designed to be simple, enjoyable, and achievable for students.
To make sure the curriculum hit the mark, I dove into early childhood development and the psychology of how kids learn.
Nine years into this adventure, I was invited to present at the Nova Scotia Music Educators’ Association Conference. Seeing teachers so eager to soak up new approaches to early childhood string teaching was incredibly motivating.
Since then, I’ve served as Vice President of AUSTA WA, presented at national and international conferences like AUSTA, ASME, and ESTA, and adjudicated here in Australia. I currently run a bespoke early childhood string program at a private Anglican community school in Perth, Western Australia.
Now, it's your turn. Hit reply and tell me about your teaching and your challenges and successes? I love connecting with you!!
Love Laura
