" Her dedication to the development of very young chidren by employing the creative 

arts in a learning environment is a model to be replicated throughout Canada."

   Claire M. Speed; Director of Music Education, National Arts Centre

ABOUT FIDDLESTICKS

The heart of the Fiddlesticks curriculum is music. Amongst a wide- ranging repertoire of nursery rhymes, traditional chants, folk songs, singing games and art music of the great master composers, children acquire knowledge and appreciation of music. All programs and classes offered at Fiddlesticks combine music, art, movement and play to provide a balanced and joyful learning experience for young children.

Through discovery, experience and understanding children are given the opportunity to see, hear and feel the creative process. This approach in a structured educational environment allows for children to engage multiple intelligences and diverse learning styles.

Lessons at Fiddlesticks are filled with wonder-inspiring activities designed to engage, delight and challenge the whole child. Art projects, poetry, songs, literature, dramatic play, dance and creative movement pieces are thematically connected and follow the cycles of the seasons using natural sources for inspiration and as elements in the creative process. Violin and cello are introduced at the preparatory level and tools of the Kodály Method are merged with application of the Suzuki Method to awaken curiosity, instill a desire and slowly but surely develop technical ability on both instruments.

Small classes allow for varied levels of interaction with peers and teacher and activities for large and small group participation enhance the spectrum of each child’s experience during class time. Furthermore, independent handwork and constructive play projects are readily offered throughout each class as an alternative to the structured activities. It is this fluidity within the class structure and the authentic integration of the arts that generates the air of possibility and wonderment unique to a Fiddlesticks class.

Director/teacher, Verity Murray, is a classical cellist and a certified Kodály Education specialist. Verity believes that music education has a particular formative power and that the development of music ability affects a child’s creativity, awareness of self and receptivity of the world around them. She understands that singing and music have a special place within the aesthetic experience of the young child and that together they easily become a wholesome foundation for learning and sharing. Verity follows the conviction that early learning through expressive artistic experience encourages children to build confidence in their own creativity and inspires a life-long companionship with the arts. She knows that every child holds the gift of innate creative potential and is committed to providing an environment at Fiddlesticks in which children thrive.