Why Traditional Music Groups Don't Work for Childminders

Childminder with children of different ages and abilities in a home setting.

Welcome to our childminder series!

Let's consider the music experiences that childminders, who play a fundamental role in yearly years music, can offer to their children in care.

Picture this: Lisa, a dedicated childminder, excitedly books a music class for her four mindees. She arrives with 8-month-old Oliver, 18-month-old twins Maya and Mia, and 3-year-old Ben. The instructor cheerfully announces, "Today we're doing more rhythm patterns for 3-4 year olds!"

Oliver starts crying because the drums are too loud. The twins toddle off in opposite directions. Ben is bored because he did this same session last month. Lisa spends the entire 45 minutes managing chaos instead of facilitating musical development. She leaves exhausted, £40 poorer, and wondering why she bothered.

Sound familiar?

Three years ago, I watched Lisa struggle through yet another traditional music class. With her four mindees spanning 8 months to 3 years, she spent more time managing chaos than making music. The instructor, lovely as she was, kept saying, "This works better with just 3-year-olds!"

That evening, Lisa messaged me: "Maria, I want to bring music into our days, but these classes aren't working. There has to be a better way."

Understanding the Real Barriers

Through extensive consultation with childminders via Coram PACEY networks, we identified the core issues:

Traditional Music Classes:

• Assume one adult per child

• Focus on performance outcomes

• Ignore mixed-age realities and needs

• Tend to create stress to the childminder, not joy to the children

• Require extensive coordination and focus on one child

What Childminders Actually Need:

• Activities that engage 3-month to 4-year-olds simultaneously

• Zero musical training required or planning

• Process-focused, not performance

• Flexible timing and structure

• Engagement and joy as the primary outcome

The Musical Reality: Why One-Size-Fits-All Doesn't Work

Children engaged in Music play with parents at Maria Moon Music CIC sessions

Traditional music groups typically target one age bracket, leaving childminders with an impossible choice. Research from Musical Development Matters in the Early Years clearly shows that children's musical needs vary dramatically:

• 0-12 months: Need gentle audiation experiences, lullabies, and simple but strutured sound exploration

• 12-24 months: After walking they require movement-based activities, exploring space and time through flow, simple instruments, and repetitive songs

• 2-3 years: Ready for action songs, basic rhythm work, and imaginative play

• 3-4 years: Can handle complex instructions, group activities, and performance elements

For a more in depth music developmental stage access our article HERE

🌟 Breaking Down Music Barriers in Childminding

At Maria Moon Music, we see childminders for who they truly are — educators, nurturers, and innovators creating harmony in mixed-age spaces every single day. 

Yet, too often, traditional music groups, or mainstream franchise groups focus on entertainment and numbers, overlook the needs of the children they care for. They assume one adult per child, focus on performance instead of process, and ignore the joyful musical understanding that defines real, everyday musical learning.

Through deep collaboration with the childminding community and partners like Coram PACEY, we listened and learned. We discovered that what childminders really need isn’t perfection — it’s flexibility, inclusivity, and joy. That’s why we created the Music Monomodal Blended Learning approach — a simplified yet powerful music framework made for mixed-age care.

Our method focuses on one clear objective at a time, blending live sessions, digital resources, real-world tools, and community connection. Every song, every sound, every beat becomes a bridge:

• Babies experience music through gentle sound and rhythm

• Toddlers explore through play and movement

• Preschoolers lead with imagination and confidence

Our childminders can bring their group of up to 5 children of mixed ages for a fee of £12 per hour session instead of paying for each individual child. Visit our page to book yours today. Just click HERE.

This value is reduced when they book a pack of 4 ot more sessions. Plus, they can also have the peace of mind of saving their space over the half term breaks and continuing the sessions without losing their places.

So what are the Hidden Costs of Traditional Music Classes?

💷 Financial Barriers

Category	Details	Cost Impact
Class Fees	£8-15 per child per session	£32-60 for 4 children
Travel Costs	Petrol, parking, public transport	£5-15 per trip
Lost Earning Time	2-3 hours including travel	£30-60 lost income
Equipment	Instruments often purchased separately	£20-40 one-time cost
TOTAL REAL COST	Per session with 4 children	UP TO £100

😰 Logistical Considerations

Challenge	Reality	Impact
Car Seat Juggling	Managing multiple age-appropriate seats	Safety stress & time delays
Pushchair Storage	Limited or no storage at venues	Physical struggle & security worry
Nap Time Conflicts	Classes clash with essential rest times	Cranky children & disrupted routines
Feeding Challenges	Managing snacks & bottles during class	Distraction from music activities
Toilet Trips	Supervising multiple children for bathroom needs	Missing parts of the session

📊In Summary

• Financial Impact: Up to £400/month for weekly sessions

• Time Impact: 8-12 hours/month including travel

• Stress Impact: Managing 4-5 logistical challenges simultaneously

• Success Rate: Often less than 50% engagement due to age mismatches

The Birth of Monomodal Blended Learning

Why have our own approach?

At Maria Moon Music, our Music Monomodal Blended Learning approach was born from a simple yet powerful idea — that planning music in early years doesn’t need to be complex to be meaningful. It needs to be connected in simplicity to our senses.

Monomodal means we focus on one clear channel of learning at a time — a rhythm, a movement, or a melody —explored from the Body, Mind or Heart. With our selective guidance, children of different ages and stages of developement, can engage together without feeling left behind, confused or overstimulated. 

The Music Monomodal Learning model of 3 perspectives

Blended draws from the best of four world-respected early music education philosophies — Edwin Gordon’s Music Learning Theory, Émile Jaques-Dalcroze’s movement-based eurhythmics, Carl Orff’s creative exploration and improvisation, and Zoltán Kodály’s vocal and linguistic methodology. We weave the strongest elements of each into one single activity, approaching one perspective at a time. 

This allows every session to blend experience, exploration, and expression seamlessly — rather than running separate models, we unify them into one living, adaptable framework.

This approach in Music Learning reflects the continuous growth of both the child and the childminder, evolving together through sound, play, and reflection.

The beauty of our approach lies in the three perspectives guiding each session: the child, the group, and the childminder. These perspectives are not separate segments — they flow within the same shared experience. 

A baby’s sensory listening, a toddler’s exploratory movement, and a preschooler’s leadership naturally co-exist within one unified activity. 

Each participant experiences music at their own level of readiness while contributing to the group’s harmony. This flexibility eliminates the need to divide by age or ability — instead, it celebrates togetherness.

Through this universal, layered, and choice-driven framework, every Maria Moon Music session becomes a living rhythm — one that grows with each child, adapts to each day, and always places joy first.

The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all in early years music. But with Maria Moon Music, there doesn’t need to be. And for childminders, planning becomes effortless — adaptable to naps, school runs, and snack times, always keeping joy first.

Together, we’re creating something better — music that embraces every age, every rhythm, every smile. You’re not just keeping children entertained; you’re inspiring lifelong learning through music — and we’re here to make that journey meaningful, simpler, happier, and beautifully yours.

Sing you later,

Maria

💡Give the gift of Music to a childminder you know. Visit our Gift Card page HERE

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