Ho Bina ! Music & movement classes are starting this week at Ecolint’s La Châtaigneraie campus in Founex as part of the music school’s courses that are open to the public.
If you have little ones aged 6 months to 5 years-old and are looking for a fun activity to do together, then these classes might be just what you’re looking for.
You can join the classes at any time during the term as course fees will be applied on a pro-rata basis.
HO BINA! brings children together in a shared discovery of music and movement. Each child plays, sings, speaks rhymes, moves and grows together musically with their parent or caregiver in a warm, friendly and child-centered atmosphere.
In a typical class, a child might be making music with a finger puppet chorus, pretending to be a dog, singing their teddies to sleep, being a mouse running away from a cat, moving freely to music, playing folk instruments, body percussion, or simply snuggling up with their parent and listening to music together. Parents are often surprised to discover their own love of singing, even after a lifetime of thinking of themselves as non-musical !
Becky Smith, a mum-of-two who has attended Ho bina! music classes with her two sons, was very happy with the course: “Ho bina! music classes were quite different from other ‘baby music’ groups (which in my experience aren’t always very musical…).
With Rachel and Sara’s beautiful voices leading us in lovely singing, often in harmony, I always came away feeling uplifted, and I could tell the boys felt the same…The classes gave me more confidence to sing with my children, and – partly as a result – I’ve since had the confidence to join a choir and sing with other adults as well. Friends, family and teachers have often remarked on the boys’ confidence and creativity with rhythm and music, and I believe Ho Bina! was an important part of their early musical education.
Here’s the list of classes that are available at the moment – for full details and prices visit the school’s website or email mary-eileen.marie@ecolint.ch
- Chaffinch 6–18 months: on Thursdays from 11.15am to midday. At this first stage, classes support a baby’s growing social awareness, discovery of touch/texture and responses to sound, rhythm, verbal and visual stimulus.
Whether it is making sounds with objects or clapping, engaging in simple rhythm games, exploring playful physical activities or experiencing the delight of being sung to, this first stage of our classes establishes a shared joy in participating in music together.
- Cuckoo 18 months–3 years: on Thursdays from 10.30am to 11.15am. As a child grows in physical co-ordination and confidence, the classes explore increased independent movement within all the activities, whilst continuing to encourage all the key developmental areas of our earlier class.
Early language skills are developed through imitation of sounds, use of rhyme and patterns. Games become more interactive and children begin to make music together, developing their listening skills and awareness of others.
- Snowy Owl 3–4 years: on Tuesdays from 2pm to 2.45pm. With their verbal skills developing rapidly, children explore language and song with increased ability, confidence and enthusiasm. They begin to enrich their understanding of human emotion as they discover how songs and movements have different moods, feelings and energies.
Activities also encourage the child’s ability to play with their peers and develop awareness of the skills needed for basic interaction.
- Woodpecker 4–5 years: on Tuesdays from 3pm to 3.45pm. At this stage, classes are specifically designed to harness the growing creative, imaginative and narrative skills of the child.
Physical, musical and language skills are combined in increasingly sophisticated ways. Music and movement are joined together in the creation of stories that the children share with each other. Musical awareness becomes more conscious as the child develops early music-reading skills through the use of symbols and visual patterns.
HO BINA ! music and movement classes are taught by Rachel Harris Lindop, co-founder and director of HO BINA! since 2009. Rachel was inspired by her studies at the Kodaly Institute, as well as by her work as a professional singer and teacher for 15 years.
For more details and registration forms visit the school’s website or or email mary-eileen.marie@ecolint.ch
For full information and registration forms in French click here.
