Jo Jingles celebrates 10 years of music-making in Bath

Wednesday, 27th February 2013 - comments (2)

Jo Jingles is celebrating ten years of making music in the local area with a special week of Jo’s “birthday” activities. Local mum, Sally Long, started Jo Jingles on 3rd March 2003, having seen a gap in the market for professional, yet fun, music classes for babies and preschool children.

Sally reminisces about the start of the business: “I had a very limited range of instruments and props, a massive repertoire of songs to learn, venues to find, customers to recruit, and – to top it all – I was incredibly nervous that first morning! Technologically, things were very different back then. Most of the Jo Jingles network were still using cassette tapes, and I was considered advanced as I was burning my own CDs and carrying around a massive ghetto blaster!”

It can’t have been all bad though as one of the original customers from that first morning is still attending classes now with her third child (she did have a break between children though!).

Since that first morning Jo Jingles classes have grown in popularity, with lots of changes on the way. New venues were quickly added to cope with demand, the ghetto blasters were ditched for ipods, and the range of instruments is now very extensive including drums, tambourines, guiros, giggle sticks, triangles, claves, rainmakers, maracas and bells amongst others. New themed weeks have been constantly added and Jo Jingles also now has a vast range of props which are used to support the learning points in the groups – parachutes, bubbles, pompoms, beanbags, puppets, streamers, scarves, soft toys and stretchy lycra. Even ten years down the line, classes are regularly updated.

Says Sally: “The class leaders and I have met hundreds of families over the decade, and it truly has been an absolute pleasure to make music with such wonderful children. I’m often spotted by previous customers when I’m out and about, who tell me how their children still remember the classes with affection and are still actively engaged in music-making. And even now, no two classes are the same and it’s amazing to watch different children’s reactions to the music – there’s always something new.”

When asked what they’d like to do for Jo’s 10th Birthday, local customers said “eat cake”, so Sally will be providing Jo’s birthday cakes for the classes for the week of the 4th - 8th March, and, in return, collecting donations for the RUH Forever Friends Appeal (a charity nominated by her own children). Customers are also voting for their Top Ten Jo Jingles songs, and each birthday class will have a specially tailored programme classes ensuring that at least one of each child’s nominated songs is included.

Jo Jingles classes are available for children aged three months to five years in Bath, Chippenham and Keynsham. Each 45 minute session is jam-packed full of activities which teach children about rhythm, melody, lyrics, movement and group-interaction, helping children to develop language skills, improve physical co-ordination, gain social skills and a high level of self-confidence in a fun, secure environment.

Free trial classes are available for all age groups, and Jo Jingles have a special offer of a free four week baby course for babies under six months of age (up to one year in Chippenham). See www.jojingles.com/bath, call 01225 422638 or email sally@jojinglesbath.co.uk.

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see also...

• Weekly Classes