Youth Music - BongoClub.org.uk

A practitioner's view: Freya Tabbush

Freya Tabbush has probably been singing since she was born - with musicians for parents and an introduction to the fiddle at the tender age of five, music has been part of her life from a very early age. A passion for all things musical inspired her to start up her own music centre for under fives once she'd completed her training in primary teaching. Here she talks to Bongo Club about the brilliant way that music can engage little ones and the sheer enjoyment of seeing children's reactions and approaches to the music around them.

What's your musical background?
My parents have both always been musicians, so I was born into it really. My Mum is a singer and she's had various albums out and she recorded her first album when I was in her tummy! They're both folk musicians, so they've always been into Ceilidh playing and singing and all sorts of traditional music. My Dad plays the melodeon, mandolin and the Northumbrian pipes. We've always had a house full of different instruments, so we had our pick of them really!

How did you decide on playing the fiddle?
Well when we're five years old in my family we have to decide which instrument we want to play. I wanted to play the cello, but they couldn't find one small enough, so I played the violin instead! So I got a tiny, tiny little fiddle and started by learning classical violin while we were living in Edinburgh. We went to music school on Saturdays and played the violin and sang. I gave up classical violin playing when I was ten years old and I've been playing in Ceilidh bands ever since. The classical route just wasn't for me - I decided to play by ear. I can read music and I do when I need to, but mostly I play everything by ear and I teach by ear.

Where and what did you study?
I did a teaching degree at Roehampton University in primary education, specialising in music.

Did you know at that point that you were going to carry on teaching? Did you love teaching by that point?
I did. I found it quite difficult at that stage because I was only nineteen when I started and you're that much closer to the children in age! I learnt so much from the course. You learn so many different skills by doing the course - things like computer skills and website design have been really useful.

What was your first teaching experience?
My first teaching experience was quite a long time before I went to university because I'd always run workshops in the summer holidays since I was about fifteen. I'd also been running harmony workshops with my sisters before then too, so I already felt like I had some sort of experience, which was good.

What did you do after university?
I started running the Gymboree music centre in Twickenham. I had been working for them at the weekends while I was at university so I already knew the programme and style of teaching and I actually carried on working for a year as the manager of another Gymboree branch. So I already had all that experience  and then decided it was such a great idea, I wanted to have my own. I started from scratch with the music centre in Twickenham and had to search for premises to begin with.

Where you inundated with people when it first opened or did you have to build up a base of parents and children that came along?
When we very first opened, I ran a big marketing campaign before we opened with leaflet drops all around the area and everyone was so excited and we were really, really busy but it's been a real roller coaster. It's been very tough in some ways because you rely on word of mouth to such an extent, that it's a little bit out of your control. Obviously I can do marketing and advertising - it's important that everything is perfect and the quality is really excellent so that people do recommend it. I'm finding it so much easier now because people who used to come with their children have now got their second child and are coming back again.

How do you involve the children in music making on a day-to-day basis?
The children range from six months old up to four and a half. For the babies that are around six months out, we use a lot of finger puppets, tactile stimulation and parental interaction. We use rocking and singing games - it's also quite a sociable thing with Mums meeting other new Mums, which is lovely. There's lots of singing and bubbles - the babies absolutely love the bubbles. They're so sweet at that age and fascinated by everything - it's all new and exciting!

Babies have got a real sense of rhythm - if you put a piece of music on with a really strong beat, you'll see them bopping along and moving in time to it which is amazing because it's not something that they've been taught, it's just something that's naturally there. They absolutely love it!

We have three different types of class - they're all based on music and help with physical development. Before they're crawling we run activities for babies to help them with strengthening their neck muscles. Everything involves play  - we get them moving, dancing and singing.
 
We then have a separate music class which starts at six months and we use a different style of music every week. So it might be disco, African or reggae music - it's just brilliant and we use all sorts of little percussion instruments. They're all quite age specific, so depending on the age of the little ones, we use instruments to suit them like bells, triangles and shakers. We also have a really big drum that the six-month-old babies can all play at the same time!

