Making Music
A Pre-Instrumental Music Course
for Children Aged 3-4
Next course starts 1 February 2025.
‘The class has been very beneficial for our child, who went from being extremely shy at the start to fully participating and enjoying the class each week. It has been the perfect balance of learning and fun.’
– S. Ayers Lewis
‘Great classes that help children to develop and appreciate music. [They] leave each week happy and want to return the following week. Everything I had hoped for.’
– D. McKenna
‘Very engaging and friendly teacher who uses a range of activities, including dancing, singing, call and response and instrument playing. Both of my girls have been teaching us the call and response activities at home. We will be back!’
– A. Moore
‘I would highly recommend the Making Music course for 3–4-year-olds. It’s a truly brilliant course, wonderfully active and engaging, and it really benefitted my son’s listening skills and enthusiasm for singing and dancing. It’s lovely that there is no need for any knowledge of music or instruments for it and that the teacher combines her knowledge of music and teaching superbly well.’
– A. Ní Shúilleabháin
‘[A] great teacher for introducing my daughter to the world of music. She learned lots and enjoyed every class.’
– M. Waters
Course Description
The first stage of Waltons New School of Music’s Music for Me pre-instrumental programme, Making Music provides an excellent opportunity for young children to explore and enjoy music with others of the same age. Together they absorb musical concepts like high and low, fast and slow, steady beat, dynamics and pulse through fun games, call-and-response songs and movement. They learn to use their voices expressively to sing and chant. They become sensitive to phrasing, articulation and dynamics, and demonstrate this while playing percussion instruments, moving creatively to music or drawing what they hear. They will also discover how sound is produced in instruments by tapping, plucking, bowing or blowing.
Children can repeat this course as long as they remain within the age range of the course. The activities will vary each time the course runs, and the course’s key concepts will be reinforced through repetition.
Enrol your child in this course.
Questions about the course?
See our main Pre-Instrumental Music Programme page for more information about the programme as a whole and Music for Me FAQs page for some frequently asked questions about our Music for Me courses. You can also use our Contact Form or call us on (01) 478 1884.
Parent Participation
Parents are encouraged to volunteer as ‘helpers’ for one of the classes, although this is not a requirement. Volunteers are there not only to assist the Music for Me teacher with class activities but also to understand better what their children are learning. Participating in your child’s class shows how much you value his or her musical discoveries!
If you have enrolled your child in this course, please complete our Parent Participation Form before the course begins, indicating what date or dates you are available to participate.
Child Safety & COVID-19
The health and safety of children attending lessons and courses at the New School is of the utmost importance to us.
First, the New School has a comprehensive Child Protection Policy in place, and all teachers are Garda vetted.
And second, although the COVID-19 pandemic is thankfully behind us, the disease remains a threat. So with the health and safety of both students and staff at the New School in mind, we have retained some of the equipment and policies we put in place during the pandemic to make in-school tuition safe. See our COVID-19 Safety Policy page for more information.
Jade Roche
Jade has been immersed music since the age of four, studying both piano and voice. She also spent ten years in the Billie Barry Stage School and was awarded a Music Merit Award by her secondary school for her dedication to music. She graduated from BIMM with an honours BA Degree in Modern Commercial Music. Jade has an extensive background in performance and has performed in the then Point Depot, the National Concert Hall, the Gaiety Theatre and Liberty Hall. With her artist project Pastiche, she has performed her original music in the 3Olympia, the Academy, Collins Barracks, the Button Factory and Whelan’s. She has also performed internationally at Primavera Pro in Barcelona and Iceland Airwaves. Jade’s love of writing and performing music is rivalled only by her love of teaching it. And she derives great satisfaction in helping others to succeed in their vocal, piano and pre-instrumental music journeys. Her teaching philosophy is always to learn just as much from her students as they learn from her.
‘My teaching philosophy is rooted in mutual learning, where both students and I grow together. I am also committed to continuously evolving my teaching practices, staying up to date with the latest pedagogies and syllabi. I understand this is more than music for many students; it is also an outlet for social interaction, personal development and growth. I bring real-world experience into the classroom, helping students develop their skills while fostering a love for music. My goal is to empower students to reach their full potential and discover their unique musical voices while having fun!’
2024-2025 Second Term
Course Schedule & Fee
10 weeks, 1 February – 12 April 2025
(No class on 8 February)
Saturdays 10.15 – 11 am
Course Type: In-School
Tuition Fee: €170
Enrolment
Enrolment for this course requires a completed Enrolment Form and full payment of the course fee. Places are limited to twelve and are available on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date of enrolment. Many of our group courses fill in advance of their start dates, and early enrolment is recommended.
Have you have enrolled your child?
Please complete a Parent Participation Form.
Purchasing this course as a gift?
Please complete a Gift Certificate Booking Form.
Questions about the course?
See our Music for Me FAQs or
or call us on (01) 478 1884.
a comprehensive music centre in the heart of Dublin.