News
We will be closed for the Christmas New Year Holiday Break
Mini Maestros will be closed from 24 December and re-open on 5 January. Some local teachers may be taking a slighly longer holiday.Meanwhil… read moreMini Maestros At Home Educational Activities e-Pack
Upon paying for in-person classes every student receives our bonus Mini Maestros At Home Educational Activities e-Pack. The Pack contains: … read moreZoom Zoom Zoom With Bumblebee - By Melissa Eilers
My last day teaching face-to-face classes was in late March and I very sadly packed up my cupboards at my Glen Iris venue not knowing how long it… read more7 Things to Keep your Toddler Occupied When they Have to be Quiet - By Kate Phillips, Rowville Teacher
As a parent with small children, the times I used to dread most were loooong waits in small spaces. Doctor’s surgeries, bus stops, appointm… read moreContemplating During COVID - By Kate Sadler Mini Maestros Kew/Balwyn
Music was my first love, and it will be my last. Music of the future, and music of the past. To live without my music, would be impossible to do… read moreHow Music is Like the Clothes We Wear - By Pip Hargrave
One of the reasons I’m passionate about music education is that music is such an amazing, universal language. Music can break through cult… read moreInter-Generational Music Making = Strengthening Friendships Through Songs and Dance by Jo Irwin, Macedon Ranges Franchisee.
Recently the ABC aired a unique social experiment that brings together elderly people in a retirement community with a group of 4-year-olds. Old … read moreDiving Deeper - Music from Around the World - Janet Collins
It’s a day typical day like any other in a Mini Maestros class. Carers and students gather happily greeting each other with a quick catch u… read moreWhy Have Concerts? - By Maddy Kelly, Mini Maestros Head of Teaching
The Mini Maestros concerts are a wonderful way to celebrate our year of learning and confidence building together. They provide an opportunity fo… read moreDiving Deeper - Music and Mood Enhancement
By Michelle Maglitto - Mini Maestros Williamstown & Hoppers CrossingMusic is a fundamental part of our society. Whether it be learning an ins… read moreDiving Deeper - Music and Vocabulary By Kitty Skeen - Mini Maestros Bendigo.
The words in our vocabulary are the building blocks for understanding and expressing ideas. Children’s vocabulary and concept development i… read moreDiving Deeper - Lullaby and good night - hopefully... By Judy O'Neill
“”Lullaby - A quiet song that is sung to children to help them go to sleep.” (Cambridge English Dictionary). Do you sing… read moreKodály, Orff, Dalcroze and Suzuki - By Jo Irwin - Mini Maestros Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Franchisee
Have you ever wondered what it actually means when we say that our Mini Maestros education program is based on Kodály methodology and is i… read moreMini Maestros Customer App
The Mini Maestros Customer App is a complimentary app for parents with children enrolled in Mini Maestros classes in Australia. The app includes… read moreDiving Deeper - Connection by Maddy Kelly - Mini Maestros' Head of Teaching
Whilst parents and teachers are surrounded by and catering to the immediate needs of children on a daily basis, it’s difficult to measure j… read moreDiving Deeper - Imagination. By Caroline Paterson
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” - Albert Einstein Imagination has long since been touted as … read moreDiving Deeper - Creativity by Kitty Skeen - Mini Maestros Bendigo Franchisee
“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, andhaving fun.”– Mary Lou Cook… read moreInterview with Dr Anita Collins – By Esther Bertram
Dr Anita Collins is an award-winning educator, researcher and writer in the field of brain development and music learning. She is internationally… read moreOnlooker Learners - By Emma Hart, Former Mini Maestros Head Of Teaching
The term onlooker learning is very much as it sounds, learning through watching. Many children will go through this stage, as it is essentially h… read moreMeet The Team - Ally Hvalica
Ally has just joined the Head Office team as our new Enrolments Registrar. Ally was the Preston, Ivanhoe and Northcote franchisee for just over 5… read moreMusic and Intellectual Development - By Alison Cusack & Linda Repic
As parents we are always looking for ways to help our little ones get everything they need to develop and grow into well-mannered, smart and stro… read moreWho is your child's best teacher? Part 1 of 2 By Emma Hart - Former Mini Maestros Head of Teaching