How does music help the children's development at your centre?
Socially is the first thing I'd say. Music evens everything out - it doesn't matter if they are boys or girls, or how old they are - everybody's there for the same reason. There are other social things as well such as putting things away when the children have finished with them and sharing the instruments. We often ask all the children to have a go at playing their own specific instrument at the same time as everyone else, so you're teaching them to watch what other people are doing, to copy it and to be a performer as well, in a really simple way. It's also a great way for parents to bond with their child through singing together. There are lots of concentration skills involved as well - they have to feel the different kinds of music and adapt accordingly. More than anything, they just absolutely love it! It's the highlight of their week: to hear the kids on the street say "is it Gymboree today?!" is great. They are just so excited when they walk through the door. It's not as though we're giving them anything physical, but it's just the experience that they're having that they love.

Has music helped any of the children at the centre with special needs?
Children with special needs are completely integrated into the classroom because it's one-on-one at the centre, in that every child has a parent or carer with them. We have children in the centre with autism, Down's syndrome, attention deficit disorder and early development problems. Being part of a social group like that before school, prepares them for school as well. A lot of people say that when they come back and mention that the teachers are really loving the fact that the children are already ready to sit and listen and ready to wait for someone else to have a turn at something before they do.

Do you encourage the children and parents to carry on making music at home?
We have all sorts of props that we use in class and sell as well. There are a lot of hand puppets, finger puppets and CD's that we use, that they can take away. Most of the things we have in the centre are available for sale. We've got a little CD with a book that accompanies it with all the words to the songs so they can do things at home. Parents can get a bit annoyed with it though, because all the children want to play with it in the car! They just want that CD on and it drives the mums and dads a bit mad.

What kind of music making toys do you use at the centre?
We have a lot of percussion instruments in the shape of things, like a fish with beads inside it that shakes. We also have shakers in the shape of fruit and they just love that! All the toys that we use are colourful and exciting - it isn't just a case of making a sound with it. We use a drum with coloured beads inside it and a see-through skin, so when they hit the drum, the beads jump up, and that's really fascinating for them. Maracas are always really popular - they love them. They sell really quickly as well. We also have what we call a cage bell - it's made from plastic and it's got a cage around the bell so it's great for tiny kids as they can chew them when they're teething. It's a variation of a rattle really, but they love them!

What are the pros and cons of your job?
I love the interaction with the children and the staff as well. It's amazing to train your own staff and watch them grow as teachers and learn from each other. The children's faces when they walk in through the door is great. They just want to be there so much they're trying to get out of their buggies! It's really lovely. The cons of running the centre are definitely having to do your accounts and VAT. I'm really getting used to it now, but at first I didn't have any background in that sort of thing. Now I've done it a few times it's becoming a lot quicker and a lot easier! The other thing that's a real benefit is that it's part of a franchise so there are other people who do exactly the same thing and are in exactly the same boat. We're all really close and support each other. We meet up whenever we can over coffee or lunch and have a good chat about things. In some ways it's a chance to offload all the things you are just not sure about or you're upset or worried about. It's great because they are the only other people that really understand what you're talking about. It can be lonely sometimes because you have to be everybody's boss and nobody's friend! It is like being part of a team, but it's all your problem. It's not anybody else's fault or problem - it's all on my shoulders.

Did you find that quite daunting at stage?
Yes, definitely. It's been an amazing challenge because of the things you come up against that you wouldn't encounter in other walks of life, but you just have to learn to deal with it. The people at the franchise are there to help too, but obviously they have lots of people working as franchisees.

Now you've got Gymboree where you want it to be, what's next for you?!
I've got no idea. I definitely want to keep doing my gigs - I'm absolutely loving it: singing with my sisters and playing in Ceilidh bands. I'm also running a community choir in Winchester, which has one hundred members now! They're like a separate family!

When do you have time to go down the pub?!
I seem to make time!

Funding for music activities

If you're a practitioner looking for funding for music activities, your project could be eligible for funding from Youth Music's First Steps programme.

MusicLeader