Meet the team

Me! (Lisa) - I am a very busy mum of 2 young children who can be found at Ballyclare parent classes on Mondays and Thursdays and dotted throughout Co Antrim the rest of the week! I regularly deliver sessions in nursery schools such as Steeple, Ballyclare, St Joseph's and St Anthony's. I also deliver sessions throughout Larne and Carrickfergus for SureStart In between times I am also found in numerous day nurseries!

Kate - a previous Jingling mum of three has been with Jo Jingles since 2006. She can be found delivering the parent classes in Whitehead, Larne & Carrick, together with various Nursery Schools - Whitehead, Moyle and Oakfield.

Kate & Jo at The Tall Ships Festival

Gillian - also a busy mum of three children. Previously a childminder and heavily involved with children's activities outside of Jo Jingles. Gillian can be found at St Joseph's, Sunnylands and Mt St Michael's Nursery School in Randalstown, Templepatrick NS and numerous mums and tots groups courtesy of Surestart. She is certainly a welcome addition to our team.

Deborah - A previous Jingling mum and heavily involved with children's activities outside of Jo Jingles. She currently delivers sessions in Larne (St Anthony's and Linn) and Carrick (Victoria, Acorn, Jollytots and PAKT), and toddler groups (Little Angels and Greystone) as well as after school sessions at Carrick Model.

How do the age groups differ?

6 mths - walking - This is particularly good for babies who are not yet walking, as the class teacher works very closely with the parents/carers using Jo Jingles as her baby. The parents and carers can see exactly how they can have fun with their babies using music and movement and we show how stimulating it can be for them. If there should be twins in the class, the teacher will work with one of the babies where possible. Children are never too young to be introduced to music, which becomes very apparent in this age group!

Walking - 2 yrs - Babies from 9mths are welcome into this age group if they are quite active and need a little more than the baby group. There is of course a big difference within the age group, but as the parents/carers work with their children throughout the class, it is not a problem. It is important to remember that, the more enthusiasm shown by the grown - ups, the better the response from the children, who also enjoy watching each other!

2 - 3 yrs - This age group can suit all ages, and is ideal for parents/carers who have two children of different ages and who only want to, or are only able to, attend once a week. In this age group, the grown - ups are still very actively involved in everything we do, but there is scope for the children to participate on their own, which encourages independence and confidence building. Most weeks we have a theme and the children are encouraged to look at Jo's "Theme Board" before and during the session to see if they can guess what we will be singing about and whether their favourite songs are going to be included. It is a good focal point too.

3 - 5 yrs - Children can remain in this age group right up to starting school and although parents/carers are not required to participate in general, they remain with their children and are expected to support them and show appreciation of what their children can do on their own. The children respond even more to the "Theme Board" and this encourages them to discuss it with their parents/carers and the teacher. In this age group, they have "homework" to take home and colour in to remind them of what they have learnt in the class with regards to music theory i.e. notation and pitch, music appreciation and other areas of music such as dynamics. The feedback from parents whose children have attended this age group is that they have a really good understanding of basic music, especially if they learn to play an instrument later on.