Who is your child’s best teacher? What is our role as parents and teachers, and how can we help our youngest learners to reach their full … read moreWho is your child's best teacher? Part 2 of 2 By Emma Hart - Former Mini Maestros Head of Teaching
Continued from part 1.... READ PART 1 HERE I used to find this difficult to manage as a teacher. I found myself repeatedly showing children how … read moreDiving Deeper - Physical Skills - By Taryn Wright
"You are the music while the music lasts" TS ElliotThis is a quote that has always resonated with me. I think we all know that feeling our favour… read moreInter-generational music making is building healthy communities
Mini Maestros have partnered with Sunbury Community Health to offer inter-generational music classes to pre-school aged children and elders resid… read moreWriting Music Down - by 3MBS
Writing Music Down - by 3MBSBefore sound recording was invented just over a hundred years ago, a lot of music was lost forever as soon as it was … read moreDiving Deeper - Social Skills by Kate Rice
In a world where you can be anything, be kind.As I scrolled through my Facebook feed recently this quote caught my eye. It really resonated with … read moreThe Importance of Repetition
Repetition is a crucial factor in children’s overall learning development. Through repetition, children can experience a sense of pride as … read moreDiving Deeper - Learning to listen by Robyn Stewardson
Still. Quiet. Listening to nothing. The littlest children in our classes are great at listening and the older ones get great at it. Funnily enoug… read moreMeeting The Head Office Team - Esther Bertram - Marketing and Franchise Development Manager
Esther Bertram is Mini Maestros’ Marketing and Franchise Development Manager. Esther’s creativity and energy are evident in Mini Maes… read moreMeet the Team - Jo Irwin
Jo Irwin is the Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Franchisee and our Social Community Manager. Jo first attended Mini Maestros in 2002 with her 6 month … read moreDiving Deeper - Imagination and Music By Lisa Marcolin
Do you remember…. as a child roaring like a tiger, flying like a fairy and jumping like a kangaroo?!?It's all about imagination.Babies imi… read moreSpeech Development - Stories from Parents by Annette L. Graham
My Son Coulton started Mini Maestros with Georgie at the Kew Library when he was two and progressed right through the programs doing his final ye… read moreDiving Deeper - The Power of Song by Kitty Skeen Part 1 of 2
What if I told you, there was one activity you can do that can be done by anyone, of any age, with no experience or qualifications.It can be done… read moreDiving Deeper - The Power of Song by Kitty Skeen Part 2 of 2
List your ten favourite songs… your own ‘playlist of your life’. Do they have a place, a memory, a person associated to them, … read moreMeeting the Head Office Team - Maddy Kelly
Maddy Kelly is Mini Maestros’ Head of Teaching. Maddy was born into a family of musicians and music teachers alike, with both her pa… read moreMeeting The Head Office Team - Bruce Fethers - Co-owner & Managing Director
Bruce Fethers is Mini Maestros’ Managing Director and co-owner. Bruce had a career as a lawyer and then as a business executive before co… read moreDiving Deeper - Dance - by Cathy Edgar
Most people I know like to dance. Dancing is rhythmic movement that is mostly generated by positive emotion or excitement. It’s a wonderful… read moreThe Senses - By Robyn Grose
For babies and young children the world is a magical mix of sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touchables! Unlike most adults, children feel fir… read moreMeeting The Head Office Team - Jennifer Smith - Co-owner & Music Director
Jennie Smith is co-owner of the Mini Maestros master franchise and the Music Director. Jennie’s wealth of experience developing music progr… read moreThe Power of Music in Expressing Children's Emotions by Chantelle Alvaro
KidsMatter, the Australian Early Childhood Mental Health Initiative (see kidsmatter.edu.au) notes that the development of children’s emotio… read morePlay - By Kate Howard
“Mum, can you play with me?” – “I have to do the dishes, I will soon.”“Dad, can you play with me now?” … read moreMeeting The Head Office Team - Introducing Stephanie Migliore
Stephanie joined the Mini Maestros team in 2015 and is our registrar extraordinaire! She looks after over 900 Mini Maestros Head Office students … read moreRelationships - By Ally Hvalica
As a Mini Maestros teacher, I truly believe in our motto: Nurturing Confident Learners. I believe if we want to achieve this, we need to establis… read moreDevelopmental Milestones - By MaryRose Harrison
From the day our children are conceived we read and are told about developmental milestones.How big our child should be; how much they should wei… read moreStories From Parents/Grandparents - Bobbie Carroll
