Mellow Mummy: Moosicology Review : Taking life as it comes...

Sunday 14 October 2012

Moosicology Review

Moosicology is a music learning aid for children from birth to about 7 years old; we were asked to review it with both Lara and Holly and we have been using it now for approaching two months.



Mr. B. and I love to see Lara's reading, writing and hands-on creative skills improve with every day that passes and we love to hear about the new things she has learned about the world around her but we are both quite aware that we have little to offer the girls in terms of musical development (me especially). I used to take Lara to "Music with Mummy" classes and I currently take Holly to the "Jolly Babies" equivalent but while I can see that spark of delight in their eyes when they listen to nursery rhymes and songs, I understand now that these classes are a lot more to do with the social aspect (for mum, as much as for baby), rather than learning music. For these reasons, I was really happy to come across Moosicology as a home learning aid for real music theory suitable for little ones.

Moosicology comes as a CD and a picture book guide.  Each lesson features a new aspect of music theory but it isn't so much taught, as presented.  Lara, at 3.5 years old, is totally oblivious to the fact that what she is listening to is music theory and (for me at least) it is actually quite advanced theory too.  Lesson one introduces crotchets and quavers and by lesson 8 you are up to syncopation!!!

Saturday or Sunday afternoons tend to be our music time.  When Lara asks to watch something on TV we instead recommend listening to some music.  All four of us sit in the living room and listen to the Moosicology CD while Lara sits with the colourful picture book on the sofa.  Actually, she doesn't sit for long; she normally gets up and starts bopping.  Lara likes to bop.  It is fab that Moosicology is something that we can enjoy as a family.  Holly gets to listen to the music and even at 5 months old she is taking in the fact that we are all moving and clapping to different rhythms, even if she doesn't know it yet.

I am really impressed with Moosicology.  Perhaps because music is somewhere that I felt there was a gap in what I could offer Lara myself in terms of learning and development (I'm not awfully musically minded).  I was shocked at first with how quickly the theory moved but Lara seems to have been swept along with it so I'll go with her on this one!

Perhaps the ultimate proof that Moosicology is working was last week when we were visiting potential primary schools with Lara.  We watched a Year 2 music lesson in which they were banging drums and learning about rhythms and Lara told the teacher she already knew about crotchets and quavers.  I was so proud of her!!!  I can really see Moosicology being a good resource for us to help support her through her primary learning alongside her school activities.  And it isn't just in music lessons that it could help the girls - Moosicology strongly believe that with regular music learning a child's all round learning and intelligence can be improved (they have lots of interesting science stuff to back this claim up but you know, its quite easy to see that a child who 'gets' music and relaxes and enjoys it can open their mind up to a whole lot more than just music).

Moosicology costs £67 which I think is still good value given that I should get another 7 years use out of it!
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