Let's Play: Music Moves with Kate Maines-Beasley and her creative team

Date: Tue, 14 February 2023

Time: 09:30 – 11:30am 

Free online session for early year practitioners

You will learn about the endless possibilities when working creatively with two-year-olds. They are utterly unique individuals and mindful explorers. They are competent, brave and capable. Judge for yourself how these children responded to Music Moves project activity, by reflecting on video clips of the work in practice. 

There will be resources to take away into your own practice.

Dr Jessica Pitt and Kate will guide you through what engagement looked and sounded like for the two-year-olds engaged in the Music Moves project. There were many surprises for the team here.

Hear from nursery school headteacher, John Croft, about the challenges and rewards of facilitating such open-ended, exploratory work in his nursery school.

Meet early years practitioners Annie Horsborough and Libby Heppell, who care for the children every single day. Hear them share how the project impacted and engaged their children, as well as what it was actually like being part of the Music Moves project.

Lesley Forrester will share highlights from the animal assisted work she led with her golden retriever Heidi, and team of therapy hens.

Gwyneth Lamb, external evaluator, will be present to share key learning from the project which will be taken into our future projects.

Speaker Biog - Kate Maines-Beasley

Kate is an early years music specialist with over 20 years experience. She specialises in working with two year olds, their families and practitioners. She is based in Whitley Bay, in the north east of England.

Kate plays flute, djembe and a small amount of ukulele. Singing and movement play are at the heart of all of her work. She loves collaborative working and learning from others.

Kate’s ethos is central to all of her early years music work:

● All children are entitled to make music, sing and dance. This is their right.

● Children are musically competent. We respect and value their musical expression.

● Parents/carers must be involved in creative projects, and respected as the child’s primary educator.

Kate sets up, manages and delivers longer term Youth Music funded projects. These projects are typically 6 - 24 months, with one group of children, families and practitioners. She finds that working this way gives her the best opportunities to offer high quality music and movement experiences, with a positive and lasting impact.

Kate has been Culture Bridge North East’s EYFS Consultant since May 2021. With Kate’s support and leadership, Culture Bridge North East has set up a brand new EYFS network called Let’s Play which offers bespoke online EYFS CPD, and resources. Free to access.

To find out more or book your space click >>here