When our first two little granddaughters were born eight days apart in 2010 I wanted to give them a very special gift which would last their enti… read moreMeeting The Head Office Team - Introducing Monika Szilagyi
In this new section of the newsletter we will be introducing members of the Mini Maestros Head Office team, so you can get to know the people who… read moreJOY by Tiff Ikin
JOY - noun1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation2. a source or… read moreMusic Education
By Kylie Rendle - Mini Maestros Mt Eliza FranchiseeTwenty years ago I sat in a cosy café in Richmond with Jenny Fogarty, the founder of Mi… read moreWellbeing
By Liz Davis - Mini Maestros Geelong/Bellarine/Surf Coast FranchiseeOne can’t help but notice the constant bombardment of advertising these… read morePeekaboo Scarves by Emma Hart, Former Mini Maestros Head of Teaching
We are delighted to announce that Peek-a-boo scarves will be a standard part of student equipment for babies and toddlers in 2017. Peekaboo is p… read moreAll Shapes of the World
By Kate Phillips - Mini Maestros Rowville/Upwey/Upper Ferntree Gully Franchisee"Look at us! Governed by squares and rectangles!”This was a … read moreMusic Forever
By Adina Hall - Mini Maestros Dingley/Black Rock/Sandringham Franchisee. Music is everywhere.Our lives are surrounded by music, whether it’… read moreChildren of Tomorrow: Thoughts On Mindful Music Education in the Early Childhood Space
By Marlena Raymond - Mini Maestros Business Development AssistantIntroductionAs educators, musicians, teaching artists and parents, it is essenti… read moreNurturing the Love of Music
By Simone McGrath - Mini Maestros Glen Waverley/Mount Waverley FranchiseeThe first time I ever heard of Mini Maestros was in a conversation I had… read moreMusic. Feel it all over.
By Kate Dodds - Mini Maestros Kew & Balwyn FranchiseeTo quote Stevie Wonder’s Sir Duke,“Music is a world within itself,It’s… read moreMini Maestros - It's Not Just About The Children.
By Judy O'Neill - Mini Maestros Ringwood & Vermont South Franchisee As a mother of three small children, who had just moved into Heathmont, I… read moreThe Creative Life
By Taryn Wright - Mini Maestros Essendon North Franchisee"We are all born creative, we just get it educated out of us"This is a quote that really… read more5 Simple Ways to Nurture Creativity in Our Children
By Maddie Thiele - Business Development Officer/Teacher at South Yarra and BurnleyChildren of Tomorrow – May 2016“Creativity stands a… read moreDiscovering the Joy of Music
By Michelle Maglitto - Mini Maestros Wiliamstown and Hoppers Crossing FranchiseeMusic is one of those wonderful things that brings happiness and … read moreFive Alternative Ways to Say "Well Done!"
By Maddie Thiele, Teacher - Burnley/South Yarra As parents and educators, we would like the best for our children. We would like them to be confi… read more"Good morning Bumblebee"
By Jo Irwin - Mini Maestros Macedon Ranges FranchiseeThese three words are sung, spoken, whispered, yelled or hummed across Australia, Singapore,… read moreA Mini Maestros Moment
By Amanda Siva, Daughter of Mini Maestros Founder Jenny FogartyMost people crave a sense of community. It is sometimes elusive and unless you sea… read moreThe exchange between teacher and child
By Maddie Thiele, Mini Maestros Teacher - South Yarra/BurnleyChildren of TomorrowOn the wall behind many of the desks at Mini Maestros Head Offic… read moreThe joy of being a new mum, and the importance of connection learning and play
By Emma Hart, Teacher - Carlton North, Head of TeachingI can honestly say, like so many have before me, that becoming a mum has brought joy beyon… read moreCommunity
By Janet Collins - Mini Maestros Port Mlebourne, Docklands and Elwood FranchiseeToday we know more about our processes of learning and growing th… read moreBABIES CLASSES - a very special and important time for you and your child.
By Emma Hart, Former Head Of Teaching – Mini Maestros Mini Maestros babies’ classes nurture the innate love of music that babies ar… read more5 Ways To Jam With Your Child At Home
By Maddie Thiele, Mini Maestros Teacher, Burnley/South YarraIn a recent study published by the University of Queensland, researchers found that i… read moreWas Your First Mini Maestros Class What You Expected?
Did you know it can take around three weeks for young children to settle into new situations such as Mini Maestros? In our 30 years of experience… read moreLearning an Instrument
Many parents enquire about their child learning an instrument, such as piano or violin. We encourage them not to be in a rush to have children le… read more